The morning times., 1895-07-21
DANCING IN THE STREETS
Graceful ColOred Terpsichoreans
That Follow the Organ Grinder.
Distressing Story of n Wealthy Wash
How Dude Earned so Cents.

One OF the most distinctive and at the
same time most noticeable feature of Wa sh-
ington life during the summer time is the
hand organ brigade, and incidentally the
troupe OF random dancers that never fails
TO crop up in the afternoons whenever and
wherever for few moments the perpatetic
musicians of the street pause on the side
walk to wake tie echoes with their mcTe
or less niu steal instruments
Not only has this become a regular
staple amusement for the residents OF the
stay-at-home clique but is now recognized
as a reliable to-be-counted-upon amuse-
ment by the strangers within the gates,
who are seeking to Kill time in, around and
about the hotel corridors Just as surely
as a burly dirty-looking, perspiring Italian
wheels into sight with a hand-organ and sets
to work mechanically grinding out one
tune after another, just that surely does
thedancing contingent putin anappearance.
Where it comes from S quite much of a
mystery as te where 1t finally goes
to. But come IL does without fail as
soon as the first notes strike the air, and
as long as the music lasts the dancers
continue TO 20 through the evOlutions OF
which they apparently alone have the key
1t is all very amusing, all the same, and
the people who constitute the onlookers
never fail to be amused and edited TO the
fullest extent
To such an extent has this inpromptu
sidewalk dancing grown within the past
| few years in Washington, that now the
press throughout the country, from time
to time, taking note of the same, and in
{ I ha a ~
| ter, is giving considerable space TO the
! subject
| For the most part the dancers to the
/ street organ music are the small Colored
| children, although now and then, when
the notion seizes them, a stout matronly
dame or flippant young ebony damsel viii
/ wheel into line, ana entering into the spirit
/ OF the occasion with GcSt, Will abandon
! everything else for the time being TO keep
! step in time to the music
Not lew OF the children, more especially
! the ragged uukempt ones, viii follow a
( hand organ for an hour or more dancing
/ away as though their entire make up was
/ Of the india rubber variety. 1t Will be
l remembered that not long since there
/ was an interesting case in court in this
respect Some ob$ervant person having
/ noticed that always in the wake of GER
/ tain hand organ would follow the same two
/ or three small dancers, the matter was
F.. looked into This Investigation revealed
the fact that the enterprisiug son of Italy
/ whose stalwart arm aspired TO perpetual
motion in turning the crank Of the hand
organ, made practice of regularly hiring
children at 80 cents day to follow in his
wake and attract crowd wherever he
/ stopped to play by at once dancing.
Generally, no wever, the dancing is Sponta :
ncous aud by long odds the little sons and
( daughters OF Africa lead the white chill
drsn in the matter Of gracefulness. With
| the average colored child, to dance to the
| sound Of music is as spontaneous and as
natural as to sing Curiously enough,
this grace Of childhood, this genuine
abandonment of dancing, this lack of self
! ConsCi ausneSs, which is one OF the most
powerful aids TO success ordinarily in this
line, never bears fruit in later years.
The grace of a young Colored child. a
girl especially, in dancing is most notice
able; it is at times almost phenomenal
and yet it is a natural gift, veritahle
talent Of which in after years no practica
use is made One would think naturally
that the result would be 10 develop colored
! ballet Yet so far from such being the
case the ranks Of the ballet are never
recruited from this source To the jew
ish maidcns most largely the public are
indebted for the delights OF the ballet
no less than to this same nation in keeping
up the chorus generally throughout this
| country and Europe.
There are colored jubilee and concert
singers in plenty, but of chorus girls or
ballet dancers the colored race, that is so
| emiuently fitted by reason OF its natural
| gifts in these respects, has yet to be
| heard from.
1t is a pretty and attractive sight on the
wartn summer afternoons to come across
I nr Of danPprS
! tered about street organ. and not little
amusing to note the wide swath which the
! little ebony dancers cut at such times. The
| sidewalk upon which they essay uncon-
| sciously or consciously to give exhibitions
OF their natural grace is for the time being
i tacitly given up to them. They have
things all their own way for once in their
lives, and what is lacking in the respect
! OF fine clothes and Sew -gaws generally is
more than made up in their estimation
/ In the eclat of the occasion and the hearty
/ applause that never failSsto come from the
| lockers on in the immediate neighbor-
| hood.
When the crowd happens to have gath
! cred in front OF one of the hotels the usual
| oruer OF things is sometimes diversified by
| q shower OF pennies and small COINS tossed
! among the dancers at tie close of some es-
| reclauy intricate movements OF the self
/ taught steps that are none the less true and
! graceful on this account Then there IS a
wild scramble, a whoop of delight from all
! the small boys of the neigh borhood,
laughter genuine and prolonged from the
men about the lobby and the children pros
trate themselves upon one another or
| sprawl full length over the pavement in
| their eaSerness to possess themselves OF
! this sudden windfall
The street organs are rallied about,
! storned at, and ridiCulcd III turn by the
! people and press generally, bat all the
! same they continue to remain in Washing
| ton is undoubtedly their paradise, even ii
| the Jaw has deCreed that the fascinating
! strains thereirom shall not be heard upon
| the streets after o'clock. As rule peo-
| pie in their hearts like street organ music.
! There are numerous instances OF residents
in the West End making regular prac-
tice of fleeing the swaTthy Italian grinders
| literally every afternoon when they
wheel I.to sight and set up their grinding
in that especial neighborhOod.
1t is by 70 means always the house in
which there are children that the organ
grinders look to for their great windfallS
OF coin Quite the contrary often the
case Whereas II is q rare sight nova
days to see an organ-grinder with monkey
perched upon his shoulder or upon the top
of the organ as formerly, it is quite GUS
| tomary TO see the little pageant OF childish
dancers following in the wake OF the music.
The remark of one old coiored woman as