Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-03-31
The DANCING BOER GIRLS.
Engagement Are Speedily Formed
Mt the Balls.


To one redeeming feature of Boer
social life 1 fear l have done scant JUS
tice, says johannesburg correspon-
dent. They are inveterate dancers.
Once upon a time there were strictly
orthodox dorpers who regarded this gay
diversion as wicked, as they did every
thing else that gives charm and bright
ness to life, but they are worsted. A
correspondent whom I know at Kru-
gersdorp, describing the gay doings
there, says: There may be occasions
which Krugersdorpians have never yet
celebrated with a ball, but outside Of
funerals they would be hard to find.
gether with piano there is sure to be a
dance" This tallies with what I learned
of social matters in the Free State. A
gloomy orthodoxy is relieved by the
poetry Of motion. The young men of
Bloemfontein told me that they had
often three or four invitations week to
dances. 1t would seem that they dance
themselves into matrimony at Krugers-
dorp, for the correspondent writes:
"Al1 our single girls are engaged; or,
rather, there is only one unengaged
dancing girl in the dorp, and she has re-
fused numberless offers out of sheer
good nature and regard for the crowd of
men who have conscientious scruples
about dancing with engaged girls. We
are absolutely out of single young
ladies just now, and are thankful for the
good offices of such philanthropic com,
mittee as that of Fridays function, for
they specially invited some charming
unattached from Johannesburg to
make up the balance" The dorpers may
thank their stars that they have a re
serve of beauty at johannesburg
precarious reserve, for, if a small access
of common sense should happen to Dom
Paul, marriages will be as thick here as
leaves in Nallombrosa.
In Bulawago things are not nearly
so happy for the poor men. The Chron-
icle of that rising city records the re-
ceipt of little book, entitled, "How tc
Make Dress" and confesses that "nc
member of the editorial staff being a
married man." and as they have as yet
no lady Journalist in the corps, they are
at loss how to review the brochure
Gwelo, too, announces, with a flourish
of trumpets, its first wedding. But Mr.
Street, the bridegroom, had to bring
his bride, Miss Macdonald, all the way
from Edinburg. Fervently | hope that
the importation of brides will proceed
merrily. There is absolute free trade sc
far; it has not yet occurred, even to the
Nolksraad, to levy a tax on beauty. Al
church on Sunday the banns were pro-
claimed for the second time of a 10,
hannesburg man and a spinster nov
on the high SEAS" so that this damsel
will find everything ready on her land,
ing. Opinions differ about the quality
of the dancing; as rule it is not Sc.
verely aesthetic, and an irreverent
critic said it was a monotonous dump
dump, dump"
care not if it was jump, jump, jump
so there be enough of it; the quality
will improve. 1t is a pity this silly
damp-jOy government should have pro.
posed an additional tax of two pounds
sterllng on every imported piano. AT
present the tax is nine per cent, so that
q 40 instrument costs C 3 12s duty
and the new tariff will make this C {
12s-which is absurd. The favorite in.
strument of the Beers is that sweet
thing, the concertina, which, of course
goes untaxed. Over the veldt the dulcet
sounds of this instrument remind some
people of the bagpipe in the Highlands
1t is soothing agent-very. Distance
lends enchantment, and I prefer il
about two miles off Apropos of the
Dutch dancing girls need say little, ex.
cept that in matter of grace and deport.
ment the service of Terpsichore will dc
them no harm. Most of them are strong
and many good-looking, and if only
they would not drink coffee a dozen
times day their compilations would
be decidedly more attractive than usual.
ly they are.-London Telegraph.