New-York tribune., 1907-06-16
WISCONSIN DANCES.
Where Louemakimg and Fighting
Vary the EUenings.
By WardOn Allan Curtis.


20 be the where / have pursued my ethno
logical studies. and because It epitomizes the Cen
Iral West. No other Western state has such
diversity OF racial elements Illinois alone, with
its queer colony of Portuguese Protestants at Jack
Honvie. has element which Wisconsin has not.
None bat Wisconsin has Bugarians and Flemings.
i has Indian population Of over eight thousand.
il is the greatest Welsh. Cornish. Norwegian and
German state. It has Iceanders with Minnesota,
Bohemians with Iowa. and French, Films and Hol-
landers with Michigan. The oldest and only purely
Hungarian colony in America is on its SOIL and the
largest colony of Swiss 1t has native white ele-
rlent as old as the Knickerbockers and even Eng
lish descended families who go back l5O years on
Wisconsin soil.
Though you may not venture mprudenty into
Celtic dance. you may go with mpunity where the
races mingled for a Celt will never hit you SO
long as a pure Teuton is within reach Of his fists.
Not so long as there is German or a Norwegian
about will even the drunken Irishman touch
Yankee.
Here is instinct that ever transcends reason
which at its best Is only artificial and factltlous
uakesbift for instinct-heTe is instinct declaring
the sassenach next of kin to the Celt FIRST OF an
the Celt hits the German; then the Morse. WIN
whom lie has some mental traits and even blood IN
common: then the Sassenach his half brother' anu
finally the Celt, for he must hit somebody
Let me pause TO answer query that rises III
4be readers mind. He has gained the impression
that our country dances in the Central west are
as much occasions Of combat as social olNeis''I.
There IS a good deal of truth In TINS ihIeieHoo
from what have said. The social entertainment
-b.-e men do not fight Is the last flower of the
hest Of modern civilization. In bueohc cohlihuili-
ties primitive instincts still rule In the Gays ol
ohivalrv all great social gatherings were al one
social gatherings and occasions Of combat. Inc
tourneys had the element of woman and the ele
-oen1 o4 combat The noble knights composed mad
rigaIs. sang reundelays TO the women and cracked
ore another's heads. In the very lowest estate
Of savagery, where the man cares not for eola OF
SoE,+F FO-v
The country dance, with its usual fight Is the
legitimate descendant ef the old tourney and the
harvest dance old man Birrenkotts tavern as
near an approach 10 the Field of the Cloth or GoId
IN essence as We can expect 10 find in these degen-
crate days The country dance that does not count
TWO or three fights is the exception. The slsht OF
woman arouses the inmenorial instinct to nght'
and emulation, and the desire for renown in her
ewes The excitement of the crowd, the music
and the strong drink add circumstance TO instinct
German dances are like other German things.
With Il their simple virtues. the German peasantry
have few romantic or picturesque qualities.
At the German dances. at about the third waltz,
you look with suspicion and gathering loathing al
the straw color haired. round faced. innocent eyed
girl who with a curious appoggiatura-like Click
before each step OF the waltz BAR orlef fonrth
step enclitic tap, characteristics Of Germans ana
Of no other race is revolving with you You smell
onions You lay il to her You get your nose as far
as possible from that gigtenng straw colored hair
German strsW coiored nsT m e5 ss.es fr as possi
BE from that little appealing mouth parted in the
t6e sfsirWsx Tou perceive that it Is not the round
good little person you are dancing with VINO Is i1 re-
OF g. You realize that one small rosebud mouth
GotI Tobastous' odor Il foats up the stairway from
% ne bsmeqTT delicate Tefection
OF unmentionable sausages, unutterahle cheesss'
strange pickles and unholy oniony things OF mani
A the German dances father. mother and the h,
sfoiId ;he women ever with arms folded. qnsIniling
unwinking. while the children make themselves
When Couple stops dancing. If they remain on
hers still rests On his shoulder But If he seats
her ne does not sin Sf al hf the %ho d bench Of girls
Eiggling You could walk around the room with
Your arm about girl and not embarrass her IN
Inc least hut TO pay her the unaccustomed atten-
s has Ser functions in the world besides being
your partner in the dance, working IN tle neld
sTavy and salt in cake frosting, enbarrasses her
The music az the German country dances Is ex-
ecrable stuff maintain the hsresY that 9fp fr
capable of transating sinuous dangerous, Nelubon
waltz music into other than r sun a 1Eign9te
LITIsic Of that sort His members We're not de
ing melting music he cannot write it. and his
a1ss are al ! tu The fR World f ON sops T and gavottes
but waitzes. The great Walz @ VT 81 trnT M
music al German country DANCE r,ron-
IE1 "aines as 4be same Shrase repated over and
rXer again They are never lively, nor 90 they
e. &C. r neTfeof ft ualtz nor that swoonng now where
the notes and melt lquidly togetner mere N,
indeed funny little grouchiness that IaEes ,,i,,' ~
place Of melancholy, genuine Ger ILTlta
dance Be they PomTners. BeYers, Baoehers oi
what not il is the same music . -
In The towns Of course, The music is better Ger
mans make most Of music IN America, ana
there is far more drinking AZ German dances %
than al Irish dances while at Morse daices It Liet
fs seldom any AZ all But while g drunken I@rIsn- @
man 0r 2 drunken Norseman is likely 70 be even
Tnurdereus drunken German does not usually
make much trouble.
the managers. in order 10 draw crowd, pToNlde
TRANSFORMATION for all the girls Wlthn a idultIs
mile nageInent which secures the
most and pretest girls also secures me gfed,
est number of paid admissions from tne men. az
Swiss hall Il is the correct thing TOT a man 10
wear his nat The Morse, French ana YANKEES,
who together make up perhaps fourth OF the I le
dancers. follow the custom; put tne S"iIH ~
crowns trUncated cones, the brns Wloe ana nap
ping. q, ~ fo.tar or that
strarDine hg girl the end of the bench is worth
eight hundred thousand. That girl just dancen
with is the daughter OF half-mllhonaire 1heree
ave twenty more families represented mere WHhcn
farmers But must note this drawhack: Old
q hae eight hundred thousand dollars, but ne
has eight daughters and three sons. There ls tha'
spapping- eyed black haired, white skinned
Siri ne incest looking girl in the hall. She would
he good looking in any asseTnoIage, anu ota -
hss one hundred thousand but he has otner treas.
mes as we'll and Louise has nine brotners aho
sisters and goes into one hundred only Ter
The ball begins at 7.30 o'clock and they are al
there al the last dance, which ends al 05o cIocA
IN the Ynorning-Century Magazine.