The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1908-02-22
Amusen1ents
in the Country
con With the Dance; Let Joy Be
unconfined."

Unconnneo."
Chief of all amusements In the rural
districts is the country dance. One
reason may be because it has been
handed down from generation to gen.
Grafton; another reason is on account
of it being recreation in which the
young, middle-aged, and even the eld-
ers may join. Still third cause doubt
less gives it popularity in that 1t is
set to music, and requires the inspir-
iting notes of the fiddle to give 1t any
semblance of a terpsichorean celebra-
ton. But when you come to analyze
the Utmost and truest essence of the
country dance. you will find that it is
one of Cupid's most potent rustic OBJ
servances, and that 1t brings the coun-
try bellies and beaux together from
many miles. around, and is, in it's last
analysis, the solid stepping stone to
matrimony
You are expected, for instance, to
bring your girl to the dance. Fellows
who come as free lances expecting to
find some girl at the dance who has
come without an escort, are not usual
iy welcomed, unless something has
happened whereby their sweethearts
are not able to be present. 1t is all
right for superfuous girls to come, as
some of the girls with escorts may
prefer to sit out" "set," rather than
dance continuously. In this way the
superfuous girl has an opportunity to
dance. But literally speaking, there
are no strictly superfuous girls at
these dances. There are, however,
usually one or more extra men, with
out girls, and unless such a man has
a good excuse for not bringing girl
along, he is generally unwelcome, no
matter how many extra girls there
may happen to be.
1t is rare that the same partners &C.
cupy the same "sets" dancing togeth-
er for any length of time. Partners
in one "set" may be opposites in the
next set" and there Is a constant in
terchange going on. SETS" generally
occupy about ten to. Is minutes to
dance, and from three to five squares
of four couples each will fill the ordi-
nary country room, unless 1t be a
hall where the dance is given. Usu-
ally, square" dances, quadrilles. old
fashioned lancers, and the Virginia
reel are danced, and very often quad
rifles only; the monotony of these
being done away with by the variety
in calling" The science of calling"
requires either a very good memory,
and some ingenuity, or both, and it is
the delight of the good callers" to
take hold of a set" that thinks 1t
knows any figure that may be call
ed" and tangle it up with something
new in the way of terpsichorean evo-
lutions.
Sometimes, and, in fact, quite often,
the fiddler himself calls" the figures,
and when he does he has his hands
full To keep exact time-and no
country fiddler of reputation but does
keep the most perfect time-and call
the figures, too, requires sort OF
mental ambi-dextrousness and manual
celebrity equal almost to the genius OF
the Italian baritone who sings an op-
cratic solo and eats spaghetti at the
same time. These first class country
fiddlers do, however, play and cali at
the same time, and very often their
bodies and heads sway and swing
and their right feet slap solidly on
the floor marking the time, and fol
hours they will roll their heads and
stamp their feet and swing the bow
with the real enthusiasm which marks
the masters of the art.
No genuine country fiddler stands
up at his work. He requires a straight
backed chair, without arms, and he
generally lunches" up a little and
usually keeps time with the heel o.
his right foot, tapping OF the time al
he plays. Some fiddlers hold theil
instruments away down on the arm
apparently paying no attention to the
strings, and saw" away at the tunes
calling of" in a monotonous, sing
song tone. Others hold the violir
sideways, their faces set close to the
instrument, and bowling straight W
and down.
The best country fiddler we hat
ever heard, the best, think, In thu
: world, lived few miles from us. Hi
family had been fiddlers since thu
time of his great-great grandfather
and his mastery of his instrument
made our city friends sit up and taxi
notice. 1t was not merely that hi
time was absolutely perfect; that hi
bowling was really marvellous; tina
his lingering was superb, and hi
mastery OF the most difficult instru
ment known to man was easy, grace
full. and powerful: nor was 1t that n
never played the open strings for
note, but combined the open strini
and the same note on an upper strini
thus gaining in volume-but Their
vas the touch. the fire, the born In