The Washington times., 1908-11-10

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/ per 10 his lords. nigh captains, and
! chief estates Of Galilees
And when the daughter of the said
! Herod,as came in and danced, and
pleased HerOd and them that sat with
| him, jre king said unto the damsel, ASK
! Of ne whatsoever thou wilt and l VIII
give IL thee.
And she came IN straightway with
haste unto the king, and asked, saying
/ will that thou give me by and by IN
a charger the head Of John the Baptist.
Nineteen centuries have passed since
the crafty son of Herod the Great sat
on his throne as Tetrarch of Galtlee.
Through nearly 1000 years this story OF
a dancing girls witchery has been told.
And now, in a day when the family
passion for building OF this ruling house
IS known only Of students, when this
governors re-mahng of the important
cities of SepphOris and Betharamptha
is as near forgotten as his later degra-
datiOn in POme, comes a sudden and
sensational interest in him and his
court, and in the dance with which his
kingly judgment was enmeshed.
Religion and historv. even the art Of
dancing. have had little part in this
impulse OF attention TO Herod and Sa-
lone. IT is a whetted appetite, mani
festauon Of our human hunger for SEN
sation, a hunger not more nearly in
satiabIe today than in the first century,
and no more 10 be caated over.
A poetic tragedy was the start In
the course of it an actress widely known
for her refinement introduced on our
stage a dance of the wells" in which
ga
body. Shortly after this pla, Of 'JOnn
the Baptist" came an opera, enllVening
a drama written by a literary exquisite
and degenerate, and in this opera a
weIl-knOwn sOngstress brought lhe
dance OF the wells nearer 10 the reahty
Of her person.
After that a series of Salome dances
was inevitable, and II was equally GER
tain that the widest range or near
nudity, OF salaciOus suggestion or poeLlc
motion and awkward gyrauons. would
be cJmpassed- Ihe chleI OF Ihese EtoL i,,
ern temptresses In England, according
90 the reviewers, IS Miss Maude Allan.
In America her leading rival Is MISS
Gertrude HOFFMAN.
Washington Gathers to See.
In the person Of the dancer last
named. this sensation has now reached
Washington. Miss Hoffman, is per
forming during the current week at
the BelascO. as the chief feature Of
musical entertainment containing some
thing OF the heavens above. the earth
beneath, and the waters under the
earth. In the prospect Of seeing her
Vision OF Salome," the theater was
crowded by our gOO- people OF the
Capital and IN readiness TO interpOse
the unpoetic arm OF the law IN case
violence should be done these spectators
CWhO had deliberately sought out OppOr-
"a "a
men lined the rear wall
The dancer had made herself known
somewhat TO these patrons by carrier
performances of q decidedly different
nature. he had appeared before them
both as q COntoTtiOuist and an imltatoT-
and, although familiar tricks OF posture
and gTlmaCe OF Wcll-TemcmDeTed actors
were reproduced with laughabie fidelity,
it is ununely that by such means, even
II she developed into a female Albert
Chevalier, she could ever attract such
notice, here or anywhere else. There
was manifest last night, indeed, some
impatIenCe that there was 70 be pre-
liminary to the impersOnattOus of Sa-
lone in the EOTm Of a dance set TO Men
delssohn's familiar Spring Song
The Spirit Of Spring.
Musical comedy still whirred in the
ears as the curtain rose and revealed
portieres OF green velvet with Miss
Honmann's initial couched upon them.
They were drawn apart 10 the strains OF
the Spring Song" expressively played
Behind them was revealed a wonder
fully attractive picture of the season,
with blossoms cOloring the air and the
restIessness of new-springing life aptly
suggested in a swing, carrying a diaph-
anous figure back and forth. high and
low. across the scene. a youth out Of
Anacrean seeks 70 allure the maiden
from her swaying percn: After a little
she aliglLs-a woman IdiT. Tall. slender
smiling, draped classiCally from waist
to knee, her legs bare and Whltened,
her shoulder Cream-COlOTed and litne.
A Tomp follows. The music quIckens.
Other maidens enter and Pan, blow
ing his pipes Round and round the
nymph flies, pursued by her lover
through arbOTs. beneath branches, in and
odt vined arches, painting, sWaylhgs
laughing, coy, eager, very picture OF
teasing maidenhOOd. Through II an
sounds the melancholy, the unrest, the
sweet repetition OF that wonderful
melody,
their souls not to be allured-the day
the occupation the state or mind Whalg
ever they may be-by the spirit or
greater number of audience of un-
usual size surrendered 10 II outright.
As the velvet hangings fell back INTO /
place, leaving clear in the memory
happily together, the applause was long
and genuine enough TO stop the stage |
hands n their change of the scenery |
and bring back TO view the nymph and |
her youth again and again.
Not in the Mood for Poetry.
But Salome was the chief interest, not
Doetry. There was no enthusiasm over
this little glimpse of Hght-heartedness /
and beauty which could satisfy certain /
men and women in all parts of the
br. .Iding TO wait So there were excited |
I'ttIe bursts Of handclapping from many /
sections of the theater as with crash Of
cymbs Is and striking of strings began /
the introduction to the dance everybody |
had come TO see.
a scene of complete contrast. Where /
there had been an orchard was now an
Oriental court In lieu Of slender sap /
lings were the oblisks and fountain Of
Antipas. A heavy moon cast long
shadows toward r stone basin. Trees, I
branches huddled together silhouetted
themselves against a heavy sky.
Before an eXedTa-like seat OF stone
stood the enChautTess. Orientally dark, !
her breast rejecting tie lights of a
thousand jewels. her limbs cleaning
through a net of black embroidered
with colored glass, she seemed to have
lost some Of the slenderness and height