Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-02-23
DANCE WAR AT NORTHWOOD.
1t is Question of Social Supremacy
Not Moral Awakening-Spin-
sters Peeved.

The usually staid and peaceful
town of Northwood has been arous-
cd, forcefully, from its winter doze,
by a dance war; 1t isn't a dance
war brought on by mid-winter re-
vival meetings, over the right and
wrong of holding dances at all
far from it! Nothing like the trou-
BILE that has put the town of Els
worth on the map is to be found
here. The trouble at Northwood is
deeper seated, for it is a question
as to how many dances shall be held
in the town, and who shall hold
them, in which the married women
especially the younger ones--ale
arrayed against those who still cling
to the state of single hlessedness.
Explanation is necessary here. Ell
igible girls outnumber eligible men
about ten to one, and that is where
the trouble began. AS has been The
custom for years back, the young
men of the town began holding
dances last fall to which all-,mar-
ried or single-were invited. Ru.
the exodus of young men from the
town during the past summer his
been quite noticeable. while the
number of pretty girls seemed to
have increased.
Result No. Single girls to
single men :: 2 /, and single girls
to married women :: 2: /.
Therefore, the chance of a mar
ried woman to dance after the first
one, was to the chance of a single
woman to dance, as the result of the
two ratios given above. Figure it
out. One woman claims that the
mathematical sign for infinity about
expressed it. In other words, they
are said TO have been wall flowers"
while their unmarried sisters had all
the men in the house at their beck
and call.
SO the young matrons determined
to bring their erring bubbles to
time, and to have some dances at
which only married men accompa-
MED by their better halves, would
be admitted and straightway issued
orders to that effect. Three of them
have been held. 1t is said that they
were well attended. The report is
current that young married men,
whose wives were temporarily out
Of the city, attempted to gain ad-
mission, and were politely told that
they must gnash their teeth in the
cutter darkness, along with the bach
elor boys and girls.
But now, it has come to pass that
the single men, who have for some
time been denied opportunity to trip
the light fantastic (Which express
sion should be canned" but serves
the purpose here) have arranged
for a hop to be held Tuesday eve
ming, and that they have generously
overlooked the conduct of their mar
ried sisters. and have invited them
and their husbands, also.
Much to the peeve of the fair
danes, who are still spinsters,
ried men and women will taboo this
hop. So the girls are sad and pen
sive, and the boys (unmarried) are
alternately grooming at the prospect
of having ten girls to care for at
the dance, and begging the married
men to show that they refuse to be
henpecked by going anyway. These
amusements they vary by indicting
plaintiff appeals to their friends in
Mason City, Albert Lea, Lake Mills.
Usage Des Moines and other places,
to come to their rescue else there
will be several score of fair women
and about ten or a dozen men. Ad-
vices from the cities mentioned are
that re-inforcements will be rushed
through. Also, few of the holder
benedicts are said to plan work at
the office" for Tuesday evening,
when the "single dance" is to be
held. and hope to give their fraus
the slip.
Needless to say, Northwood in
general eagerly awaits the outcome.