The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-10-06
BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE

Mrs. Dufield, the feminine member
of the singing and dancing trio at the
Murray this week, and a cOmely and
attractive young woman, says that
professional dancing is a beneficial ex-
ercise for women.
That is, for woman in good health
This remark was elected by an in
quiry as to whether the frequent, long
continued and violent exercise taken
by Mrs. Duffield in the "act" she helps
present did not result in physical ex-
haustiOn.
Indeed, no." replied Mrs. Duffield,
who is known professionally as Miss
Ingalls,, Its good for you. Its good for
me anyway. I'm inclined to embon,
point and it keeps me trained down. If
it wasn't for that might-get-fat ::
There is no horror like that of tax.
ing on too abundant flesh. Especially
among women.
If you lack a superfluity of avOirdu-
pos there are artificial devices by
which you can deceive your trusting
friends.
But. alas, If you are fat, there re-
mains nothing to do but be fat. Unless
you are "amind" to punch the bag,
which is not unladylike. Although
sometimes accounted so.
That ing-professional dancing
does not make serious inroads on
the constitution is illustrated by the
long lived chorus girl. Many of these
alluring sirens are said, in private life
to be grandmothers.
Has not George AIDE immortalized
this attitude of the confiding public
toward the ingenue of the stage in the
Fable in which stage-smitten youth
is invited to supper, through an &C
quaintance. by reigning stage favor.
lite, and how terrible the dsillusion
when he is piloted to little flat and
greeted by lady of mature manners
who introduces him to her husband
and two little boys. Or maybe 1t was
only one little boy. But, anyway, the
story is funny enough.
Dancing, however. is one of the
most charming forms Of amusement
1t is An invaluable social accessory
and should be taught all children.
The younger the better.
A knowledge of dancing, acquired
in very early childhood, is a social as.
set which can be drawn on, in later
years, to advantage in many ways.
In instance a young man in a foreign
country seeking certain governmental
business concessions secured these
over a worthy rival who, however, did
not possess the formers social graces,
one of which was dancing at an official
ball. His dancing was so consummate
and his consequent conspicuity at this
function so marked and he so ingrati
ated himself into the favor of femi
nine relatives of exalted officialdom
that his business ambitions were
shortly realized.
His rival could not dance
This is one example of the value OF
versatile social repertoire. This
young man had been taught to dance
when not more than four or five years
old and it was as much a part of his
accomplishment as wearing his clothes
we'll
Dancing teaches ease of manner and
grace of department and it is a thous
and pities that 1t could not be includ
ed in the public school curriculum.
That rule of life which excludes dan
cling and frowns upon it as something
evil and unpleasant. has done more to
accentuate the very thing it desired
to prevent than many an actual agen
cy of degeneracy.
Dancing among the students al
Earlham would make the social life OF
the college much more attractive and
might be an added inducement to at
tendance at that excellent educational
institution.
1t is a notorious fact that dancing
does not result half as disastrously
sometimes as certain banal social
games" which in and of themselves
may be harmless enough. but put into
practice are reprehensible in the ex
IRENE.
Dancing is desirable both as a ply
steal exercise and social pastime.
Is it possible that as Mr. Theodore
Roosevelt once famously said we are
becoming race of mollycoddles!