Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-25
ERA OF THE L|MBER LEG
RE|GNS IN NEW YORK
As a Result, Dancing Masters Are
Reaping Wonderful Harvest
Of Gold.
Special Correspondence of The Star.


NEW YORK, December "a, 1913
Ihls Is surely the era of the timber
leg. Dancing masters are making more
money than professors. Persons who
possess certain supple elegance of the
lower limbs have to keep their accounts
in two or three banks. Those who could
make joke of the fourth dimension are
doing all their eating in the glass-fronted
and tile-waled restaurants.
There's Vernon Castle, for example
He's a clever. slender, flexible young
man. AS an actor he would never get
more than $50 week. perhaps. AS a
dancer and actor he was paid 800 a
week. He determined that his intellect
hampered his heels. So he quit acting
and went to dancing exclusively. Now
he owns restaurant in which tables are
more precious tnan gold-yea, than much
fine gold. Well known leaders of society
stand al the doorway upon their pinched
toes and smile tremendously at the head
walters. When Mr.. and Mrs. Vernon
castle dance. you couldn't crowd a
scarfpin into the mob without creating a
riot.
Dance Schools Clutter Map.
Dancing schools simply clutter the
municipal map. Walk along any one
OF the uptown streets and you'll hear
the raSgy reveiry. The iron-legged in
structors begin their days work at 2
O'Clock and keep at it until IL O'Clock.
i teach six classes a day said one
teacher. Each class consists of not
less than eight persons. My charge is
only 81 person now. But next week
l Will increase this charge to SIS. / am
forced to do SO. That may keep the
number of customers down to the ca
paclty of my plant"
Six times SIC means $50 a day for
this one man. There are four other
can see, all are equally busy At least
two we'll advertised teachers are being
paid S25 per lesson. and at least one
other $50 lesson. The three have
more than they can do.
Many Lessons Necessary.
I'VE do not assume to teach the
tango in less than twenty-five lessons
said one of the Observation-Disclosures
son teachers. Remember, there are
sixty-three positions to be taught"
Away up on Washington Heights the
largest dance hall in the world is filled
with diligently trotting couples every
evening Every half dozen blocks all
the way down to the wholesale district
are other dance halls. mostly full of
trotters. There are score of restau-
rants In the theatrical district in which
one secures a table on the dancing
floors by rank favor only Bald heads
and expanded peripheries and gray
nalrs are no bar TO happiness
Magazine men say people do not stay
nome to read at night any more
Iheater managers say people had rather
dance than go to d show. Restaurant
men say they do not sell any more
food, in spite of the crowds they now
serve. They get their profit from the
drinks.
City of Many Nations.
New York isn't merely a noIveIo+
town. 1t is polyglutted. One runs against
every sort of nationality in the course of
a day. To say that there are more
Jews here than in any other CITY in tho
world, or more Italians than i'm Nanles
or more Irish than in Dublin does not
give fair idea of conditions This is
the absolutely accurate tale of the for
elgners who serve one man each dav.
The steam in the apartment house i'm
which he lives is kept up by q Swede
Janitor His morning rolls are brought
by Frenchman. His morning milk 10
left at his door by a man from Sussex
He rides to the street in an elevator an
Grated by a West Indian. He buvs his
morning paper from a Hebrew. He fakes
the Riverside bus-which is always