Omaha daily bee., 1914-05-31
social Sanity Threatened Says Our Foremost Psychologist

motto state Of the whirling Dervishes and the
raptures in the savage war dances; all this In
milder form Is involved In every passionate
dance. But nothing is more characteristic of
such half-hypnotic states than that the indi-
vidual loses control Of his will. He behaves
like drunken man who becomes the slave Of
his excitement and Of every suggestion from
without No doubt many seek the dancing ex-
citement as kind Of substitute for the al
coholic exaltation.
THAT social injury must be feared If the
social community indulges in such habits Of
undisciplined, passionate expression needs no
explaining. The mind Is unit; it cannot be
without self-control in one department and
under the desirable self-discipline OF the will In
another. period In which the mad rush OF
dancing stirs social life must be unfavorable
TO the development of thorough training and
earnest endeavor, The fate of imperial Rome
ought to be the eternal warning to imperial
Manhattan. Italy, like America, took its art
and science from over the sea, but gave 10 them
abundant wealth. Instead of true art Il culti-
vated the virtuosi and In Rome, which paid
three thousand dancers, the dance was its
glory until II began ingoriously to sink,
mot without inner relation TO the inebriety.
and yet distinctly different Is the erotic char
acter of the dance. LoveInaking is the most
central, underlying motive OF all the mimic
dances all over the globe. Among many primi.
tive peoples the dance Is a real pantomimic
presentation Of the whole story from the first
tender awaking of sweet desire through the
warmer and warmer courtship to the raptures
OF sensual delight. Civilized society has more
or less covered the naked passion, but from the
graceful play Of the minuet to the graceless
movements OF the turkey trot the sensual. not
to say the sexual, element can easily be REQ
ognized by the sooiologist.
Here again cause and effect move in q
circle. Love excitement expresses Itself In the
dance. and the dance heightens the love ex
element This erotic appeal to the senses is
the chief reason why the church has generally
taken hostile attitude. For a long while the
dance was denounced as irreligious and sinful
on account Of Salomes blasphemous dancing.
Certainly the rigid guardians OF morality al
ways look askance ON the contact OF the sexes
Ia the balroom"
The professor shows a profound knowledge
Of the dance and throws much new light upon
the causes OF the sensual dangers that are
ISOLATED with it
"The dance has stin another psychological
effect" he continues, (which must not be dis
regarded from social point Of view. II awakes
TO an unusual degree the impulse TO imitation.
The seeing Of rhythmic movements starts simi-
lar motor impulses In the mind Of the onloOker.
II Is we'll known that from tile eleventh TO the
sixteenth century Europe suffered from dancing
epidemics. They started from pathological cases
OF ST. Yitus dance and released In the excitabie
crowds cramplike impulses 20 Initiative move
mentS But we hear the same story OF in-
stinctiVe limitations on occasions OF less tragic
character. II is reported that in the eighteenth
century papal Rome was indignant over the
passionate Spanish fandango
"It was decided solemnly 70 put this wild
dance under the ban. The lights Of the church
II was proposed 70 call pair OF Spanish