The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-26
VIZ Cd made feet as we'll as hands.
T The Devil had nothing to do
with It," declares Mrs. Jean

The Devil had nothing to do
with It," declares Mrs. Jean
Nl.Ssengen, dscoverer OF Isa-
dora Duncan and exponent Of barefoot
dancing. She has just brought two
more youthful prntogccs to New York in
search Of fame, and she - enthusiastic
over what Greek dancing may do for
the health Of women and he ideals of
beauty which it may give them.
We know that the human body is
the most beautiful thing in existence,
hut We have kept 1t Recovered up so long
that We have come to feel that there is
something wrong in its beauty" she
says. The Greeks knew better. Young
men and maidens took the gymnastic
exercises that gav" phdias his models
before each other with very little cloth
ing. hut without thought Of i'm
modesty 1t was only when We began
TO cover the body that We began to
think of it. 1t is really clothing that is
immodest.
The present styles in wor',n's clothes
are far more suggestive than any nude
figure could possibly be. The slit skirt
is more mmodest than any Greek robe
that ever was worn. I am glad the
style has passed but | never permitted
my girls to wear it while it lasted. No
Greek maiden would have worn such
ching.
1T is worth remembering that the
women who objected to my pageant
dances al the time of the meeting of
Ia" General Federation of Womens
Clubs in Chicago and who made such
fuss about it that the police inter-
fered all wore slit skirts and paint.
Yet they saw harm in the dances of
my little l6-year old girls who are as
lovely and innocent as children am
very glad to say that the police officer
saw this at once and decided that the
costumes were quite proper and that
the girls need not wear tights. though
he decided that the man dancer who
represented Apollo must do so.
1t is possible to suggest the lightness
and freedom of life only in bare feet
and thin white garments. one may
suggest gaycty by dancing in top boots,
as IN the Hungarian Czardas, but not
primeval freedom and innocence 1t
was because lsadora Duncan did sug-
gest these things, because she took
people back t. the very dawn of the
world ana showed them the earliest of
all tae arts, that she met with her
great success, And it is because ! wish
to help others back to childhoods JOY
he of "A 4
body that ! have devoted my life to
aesthetic dancing. Each year l have
trained few young girls, the most
promising of the many who come to me;
but have never received money for
tAe work,
The two who are coming TO New
York are Roschen Turck-Raker niece
81 Chicago physician. and Patsy
Shelley, who Is related to the poet.
Both are very beautiful. but they have
something better than beauty, an inb IN
love of rhythm and motion.
latsy has dark hair and blue ewes
and the most wonderfully expressive
hands | have even found in any pupil
She could use her hands little when
she came to me, but she has learned to
express emotion and JOY with her whole
l. dy.
i'"Scaen has red hair forty inches
I"hS ana the wonderful white skin
mat goes with such hair They will do
"hIE ballroom dancing. Not social dam
,lhH they know nothing about that.
h"' 'heN viii do no stage work.
10 dlsapprove of the modern
""",'S Not at all, when they are
m"d'Sliy done. They are giving neonle
Especially middle aged women. some of
'.' 'N"r'Is" they have lacked for two
i'n"rllouS.
IN" pi ncor woman rolled her own
b '-N '"r h"r fire; she walked back and
'"''" at hcr spinning She did her own
."'htnH ana her own bread kneading.
0"'IN Sh" lived to u ripe old age. and
sat had been content not to work