Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-05-27
An Evening at the College.

lege, l last Monday night attended an
entertainment given by the fair pupils
of that institution. Beginning at eight
o'clock, for two hours we were re-
called with the numbers that made up
the programme, unique in conception
and delighting in execution. The
presence of youth and beauty, happy
and trustful in the heyday of life, is
always congenial to US in ''the sere
and yellow leaf" 1t springs anew
thoughts not given to the grosser con-
cern of earth and clasps hands with
the memory of the time when the
morn of life was roseate and the ris-
ing sur clothed existence in glorious
promise. AS l looked upon the fair
faces and graceful forms chat filed
the stage and pleased my vision, not
one but had my prayer for all things
that go to the acquisition of worth
and happiness. The picturesque and
quaint costumes of the various old
world peoples and the flmy draperies
of ancient NEUROLOGICAL character lent
additional charms to bright eyes and
rosy cheeks, and for a time I dwelt in
lands afar, in scenes before known to
me only in the conception of brush
and pen. And the music and the
dance! How fine it all was! To par
t~icularize (if the term be admissible)
would be invidious, where all was
good, and I have not the art of
technical praise. I only know Il en-
joyed it, from start to finish-from
the elegant introductory" read by
one of the young ladies, Miss Reyes,
Of Fredericktown, to the inspiring
tableau closing the entertainment.
Here follow the explanatory in
troductory and the programmes:
From pre- historic time Terpsichore
held her sister-twin by the hand and
literally danced her into the visible
expression of rhythm or the classical
form of music; nor need we seek far
for the cause of this, since every
human being is a rhythmic machine,
and spiders, mice, horses and
elephants along with all animate ma
ture, even to the tiny leaf, gracefully
yielding to the gentle breeze, bow in
appreciation of rhythm.
Primeval dancing probably began ir
a desire to kick, and this natural out.
come of hearty animal spirit within
was combined with a more artificial
tough, a desire to mimic. We know
that all the savage dances are gesture
and dramatic mimicry. At an early
period religion claimed a large share
of the saltatorial exercises, and the
the dance was on the road to becom.
ing a ceremonial or festival.
When the Israelites danced around
the golden calf, they were but imi-
tating the olden dance whichtook place
around the altar of the bull Apis il
Egypt. 1t was during the middle aget
that the Church ceased to recognize
the art as a ceremonial, possibly on &C
count of its pagan origin, thou gh his
tory tells us that the Geisler OF
Flajellant was in use in Spain as late
as 1890.
Strangely enough these sacrifcia
dances have strayed down through
the ages in the form of children
games, and in their circling arounC
Little Sally Waters" one is observin,
a survival of the worship of an ancien
Egyptian god,
In connection 1t may be stated tina
much of ancient history is to be founC
embedded in children's music AM
children's games. We know tina
"Three Blind Mice"takes us back as fla
as 1909, while 'Fly Away Lady bug
carries usto the dreadful confagratiol
of the Thirty Years War IN Pomera
MIA.
Folk song and folk dance which ar
making their way into modern sym
phopy and adding a new life blood tt
the old form are but the embodiment
Of a nations history, a nations char
acter which has developed amonI
various peoples and has becom
traditional,
The ancient secular dances wer
largely gymnastic; or mimetic, tina
is, conveying emotion by gesture.
The Grecian dance presented OF
our program, protrays the mytholog
ical relation between Daphne, Mai
of the Morning Mist, and Apollo, VIII
strives to win her love. She enioyin
herself at early dawn, suddenly per
ceives Appollo's approach, seeks tt
flee from death by every conceivabl
way-she prostrates before him, the.
pleads with o~utstretohed arms, afte
which she fees from place to plac
trying to escape all his devourin
flames, but he finally succeeds, an,
she wells herself, crosses her hand
upon her breast in resignation to he
fate.
To the patriotic German whatlegen
more dear than the great Heine'
ode Lorelei' made famous in must
by the world renowned master, Fran
List, to which Silcher added his NOR
simple melody which has been trans
mitted through generations.
Every n is familiar with th
musical talent existing among th
Italian and Spanish, and the evolutio
! of their dance with its high, glidin
movements and ciroling turns
! typical of the ease with which thes
i. people are enamoured.
TO Tcharckowsky we are deeply IL
debted for the Kamarinskaia, Russia
great barbaric dance of one hundre
and fifty gyratiDg movements.
may be well to know that nearly a
OF these steps are commemorative
some Russian feat, as a great victor,
, or some deep sorrow--a number
them were added to represent Mos
: cows great conhagration.
, Passing from Russia to Switzerlar
Z we meet or the Alps the light hearte
Swiss sending his voice to remotel
corners, telling the world that I
other nation can compare to the
Jodel.
Our hearts 60 out In sympathy