Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-07-22
THE DANCING PROTEST

There is something so genuinely appealing, SO
as revealed by Sundays paper against the continued
countenancng of the sinuous extreme dances by the
dancing set of this community, that it is difficult to
understand how in the face of it, any girl-or boy
can find any pleasure participating in these pastimes
complained of after knowing of the mothery fear Of
the evil consequences felt by these
These mothers point out in their protest that they
do not wish deprive the young folks of wholesome en-
joyment they do not protest against dancing; they
find fault with express conscientious scruples
whatever against this form of social pleasure But
every mother has the welfare of her chldrenand es-
pecially her daughter-closes to her heart and this
protest comes directly from the heart 1t is pro
test from genuine fear-none the less real perhaps,
because the young folks themselves in many are
yet unable to grasp its significance sense the source
of danger.
1t is doubt true that the solution of the extreme
dance problem lies with the girls themselves that when
they decide against these dances there will be no more
such dances But appears, ALSO that the girls at least
some of them-unable to discern yet between the
good and the evrefuse to be governed by the wishes
or experience of their elders and insist upon regulating
their own conduct regardless of their lack Of
discretion. Therefore, the mothers have appeal
ed to the boys and for assistance And
in many cases they getting that assist
ance intellectually But as member of 8
dancing club pointed out it unusual young in
dee9 who will refuse to "cheek" when pretty CIR
invites him, ri g<'~% %-%
" AS the Albany Herald suggest very appropriately
it is high time the pendulum swung backnot nee
essarily to the Virginia reel and the formal quadre
but to the decorous dances of the not very long
when the grace of terpsichorean movement was meas
ured by other standards than now prevail.
Going into a discussion of the subject the Herald
presents some interesting views of the modern dances
Says the Herald:
A Mortified lady who has fault to find with
decent dancing-who has danced since she was old
enough to learn the waltz and dances yet-writes
to The Herald in urgent protest against the way
great many young people are dancing nova
days.
This lady is one of many. She would be surpris-
ed if she knew how many others write similar let
tiers to The Herald, and how many come in person
to ask whether we do not think something can be
done about it
The writer of the letter says she has danced
with Western COW boys at ranch dances, at Studio
filings" in New York, at student balls in the Latin
Quarter of Paris and has seen the much discussed
balls on the Bowery and at Coney Island, New
York But she says the dancing the young people
are INDUCING in today-the dancing she sees here
AID now-is more distressing exhibition than she
has witnessed in any of her past experiences
"The modern dance" has been drawing the fire
of criticism and protest for a good many years
When first the round dance made its appearance
and gentlemen presumed to place their hands
against the waists of their partners
they moved through the graceful cadences
of waltz and polka conservatism helds up its hands
in holy horror "God help US" they exclaimed
"What are we coming to-"
But the round dance has remained though it
has changed in wonderful ways the years have
passed First we had the waltz, the polka and the
sco+tische, but of these only the waltz survives
and 50 changed is it that it's old admirers oft have
difficulty in recognizing it. There followed in due
season the two-step and many another fad dance
was born to flourish for a season and make its
fleeing appeal to those whose feet refused keep
still when lively music called More recently there
have come the one-step and the foxtrot, the bunny