Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-19
PITY THE POOR PRINCELINGsi


According TO press dispatch from
London. the pleadings of the Prince of
Wales and Princess Mary caused Queen
Mary to permit jazz steps to be tripped
at informal parties which viii be given
in the Palace In the future. II seemed
that the jazz virus entered the Princes
blood while he was touring America,
and that he could not be happy in "oId
Buck" unless he could stretch his
princely legs after dinner to the tune
of the razzy. jazzy blues.
This bit of foreign news. while OF
passing interest to the average news
paper reader, should be of profound
import to the sociologist and the his
torian OF national manners. 1t demon
strates a complete reversal of the evo-
luton OF social customs. In days past.
when the Court of Versailles blossomed
in it's glory. and when England's kings
really ruled. innovations in social life
began at the top of society--within the
very palace walls. A king was a real
leader then: not only of his armies and
his politicians. but also Of the thought
and conduct of his people.
II a king became tired Of the dances
in vogue. he commissioned his dancing
masters to invent new steps; il the
current music palled, he instructed COM
posers to produce new operas: il he
desired change in the theatre. he COM
rnanded that certain dramatists should
write plays which would please his
fancy; il the clothes styles of the day
bored him. he called in his designers
and'let it be known that head would
fail in the basket at daybreak unless
a new cut in pantaloons was fashioned
before the cock crew.
Thus royalty set the styles in dances.
operas. plays, and even clothes. Then
the commoners followed suit. until even
the underworld itself copied the royal
fashions. But today all that is changed.
Our composers write the music which
pleases the Masses pIay-carpenters
devise attractions which will attract
only one fnajesty-Tfis Majesty. the
Tired Business Mar; designers do not
care a button what royalty favors-
they cut their cloth TO please the
millions of commoners. After the mid
die and lower classes are pleased,
royalty generally falls in line, and says
me too"
This complete reversal Of the evolu-
ton Of social customs is shown even
more clearly in the dances of the day.
A hundred, two hundred years ago,
royalty was responsible for the inven-
ton Of new steps, which were adopted
in turn by the nobility, the gentry. the
lower middle classes. the lower classes,
and finally the underworld itself.
Today our dances originate in the |
underworld. are adopted by the lower |
classes. then the middle strata, and |
eventually, after some years of evolu- |
ton. they reach the worlds palaces
The tango which the British princeIing /
Will dance tonight at Buckingham /
Palace was invented in a social cess
pool in Buenos Ayres. a travelling |
vaudeville troupe. living in the under |
world, saw it. took it up. and eventually
danced it in q Paris cafe. There the |
Castles viewed it. pounced upon 1t. and /
places themselves. Then it was brought /
10 America, and the odor of sanctity |
was blown upon it when our society
adopted it in modified form.
Take our modern jazz steps. Many Of /
them originated in the underworld of
San Francisco and the Tenderioin of /
New York City. The music which at-
ted the deviI-may care mood sprang into
popular favor. The better class of /
Americans introduced the Prince of /
Wales to it when he was with us-and /
now tonight. after dinner, the prince
lings in "oid Buck win dance in modi-
fed form the steps which originated
in the crooked brains Of Lefty Jimmie.
and YaIler Mol, and sporty May, and
other leaders in the Tenderloin's choic-
est social sets.
There is only one conclusion which
one can draw from this example Of the
reversal of the evolution of
social customs, and that is--royalty to-
day in its own country even commands
no respect whatsoever except that
which the average citizen gives 70 she
living representative Of the Govern