, 1921-07-16
TRIPPING THE LIGHT FANTASTIC.

How do they do it? That is the question that has
occurred to many who have formed the audience at
the public dance that occurs nightly at the platform
near the courthouse. Night after night the same
young women are seen dancing steadily from 8 o'clock
until midnight. There are no ~intermissions and these
girls never miss a dance. The question is, how DO
they stand the strain? 1t is assumed that they are oc-
cupied at something during the day. Employed at
home or in shop or office. II so situated, they must
arise at something like Z o'clock in order to get
breakfast and to work by s. II they earn salaries
they must work for them and they are therefore busy
until at least 5 or 6 O'Clock in the afternoon. 1t is
then home to dinner. If they do not help prepare the
meal they at least assist in washing the dishes. Then
it is a visit to the movies, to be followed by three
hours strenuous exercise at the dance platform.
This is the routine followed day after day. If you
are observing you know these to be the facts for you
see the same girls in stores and offices at their work
during business hours. You see them go to the NOV
les and you see them at the dances.
Say they leave the dance at IL AS or ~. Allow
an hour and a half to reach home, bid their escort
good night, fix their complexion, brush their hair, say
! to 80 in the morning. Say / o'clock for conven-
fence. That will leave barely six hours for rest. Is
that sufficient for a young person.
How do they get away with it? They don't
Here is an instance. Yesterday a gentleman went
into a certain store to make a purchase. The young
lady at the counter was at the time sitting on a coun-
ter stool, she had to be awakened before the custom
er could make his wants known. She was plumb done up.
She is one of them who has been travelling the route
outlined above for the past week, possibly longer.
How long she expects to hold her present job we have
no idea. She will not likely hold it. In all probability
someone else will be occupying her place about next
Monday morning.
There is no objection to dancing. 1t is a healthful
and proper exercise and if reasonably INDUCED with
proper associates no harm can come of it. But why
attempt to put over all the dancing there is in one
brief season? Why must it be made a part of the
daily program? In short, why carry it to the ex-
IRENE?
The enjoyment certainly loses its edge when in
dulged SO frequently. 1t would seem, that however
enthusiastic, the dancer he would become surfeited
and a pleasurable exercise would turn to drudgery.
Then the loss of beauty sleep soon tells on the
fresh and attractive personal appearance. This fact
is one explanation of the large sale and popularity of
cosmetics. In other words she who dances must pay
the fiddler. And the fiddler is certainly exacting his
recompense in the town of Casper, Wyoming. More's
the pity, for Casper has an unusual number of very
beautiful young girls growing up who are devoting
more time to dancing and late hours than they are
to beauty sleep and their beauty will not endure the
strain.
We presume the war is to blame for the situation.
It is held accountable for most things that need con-
troll and regulation these days. We danced before we
ever heard of the ding swizzled old war, but as we
recall it we did not go crazy about it. We enjoyed
it decently and in order. 1t was incidental. We did