New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-06-18

. thousand hearts beat happily; and whsA
Muse sross with ia vOlup,uous swell
ssft eyes looked love eyes which spske AGAIN
Ind all went merry a marriage bell"
TT Ow unerringy the poet decks out
- the central idea Of our favorite IN
l. Il door exercise Of dancing in the
charming quotation which artist
Hogarth has craven above his triple arche1
in letters which themselves seem 20 dance
Love, the handspring Of movement the emo
ton Of motion.
In aprevious essay we have noted how GER
I'm enjoyments tended nowadays TO segre-
cation Of the sexes; how golf and tennis had
become, as Il were the occupation Of special
isss, serious pursuits in which the men focked
by themselves and left the fair ones to their
own devices. But in dancing we have an en-
joyment the very basis Of which is ambideX-
trous. The mating of males in rhythmic mo-
ton is inconceivable. | recall dining one eve
ming az a very high and mighty German club.
]. was long before the war, and Il was also
pre-Volstead. Likewise, it was the kaisers
birthday. The combination resulted in much
orgiastic eoqueuce, sonorous toasts and in
Vulnerable "hochs." Dinner was followed by
dancing "for men only distinctly remem-
Der the horror with which it filed me; just
Why ! cannot say. Mighty admirals twirled
with Herr Kapitans, bewhiskered generals en-
brsced red-faced merchants. | fed the place
IN disgust An incurabe dislike OF the whole
outfit had taken possession Of me, and when,
years after, they tore up the Belgian treaty
and ravishcd a defenseless nation, cried tri-
umphantly: There, What can you expect OF
men who dance with each other"
On the other hand, girls often dance to-
eether in the schools and scmnaries. Even
this is slightly repellent, though 10 does not
uauseate me- II merely leaves me cold
feel the same way about such a manifestation
as do about one-half Of 1 per cent beer; |
know there is such thing, but 1t doesn't
interest me. And imagine the girls feel the
same way-not about the beer, necessarily.
but about the dancing They only do IL,
"faute de m.eux," as John Wanamaker says
The real simon-pure article, man dancing
with q lovely partner, is very close approx
nation Of heavenly bliss. Too close, some
say. I dare say they are right, but ] have
never been to heaven as yet; have merely
danced. When two we-adjusted dancers
glide gracefully across ballroom floor they
seem enveloped in an aura, sort Of spiritual
fusion. The two are creating a single work
q art, thing Of beauty, exquisite because
Of its fleeing quality. For it is passing
glory. The music stops and the dancers are
themselves again. William is William and
anabelle is Anabelle All over the room you
hear little signs Of regret, followed by instant
hand-clapping. They are not applaudng them
selves or each other, but the mysterious One
hey have conjured forth whom they hope 70
recapture in an encore.
The basis Of all this is love. | do not mean
love" in the wildly romantic, passionate
sense. A man cannot be expected to marry
every girl he dances with. Perish the thought
No, suppose what I really meap is love in its
broad, human sense kind, benevolent feel
ing. almost any shade of affection which SHES
away from mere tolerance. To fully realize
how important this basic relation is, one has
but 10 20 10 the other extreme and dance with
person one actually dislikes. tried it once
Just for an experiment. it came near being
fatality ] shuddcr when ] think Of il.