The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-04-24

And Nonstop Records Fall Almost
Daily. New Workers, Forced to
Move, Dance in Van.
NEW YORK, N. .Y.-Consider this
marathon dancing epidemic It is an
EPIDEMIC. 1t seems to be more virulent
and spreads with greater rapidity than
the "hu." 1t has broken out with great
violence in New York, Baltimore, To-
ledo, Cleveland, Houston and other
points east, west, north and south.
In several cities the public health
officials are alarmed. They fear fur
Their spread of the dancing disease
may result in great mortality rate.
OF course, you may remark, it might
not be such loss after ALL but still
the innocent bystander, who is stand
ing around bulletin boards reading the
latest figures on the time, number and
kind of steps, distance travelled and
other vital statistics, can't hold his
breath forever, waiting for someone
to set up real, honest-to-gosh worlds
record.
At Least One Is Crazed.
One man in Baltimore, after travel
ing, according to conservative esti-
mates, distance equal to that be-
tween Rikyavik, Iceland, and a point
midway between the equator and the
tropic of Capricorn, went insane. Per-
haps all of them are that way-these
nonstop dancers. In fact, DIR. Knight
Dunlap, professor of elemental psy-
cho1ogy at Johns Hopkins university,
says that the marathon dancing con-
testant suffers from a violent form of
a "dementia Americana" 1t is the de-
sire to outstrip or actually outstep all
others that leads them out on the
dance floor to glide and fox trot for
hours and hours and more hours. And
at this hour some of them still are
dancing with new worlds records"
in the ofing.
The worst of it is--and remember
this is written from a mans view
point-that it is showing up" the
men. They can't stand the pace. It's
too rough a sport for them, and the
women are displaying amazing pow
ers of endurance that give the laugh
to that weaker sex" idea.
Why Men Frown on Sport.
Perhaps that's one reason why the
police, health officers and other Off
cials-all men-are beginning to frown
on these dance marathons.
Mayor Curley, of Boston, has de-
MED permission for the holding of
two contests in the Hub. 'It's all
foolishness," he says.
The chief of police of Seattle also
e. II
liar action is expected in San Fran
cisco.
The New York authorities have dis
covered law that prohibits any ath-
letic contest or endurance test which
does not provide for suitable rest pc
RODS in each twenty-four hours When
it was announced that the law would
be enforced, it was thought that the
doom of a perfectly good marathon
already twenty-four hours under way,
was sealed But what's little thing
like that to dyed-in- the-wool dancers?
Moved the Whole Contest.
The contest, with participants and
spectators, merely was moved over to
New Jersey, without the loss of a
step. A big van drove to the dance
hall here, contestants danced out and
onto the truck, followed by the l1nu-
and it was driv@ to ferry,
crossed the river and drove up to
hall in Fl. Lee, n J. There the con-
testants descended-they had kept up
the dance all the way-and resumed
their efforts to break the record.
While several cities are barring the
dancers Chicago, always liberal in
such matters, is going to give the
steppers all the time they want. 1t
was announced that the Dancing Mas
ters' Association would hold terpsi-
chorean marathon there April oath.
Herman Bundseen, health commits
sioner, said he would not interfere.
"'If anyone wishes to dance himself
to death" he said. cts entirely a mat
ter of personal liberty"
Houston is recovering from the eff
fects of the marathon that ended there
yesterday morning. when Miss Madge
Williams ''copped" the record at sixty
five hours and hfty-three minutes.
Go1die Hughes, II years old, had to
be carried off the floor forcibly to
make her stop.
Two nonstop dances are proceed
ing in Cleveland today One started
Saturday and the other today.
IX/.I NJ |JJ NJ,