An essay on dancing
By: by J. Townley Crane.
Edition: 9th ed.
Publisher: Nelson & Phillips
Published: 1849
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 132
Subjects: Dance -- Moral and ethical aspects.; Antidance Literature.
Description: This book is a typical example of mid-nineteenth-century anti-dance literature. Crane takes the position that the ancients, including the Greeks and Egyptians, danced only for religious purposes. The author additionally notes that dancing in the Bible was done by "maidens and women alone." Also typical of this type of literature, the author decries the religious ceremonies of the "savage and the semi-civilized" world of non-Christians, especially the customs of non-Europeans.  Crane concludes that balls have a bad effect on health and are a waste of time.
Notes: Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as facsimile page images and full text.
"Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1849 ... in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York."