THE PUBLIC DANCE
=Why attractive.=--Dancing is one of the social temptations that come to
young girls when they are fifteen and older. The gliding, swaying
movements of the dance, the brilliantly lighted halls, the intoxicating
strains of fast music, the gay and jovial throng and the display of
dress appeal strongly to the feelings of young people.
=Dancing in itself is not sinful or objectionable.=--There is nothing
intrinsically wrong in the act of dancing. There is nothing sinful in
the act of bathing the entire body. But the act can be performed under
social conditions when it would not be only a sin but a crime. There
could be no moral objection to the dancing together of young men,
neither could there be any moral objection to the dancing of young
ladies with each other. Individuals could dance alone, brothers and
sisters and near relatives from homes of culture, refinement and good
morals could dance together without committing a moral wrong. Or if
society had remained satisfied with the old “Virginia reel” or the
“square dance” little harm would come of it. Dancing with these
restrictions, is seldom engaged in to-day for the reason that the
pleasure found in the waltz and round dance is so largely diminished.
=The secret of the dance’s hold on society.=--If modern dancing were
restricted to the chaste and pure, and limited to the parlors of the
best homes and safeguarded by the presence of the heads of that home,
dancing would lose much of its attractive hold upon society. If the
dancing of the sexes together were prohibited by law and should the
government provide well equipped dance halls in every village and city
to be used free of charge, with the one restriction that the sexes dance
separate, there would be little temptation to dance. This reveals the
true secret of the public dance. Here is about the relation assumed by
young people in executing the dance as we have it to-day. The young man
places his right arm around the waist of the young lady; she places her
head against his left shoulder, her heaving breasts are against his, her
right hand is held in his left, he places his foot, sometimes his leg,
between hers. To this must be added, the young lady, if properly
attired, must wear a sleeveless, low-necked dress exposing, in part, her
secondary sexual charms, the breasts; wine, ale and beer are often
indulged in freely by many of the young men and occasionally by some of
the young women.
=The public dance a menace to society.=--From this description you will
easily see that the public dance, as we have it to-day, appears to have
been especially contrived, in all of its appointments, to awaken and
arouse the sex nature. It is for this reason almost all truly religious
people and churches condemn the public dance. In almost all communities
the public dance has been relegated by the best classes of society to a
lower class. There are some communities where the dance is encouraged in
homes of wealth, culture and refinement. For a few years at least, they
pride themselves in the fact that only the best are invited. Here, of
course, the harm would be reduced to some degree. Many erring women
attribute their fall in part, or entirely to the public dance. Many
vicious young men use the dance as their most successful means of
accomplishing the ruin of young girls. When the young woman assumes for
the first time the relation of the dance, her sense of womanly modesty
is greatly shocked. If she continues to dance, this relation becomes
less embarrassing. If she becomes very fond of dancing, this will
usually be due to her passions being aroused by the magnetic, amorous
influence of her partner in the dance. She will not enjoy dancing with
men who fail to excite in her those agreeable feelings. She will be
popular with this class of men to the extent that she is able to respond
to their amorous nature. She will not fully realize that the pleasure
she enjoys, while dancing, is inseparable from her sex nature; she may
never fall, but constant sexual excitement caused by the dance will
produce all the evil effects of the secret sin.
=Other objections.=--Aside from this main objection, there are a number of
other objections. The flimsy dress, late hours at night, over-exertion
and poorly ventilated halls are in violation of the simple laws of
health. It fosters unfortunate social distinctions, leads many young
people to violate the wishes of their parents and their church vows,
keeps many from Christ, and interferes with the spiritual life of
others. It is responsible for not a few life-long invalids, premature
deaths from heart trouble and consumption, ruined marriages and cursed
children with illegitimacy. It has broken the hearts, bowed the heads,
carved lines of sorrow on the face and silvered the hair of loving
devoted parents.
=Right information needed.=--Few young people understand the nature of the
dance. Those who have condemned it have rarely done so in the right
spirit or given a satisfactory reason why the public dance is wrong.
Owing to the relation of the modern dance to the sex nature it would
usually be wiser to discuss it before single sex audiences. If young
people, who are interested in developing a perfect manhood and
womanhood, understood how the modern dance complicates each other’s sex
problems, they would discard the dance from their social programmes. I
am sure they would arrange for other forms of diversions and
entertainment. The cold-blooded facts are, few, if any, vigorous young
men and women can persist long in the modern dance and maintain
perfectly chaste thoughts and emotions. It is a sad thought that many
young people are not interested in developing perfect manhood and
perfect womanhood. They are not likely to heed the advice of this talk.
By all who understand the value of the creative life, the importance of
keeping the mind pure, this advice will be appreciated and heeded.