The Dance in Scotland. -- Reels and Highland Schottische. -- Is
Dancing a Sin? -- Dances of Antiquity. -- There is no Dancing
now.
People do not dance now--in drawing-rooms at least--they walk, says M.
Ratisbonne.
In Scotland, however, people still dance.
The Scotch have preserved the primitive, innocent, pastoral character of
this exercise.
Nothing is more graceful than the reel and schottische of the Highlands.
The reel demands great agility. Two swords are placed crosswise on the
ground and, to the sound of bagpipes, Donald executes double and triple
pirouettes in and out, carefully avoiding the weapons.
Ask me how Society dances in Scotland and I will answer: just as it does
elsewhere, but with a gravity that would do honour to our senators.
* * * * *
The Scotch are not all agreed as to whether dancing is sinful or not.
Certain dwellers in the Highlands look on it as the eighth deadly sin;
the Shakers, on the contrary, consider it as the most edifying of
religious exercises.
Between the two, the margin is wide.
Socrates, the wisest of men in the eyes of Apollo, admired this exercise
and learned dancing in his old age. Homer speaks of Merion as a good
dancer, and adds that the grace and agility he had acquired in dancing
rendered him superior to all the Greek and Trojan warriors.
Dancing was among the religious acts of the Hebrews, Greeks, and
Egyptians. The early Fathers of the Church led the dance of the children
at solemn festivals.
The holy king David danced in front of the Ark, as we know by the
Scriptures.
Real virtue is amiable, and tolerance and gaiety are its distinguishing
marks.
For my part, I know no more charming sight than those village dances,
becoming, alas! more and more rare. Boys and girls gave themselves up to
mirthful pleasure without thought of harm, and these pastoral fetes kept
alive joy and innocence in the hearts of our villagers. We are growing
too serious, the railways and telegraph have upset us and enervated us,
we are getting languid and dull.
If I am to believe the Scotch, with whom I have talked on the subject,
it is not dancing that they object to, it is the fashion in which people
dance nowadays. They admire the contre-dance and minuet, but consider it
improper that a man should whirl round a room with a half-dressed lady
in his arms.