OUR SURPLUS EMOTIONS

Evening Star, Issue 19143, 9 January 1926, Page 13

OUR SURPLUS EMOTIONS

During periods of emotional tension men and women always show an increased inclination to listen to music or to dance to it (writes a student of psychology; in the ‘Daily Chronicle ). Such increased inclination was obvious during the war. It remains to-day as a sure proof that the process of “ settling down ” is far from complete. Largo numbers of people still feci tho need of hitching their emotions to a rhythm, toms “ dancing craze ” succeeds to dancing craze, and every place of substantial public refreshment has a band.' Thus, crude rhythms maintain their sway over the public mind. The very first sign of stabilisation, after a period of upheaval, is a certain damming up of tho channels by which popular feeling has spoilt itself. The crude rhythms give place to rhythms of greater complication. In other words, emotional tension having fallen, it is necessary to conserve what remains _of feeling rather than to assist in feelings’ overflow. Thus, when dancing forsakes the go-as-you please phase in which it lingers at present, when “steps” begin _to matter again, when a spice of formalism becomes agreeable, it will be possible to say that our world has passed tho crest of the present emotional wave. There are faint signs—very faint, lot it he emphasised—-of the beginnings ol such a reaction. Hut, on tho other hand, the really strenuous efforts which have been made, during the past two or three seasons, to restore “real dancing” have borne singularly little fruit.