DANCING.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3839, 24 June 1873, Page 3

DANCING.

Dancing is perhaps the oldest amusement in the world, and too natural not to outlive all opposition, yet while we often hear it disparaged, we scarcely aver hear it defended for its extreme reasonableness. A small book entitled " Dancing in a Right Spirit," is the only -attempt of the kind I have ever met with, but the author has greatly limited himself by considering the question in one direction only. Whilst very rightly and sensibly reminding us how danoing was a religious pastime among the Jews, and how it is nowhere forbidden,, but rather commended, in the Bible, he leaves untouched any consideration apart from the Bible, and much may be said in favor of dancing from an artistic point of view. As beauty of color to the eye, as sweet sounds to the ear, so is the luxury of quick, easy motion to the healthy frame. All young things delight to skip and dance. When it hears quick, lively music the child must dance ; it is an irrisistible, spontaneous instinct, as much as to use its young voice and shout and laugh and sing out its merriment. It is the first praise of the child to its Creator. By enjoying the life he gives it the child unwittingly, unconsciously, praises Him in its bright, swift motion, as hereafter it will do consciously and in a maturer form by the life it will lead to His glory. So in the childhood of mankind, men danced before God in the full joy of their hearts.. It was a kind of praise to Q-od from these children of the earth's earlier days, and as much the right aud natural mode for them to express praise, as it is now the right and natural mode for children to enjoy themselves. Whatever gives us highest enjoyment is most appropriately connected with religion ; and as physical enjoyment comes before mental, dancing formed a part of religious ceremonies before more recondite rituals or more abstract ideas superseded it. When that time came dancing slipped out of the religious sphere. And not only that, but in process of time a grim theology, which would banish all cheerfulness from life, did its best to condemn dancing, together with many other innocent and natural amusements, as sins. But such gloomy views of things are too unnatural to retain the world in their bondage, so dancing is still an enjoyment to thousands; and when nature's pre-eminent right of guidance is more and more recognised, dancing will again assume its place amongst the arts which add beauty and joy to our lives, and, though no longer amongst the rites of religion will, far from being considered hurtful to the religious sentiment, be seen to be a furtherance thereof, in the same manner as are painting, music, and all other branches of the joyous and beautiful. — "Victoria Magazine."