American Prudery.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 13, 31 March 1909, Page 36

American Prudery.

EXPELLED FOR DANCING. In America to-day one finds the strongest survival of prudery side by side with unabated divorce court proceedings. The latter are unfortunately too well known by the undisguised manner in which the Yankee journals report the proceedings. Here is ithe other extreme. At Fredonia, New Y'ork, recently, three Normal school girls danced in a “San Antonio” chorus at an amateur performance and were expelled from the school. Three sets of parents invaded Fredonia, retained lawyers, and threatened all sorts of things unless the slight put upon .their girls was removed at once. The performance was given for the local Fire Department, and the firemen have joined hands to aid the parents. Dr. Dana, of the Normal .School, asserts that girls who dance in public show lack of qualification as teachers. The three girls were Miss Mary Thornton, of Frewsburg, whose popularity was shown by her election the night the trouble started to be president of the graduating class of June next; Miss Genevieve Ryan, of Salamanca, and Miss Blanche Beach, of Cassadaga. The production was at the local theatre, and was “The County Fair.” Fully fifty men, women, and children 'were in the cast. A part of the programme was made up of chorus work, in which the .three girls danced. Dr. Myron Dana was present., and about that time he got up and went. Next morning he announced that the three girls could not register for the coming term, and would .be refused diplomas. The school authorities say the expulsion had nothing to do with the dancing, but that the girls violated an important rule, that students must be in their rooms at half-past seven o’clock. The hubbub over the matter was still unsettled when the mail left.