To  see  young  men  and  women  with  their  arms
round  one  another's  necks,  their  bodies  closely
pressed  together,  performing  indecent  antics  to
the  delirious  strains  of  music  is  a  sad  spectacle.  To
see  middle-aged  men  and  women,  the  women's
legs  showing  through  split  skits,  or  too  tight
skirts  and  no  petticoats,  wobbling  about  like  over-
fed turkeys  in  tight  embrace,  is  disgusting.  The
bodily  contortions  remind  one  of  saints  on  early
stained-glass  windows,  and  the  faces  resemble
martyrs  at  the  stake.  Thank  heaven,  when  these
American  dances  started  in  a  mild  form  in  Lon-
don, good  society  vetoed  them  from  the  drawing-
rooms.  The  English  hostess  was  right.  They
are  vulgar,  suggestive,  and  not  even  artistic  to
look  upon.  While  we  clamoured  for  rag-time
America  sought  our  serious  drama.
Novelty  helps  existence ;  but  novelty  that  is
retrograde  is  better  left  alone.  Outside  these
childishly  grotesque  and  inartistic  performances
the  men  and  women  of  America  dance  extremely
well,  and  since  the  Russian  invasion  step  dancing
is  quite  a  feature.
Tolstoi  by  the  bye  wrote  a  book  that  made  one
shudder  at  the  insult  to  all  that  is  beautiful  in  music.
"Turkey  trots"  and  "bunny  hugs"  make  one


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS


345


r  i


By  permission  of  the  New  York  Times.
IN  LONDON  GOOD  SOCIETY  VETOED  THEM  FROM  THE  DRAWING-ROOMS


346  AMERICA  AS  I  SAW  IT

sorry  for  Terpsichore.  Such  dancing  is  not  poetic,
and  yet  when  he  chooses,  the  American  dances
beautifully.
To  get  into  the  "best  Society"  in  New  York,
one  must  be  both  conventional  and  normal.
