Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1914)
maha Sunday Bee Magazine Page Why DancerxAre5oDanterou.r Science Explains Their Fascination by Their Power to Awaken Primitive Dreams of Conquest Created by the First Priestesses When Men Still Lived in Caves Tim fact that tho family ot Thomas It. Williams, Jr., Is rent In twain because Thomas R, Williams, Jr., baa married Mmo. Do Beau, a charming dancer ot Valeska Surratt'a company, gives point to tho psychologist's statement that (lancers nro natural disturbers lot tho family peace. They mako more- trouble in families than does any other class of Tvomen. Tho light too creates more trouble in tho house hold than tbo light purso or even tho light bend. "When a dancer Jsn breaking up someone's elso family she kicks her own Into splinters," said a bitter old cynic of Broadway. When a man dis puted bis statement tho cynic re called Nnnco Qwynn of tho four husbands and who lives in anticipa tion of seven, because a fortune tel ler told her she would bavo that number of spouses. Miss Qwynn was peared in cases ot dlvorco, and lovo nllpnutlon. Tho frequency ot 8Ult ot Mrs. Charles Gilpin, Jr., so ttfe phenomenon Jod to a statistical Inquiry, with tho surprising being drawn for a painful tlmo into discovery that dancers are, as a class, fully 20 per cent ahead or any tuo vortex or troup e n ow oi tuo other class in furnishing domestic and undomestlc Upheavals. .,dc8t i" In Philadelphia. Wbllu ju ur"u"tt uvwucouu uu imuuwoo w uvuonws, dancer Bessie Clayton has uovor The question ot wby thla is so has beon ralsod, and ita answer fur- tolen llcr troubles into tho courts nlshes ono of tho jnost interesting explanations ot modern psychology. 8i10 j by no means reticent about Many eminent psychologists bollovo that tho danco Is not only tho the part dancer Louise Alexander oldest religious rite, but tho oldest form ot amusement, and tho oldest Jffi Ja ?a!rt form of mental stimulation known. Theab scientists hold that Tvhon a man j,er husband, ' Julian Mitchell, she was still Ja the cave-ago bo was heavy witted, brutish, with only a nidi- points jto tho brunette dancer as tho aeatary imagination. To enable blm to advance, to plan conquests, both, reason. Nor has Anna Held been of other men and of nature, stimulation of his Imagination was necessary. JJ'jJJ SwS the vmalnesf Sf He who coal plan ahead .was the one who won. hor 8R(1 gtory 0f tjM that were first Just, tkey argue, as at a certain stage of childhood a girl develops grievously tangled, then sundered. .malaatlea faster than a boy, so in tho childhood ot man, woman out- Mrs. Conway Tcarle told a eym- atrbMd him la the same development. pathetic Judge the "tory ot how Ro- iVT- . i barta Mengos Hill, once known as Witk thla development ot imagination came natural mimicry. Woman tho hallo of sheoMhead Bay. bad imitated the natural things about her, and sho did It in tho form of danc 1, -which. Ja unquestionably tho most natural form ef emotional ex- yrMsloa. id Rubinstein, Who Won Gabricle d'Annunzio's Devoted Friendship from tho Incomparable Duse. !(Ant Above) Gaby Dealys, Who Kicked Over Portugal's Throne with tho Toe of Her Pink Satjn Slipper. By Prof. DAVID EDGAU KICE, Ph.D. (Columbia), The DlttlnQulshed Psychologist ECENTIA' tho names ot dancers In increasing numbers bavo an- R memories In the bosoms of many wives in tbo huge city of laugbtor. Many a vaguoly Jealous wife has been disturbed by the flutter of Mile. Waste's ballot skirt and by the flash ot her pink satin dancing pump. But there stands no record ot domes tic disturbance against that dainty dancer save her own divorce from the young manager who brought ber into fame as the Red Domino. Not only in tho kingdom ot borne, but In the wider realm of state bavo dancers ruled and overruled and dis rupted. Lola Montcz, reigned in Bavaria through the slavery of the King to ber will. How Gaby Deslys, with tho tip of ber dainty toe, over turned tho throno of Portugal and sent a kinglet as a mendicant suing for the favor of thrones la a story better known in this country than the terms ot tbo revised tariff list. Beventecn-year-old, b. r o w n-o y e tf, sunny-haired Li'Acrolia, dancer And daughter of a dancer, was driven out of Belgium by an indignant Queen. Tho Queen, incensed by a story told her by one ot ber ladlcs-ln-wnIUng. that King Albert, meeting the dancer in the royal ballroom, rehearsing the dances with which sho was thatnigbt to entertain the Bolglan court, had kissed her, commanded that tbo samo lady in waiting take ber at once danced her husband away from his hearthsldo, bad all but kidnapped him, bad indeed spirited blm away, albeit with bis connivance, to jsurop- The shaggy cave chieftain, Bitting besltjo Ihe fire of his clan, watchod can shores. The Judge was so sorry . Lt . is a ii . ' i . r 4 I . I - -- a (Hew primitive gyrations, and from them received a spark which kindled Ibis sluggish Imagination. So stimulated, he was ablo to plan primltlvo conquests and carry them out. Tho dancing hod broadened bis horizon, Ho recognized this, and so in that dim age the dancera' presonts wore tho richest furs, tho finest ornaments, tho host food, and oftentimes tho soorl- nee ot .prisoners. for Mrs. Toarle and so Indignant with Roberta Menges that he granted Mrs. Tearlo tbo divorce she craved, Duse tho compelling, tho most mar vellous of living ootroaBos, lost the interest a'nd it was believed the heart of Gabrlelo d'AnnunzIo, great , MU U w w. V" ww J e 4 V " Vw 4S44a U AS S4S0 f t Through, scores of centuries tho danco hold Us supremacy and tbo est of living Italian authors, to a dancer was tho only key to lands of imagination from which mankind drew power and in spiration. Then camo with his development other factors to stimu late man's mind But tho habit ot the ages had given tbo dancer a awer over man's sub eeasclousneBS that sho till retains to-day. There was ft sound psychological reason for th 'f Ift ef John the Bayiist'a bead to Salome, And the man ot to day "who sacrifices borne, faml)y or throne to tbo dancer is simply swept away by primi tive lmpulsos which have persisted in him for thousands of years. Bo reason a school ot psychol ogists not to be taken lightly. I, however, do not agree with tbom upon all points, In the case of tho professional dancer wo certainly have to do with a typo that is destined to prove mora or less of a. temptation to susceptible males. In the first place, she is danger ous because ot ber surpassing beauty ot toco and figure. With out these assets sho is not likely to quality In tho profes sional class. In the next place, the choice of this form of en tertainment is In itself indica tive of a nature that is ready to disregard the conventions. In making this assertion It must, of course, be understood that we aro mak ing due exception ot these women ot strong personality who have dono ao much to elevate the art ot dancing. The reference here is to the other kind those who causo trouble. Tho former uses her art to win admira tion for ber art Tho latter dovelops ber art to attract attention to and admiration for hersolf. Given a woman of this typo on tho stage and a susceptible person be fore the footlights, and we have the necessary elements ot a domestio dis turbance. The determlnlnlng factor tho flamo to the powder Is supplied by the dance Itself. For whatever of beauty and artlstlo effect may be claimed tor the dance In Its most highly developed form, tho fact is that Its ultimate appeal is to tho fundamental Instincts. This assertion may seem to be rather extreme to those who are familiar with the danco only in its roodorn form before the adven ot the turkey trot bunny bug and tango. These most recent developments, In the opinion of many, give some color to the statement, but to roallse its full signifi cance It is necessary to study the dance as It is practised among savage peoples of the present day. For these people typify tbo primitive practises and customs of nations that are now civilised, and It is a fact that some, at least, of the objectlonal dances recently introduced aro rovlvals ot the cruder forma of earlier days. Havelock Ellis, who cites dozens of examples from primitive customs, makes this interesting comment on the subject; "As the highest and most complex form ot muscular movement, It In the moat potent method ot obtaining the excitement muscular movement yields. Among savages this use ot dancing work harmoniously with the various other uses which dancing possessed In primltlvo times, and which caused it to occupy so large and vital a part in savage lite that It may pos sibly even affect tbe organism to such an extent as to mold the bones, As civilization advances, tbe other uses of dancing may fall away, but the art still remains a stimulant" If tbe tbepry ot the dance here given bo true, It follows that the pro leetional dancer who regularly gives herself up to Its influence must .be reaaared particularly susceptible to tho advauces tf her admirers. And tha aasnlrenv in turn, are scarcely less susceptible. isiiHiiiiiBHMHSaiiiiiHB.. . li. l a Fprnarina, Who Was Politely Row., n... . Spain Because of Klnff AUw&fg0$ sinuous enchantress, Ida Rubinstein, onco premiere dansouso of tbo, Rus sian ballot at the Grand Opera House ot Paris. -Tho dancer Babarot proposes to marry her partner, Scnor Florldo, as Boon as tho nalo dancer disentangles hlmsolf from previous matrimonial bonds. Herr Frantzlus, her busband, not waiting for this lightening of FJorldo's conjugal burden, named his wife's dancing partner in a success ful suit for dlvorco. Herr Frantzlus fell In lovo with tho dancer's portrait nnd fell out of lovo with ber tempera ment, which ho said was made up ot one hundred parts ot volatility. Dancer Bessie McCoy was not named in Mrs. Richard Harding Davis's suit for divorce. But no one has denied that her friendship ot two years tor tho novelist widened the (breach that oxisted (botween the author and bis artlst-wlfo. When the dlvorco wnB accomplished Miss Mc Coy beenmo tbo Bocond Mrs. Davis. Odetto Valery, wbo stirred tho ad miration ot Oscar Hammcrsteln, her impresario, by tho romantio record ot twenty-eight love affairs In one year, was tho bogle wo man to many un happy Parlslennes. Never did tha dusky hatred charmer with tbe alluring black eyes tall to inject a thorn Into a matri monial situation when she chose. Since misfortune has overtaken her andaho It destitute in Paris sho is still the cause ot disturbing Lillian Lorraine, the Beautiful Disturber of Anna Held'a Domestic Peace. Spring," she added, with a glance at a huge basket ot red roses of a kind that grew only in tbo royal gardens. That was rendered unmistakable by tho snshlike ribbon of tbo royal col ors that encircled them. "It will become less agreeable for the beautiful Fornarlnn. Indeed, we regret It exceedingly, that we KNOWI Jt will," The spokesman of the Min istry glanced out ot the window ot Fornarlna's apartment at tho palace. "It would bo so much more pleasant for example, It La Fornarlna should show Paris the beautiful Castlllan dances barbarous Paris that has been content with the vulgar tango!" La Fornarlna's bluo-vclned lids lowered and veiled her yes. She sighed. Then she emlled. That night sho went to Paris. In Paris she bsn remained. And then, of course, there was tbe Justly famous Salome. out of tbe klncdom nnd back to Paris. There followed a glacial atmosphero between their Malestle.i of Belgium that has continued, according to the court gossips, until the present day. La, Fornarlna, tho most beautiful dancer in Spain, attracted tbe roving and Jlvely eye of ber monarch. King Alfonso. The Ministry, alert to these adventures of that eye, nnd reading the portent of them in the light of the overturned throne of their neighbor Portugal, did not drive the most beau tiful dancer from her own country. Nay, the Ministry was much too gal lant for that It paid a semi-official visit to La Fornarlna. It deplored tbo fact that developments had made it unpleasant for La Fornarlna to remain in Madrid. "But Madrid is most delightful, especially now," La Fornarlna sighed, dellclously. "I refer, of course, to tho delightful climate ot Madrid In tho How Running Makes You Sleepy Odette'Valery, the Bogie Woman of Many Parisian Wives. Copyright 1911, by th Star Company, Great BrtUJn Rlfhts IlMervod. rr-lUliRE is nothing in tbo world 1 quite as exasperating as not being able to go to sleep when you want to, and persistent insomnia Is one ot tho greatest curses of man kind. But many people suffer from Insomnia from lack of knowing many of the simple de vices that bare been used In tha past to provoke sleep, and Sir James Sawyer. In a recent work, points out how vuluable some ot these simple means have been. Few plans are more successful, bo suggests, than that ot running around the bed, particularly if the night be cold. It will bo remembered that Charles Dickens, wbo was greatly afflicted with sleeplessness, declared that if he could lean on tho bedpost in thin nttlro in which ho usually slept until be got chilled clear through, tho return to a warm bed would produce a drowsiness that led blm along the path of sleep. William Harvey, the discoverer ot the circulation of the blood, was a be liever in the circulation of the bed also, He declared that for sleepless- ness nothing was better than tov Jump out of bed suddenly, as though frightened, race around tho bed with very little on, until the skin was cold and the body heated nnd then Jump back to bed. Not only was the exercise good, he believed, but also the feeling that one was being with held from going to bed caused a de sire for It, which prepared tbe mind for sleep when onco more lying down. Of course such devices as a bop pillow are well known both George Washington and tho present King of England could testify to their use fulness, and nightcaps both ol fabrics and liquids have a soothlm effect, externally and Internally re spectlvcly. But when all Is said nnd done, nothing so well conquers ln somnla as a sudden plunge out mi bed into a cold room and u vigorous run arouud tbe bed or If one be aure that others are asleep up and down a corridor. Should tho custom becom prevalent however, tbe balls of a large hotel might present a curi ous spectacle during tbe early hours of the morning. a ,