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Show How Mankind Has Danced Itself Info World Control and Hmh Civilization INSTEAD of being foe frivolous pastime it is regarded in some quarters, dancing has been one of the most important factors In the development of tie human race, according to Dr. Louis Robinson, a well-known anthropologist. The influence of dancing extends far back into prehistoric pre-historic times, and has constantly made itself felt right down to these tango-mad days. In prehistoric time it was the dancing savage who survived. To-day the dance contributes to a considerable consider-able extent to honest matrimonial dealing. That, in brief, ia the conolusion Dr. Robinson arrives at after his research Into the subject, and the evidence he advances ad-vances in support of his contention is by no means unconvincing. It is pointed out In the first place that practically every savage people spends a large part of its time in dancing. But savages are essentially lazy. They exert themselves only when necessary to procure food and save their skins from their enemies. They much prefer pre-fer to lead the simple life. "When food Is plentiful, enemies scarce, and the elements friendly they are very apt to eat to repletion, and then spend the time between meals in philosophical reflection. The effect of this easy life on a tribe of savages can well be imagined. Their muscles become soft and their intelligence dulled. They fall an easy prey to hostile tribes to whom fortune has beon less (or more) kind in the matter of sustenance, ond wb have had to live by the chase. The more energetic tribe had to do some thing to maintain Its fitness, and, according to Dr. Robinson, Rob-inson, it resorted to dancing. In discussing this phase of the matter he presents an Imaginative picture of life in prehistoric days. Tribe A enters into a temporary partnership with Tribe B for a mammoth hunt. They succeed in forcing one of the clumsy creatures over a precipice, and then fall upon his crushed carcass with their flint knives. The meat is soon ready for the eager savages. Tribe A consists of dancing men, whose practice it is to dance before, during and after a feast of this kind. Tribe B, on the other hand, is of the lazy, gormandizing gor-mandizing type. They gorge themselves on the mammoth mam-moth flesh and lie around until they are in a condition again to eat. This state of things goes on for 'perhaps two weeks, when a ravenous band of warriors, comprising Tribe C, is attracted by the smell of the mammoth carcass. What happens? Tribe A, lithe and active as a result of their dancing, are fully able to meet an equal number num-ber of Tribe C if it comes to a fight, or, at any rate, they are able to negotiate a safe retreat. In either event, large numbers of them survive the attack. But as for Tribe B, flabby and gorged, their survival is out of the question. In this way, Dr. .P.obinson believes, dancing played an important part in the survival of the fittest of our earliest ancestors. The fact that even to-day dancing and feasting go hand in hand is merely a reversion to type. Dancing played a prominent part, too, in the mental and moral development of man. Primitive man was a coward. The more intelligent he became, 'he more he feared danger. "Here apparently," says Dr. Robinson, "was a grave bar to progress along the best and most promising lines, which were those of the mind rather than the body; for it would be the brainy savage who would be most oppressed and unnerved by awful possibilities when entering any danger zone. Yet war was a dread and almost dally necessity if he would escape extinction; and it would seem as if the cowardliness of the more intelligent and farseeing would check human progress by giving the more stupid and brutal tribes the upper hand. "It seems to me probable that here the spirit of dancing danc-ing stepped in and, by turning the sensibilities ar.d imaginations of the best men to good account, saved the situation. We know that under the influence of passion many timid creatures and men become utterly fearless. There are few more gallant warriors than the deer in the mating season, and the same is true of sheep and other animals which have become to us personifications per-sonifications of timidity. Doubtless with our early forefathers it was the same. . . . Before the onset they worked themselves up into a factitious rage, or. at any rate, into that exalted emotional state that we call a fighting mood, by war dances, which often took the shape of prancing around or behind some stimulating stimulat-ing emblem to the sound of some rub-a-dub music" Equally interesting are tile doctor's theories regarding regard-ing the part played by dancing In our own time, although al-though nowadays it is not so much the dancing itself as the dancing attire which is making its influence felt ; on the race. "There have been discussions," Dr. Robinson said, "to to why clothes were first worn whether for ornament, orna-ment, warmth or decency but I think one can say without any doubt whatever that, from the first ages until now, dance clothing has been mainly decorative. Here we find an ethnical and eugenical, if not an ethical, eth-ical, justification of matters connected with dancing dress or undress which has often provoked severe criticism among veiy civilized people. Unhappily many social custom claiming solidarity with the worthiest aspects of our latter-day liCe have contributed to matrimonial fraud, comparable to the covering of ruDhiihy fruit with 'in inviting layer of 'toppers,' or even to ;he tcnderiig of base coin. Without, a doubt from the earliest ij'tnes until now the dance has been a chief purifying agent in the marriage market ha3 played the part, in fact, of those market inspectors appointed to guard,' against adulteration. "Little as is known of the past of the 'Piltdown Lady' who may be said now to have won a sound social status with the honorable surname of Dawson we may say with full confidence that before her early marriage she danced, and that she dressed for dancing. That earth-stained huma.'u fragment over which some of our anthropologists ark wrangling in learned polysyllables once bobbed around." 1 ': |
