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Show j THE LIGHT HEARTED IRISH. i 1 The Love of Dancing Said to Tin Inborn i Id the Irish Nation. The dancing master still plies his trade in the Ireland of today, despite tho fact tliot politics occupies the mind of tho Irishman to an absorbing extent. In the prosperous, or comparatively prosperous, midland aud southern counties the squeak of a cracked fiddle is a pleasant sound, setting young hearts boating and young feet tapping the ground, and insuring a hearty welcome for , the tiddler, who is drawn to the house amid a hubbub of sounds, of which the dogs' bai'k-; bai'k-; ing is not the least noisy, for the dogs have a seusitive ear for music, aud the very sight of the battered old Odd! case sets them whining ; . and barking in tho delight of anticipation. 1 The opportunity for a dance is ono delight-! delight-! edly availed of. The fiddler, having been duly refreshed und having unburdened him-j him-j self of tho pack of news ho generally carries ! by tho way, the profession in Ireland is j usually recruited from tho ranks of the blind I seats himself in a commanding position and strikes up a jig or a reel. If it bo win-j win-j ter, tho dance is held hi tho kitchen; if sum-I sum-I mcr, an adjournment is mado to the green-J green-J sward before the door. Couple after couple j take the floor, and the tireless fiddler works his arm unceasingly till the moon is high in the sky and it is timo for early risers to be in bed. The Irish love dancing, nnd there is no pleosanter sight than a well danced jig, or reel, or hornpipe, all performed with asolom-nity asolom-nity befitting the people, for they are a more serious race than they generally have credit for. No stately minuet or court dance was j even carried out with the solemn sense of re-', re-', sponsibility belonging to an Irish jig; the i cheeks may bo flushed and tho eyes sparkle, but the lips keep their stern gravity, aud, except for an occasional whoop when the heels strike tho ground, and the subdued "more power" of the audience, the dance is conducted in silence. It must bo the responsibility of the steps which causes tho seriousness, and ono is not surprised, for there are as many as 200 separate sepa-rate and distinct Bteps belonging to this wonderful won-derful dance. It begins by a couple interlacing interlac-ing arms lightly, and moving up and down j tho cleared space. Then they stand facing each other, hand on hips; there aro a few slow steps, reminding one of the little false start with which the thrush begins her song; then they warm to tho work, and advanco and retreat, and turn each other over with interlocked arms, tho girl with her head ou one side and the prettiest modest look, barf shy, half coaxing; tho man bolder and more rollicking. In curious contrast to the seriousness seri-ousness of tho dancing, tho music is of the briskiest and merriest, as every one knows who has heard an Irish jig and who has not The names aro very often pretty, as, for instance, "The Wind That Shakos the Barley" and "Tho Green Fields of Amorica," Magazine of Art. |