Ministerial Alliance Against Dancing

Deming, New Mexico, 1920
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ARE PROTESTING DANCING

Last Sunday a petition was presented after the services at the Christian, Methodist and Baptist churches of the city, and members of the respective congregations were asked to sign their names for the purpose of making a protest against the modern dance, and especially against the indulgence of the dance by the members of the faculty of the public schools. We have learned that 20 members of the Christian church signed the petition, 60 members of the Methodist, and ---- members of the Baptist denomination.

At the regular meeting of the school board, which was held Tuesday night, the presentation of the petition had not reached that body. Following is the petition that was drawn up by members of the Ministerial Alliance:

"Believing that the influence of the modern dance is inimical to the highest interest of the young life of the community, and whereas the influence of the teachers of the public schools vitally affect and influence the social life of any community, therefore, we the undersigned, without questioning the right of every individual to their personal views upon this as all other questions, do respectfully petition the board of trustees of the Deming public schools, from the standpoint of public policy, to pass such rules or regulations prohibiting the teachers from engaging in dancing during the school term."

The teachers of the public schools signed the following protest in answer to the action of the ministers of the city in circulating the petition given above[*]. They are exceedingly indignant at the measures taken to curtail their actions and all but two signed the instrument:

"We, as teachers, are willing to be condemned because of inefficiency in our work or because of conduct unbecoming a teacher, but we desire to enter vigorous protest against the action called for by this petition as undemocratic, an insult to each of us personally, a reflection upon the teaching profession and entirely subversive of the best interests of the public schools."

Answering the attack made upon his administration of the public schools, Superintendent Martin presents the following:

"In general I am opposed to public dances of any kind. In particular I regard the promiscuous obscenity that, I am told, is often found in connection with the modern dance as dangerous to the young life of the community, and I am sure that anyone guilty of such forms of dancing, whether teacher or not, should be absolutely condemned.

"I challenge the gentlemen who formulated the petition in question to present a constructive program tending to improve the amusements of the community, and I guarantee the hearty co-operation of the teaching body as a whole."

--The Deming Headlight, Deming, New Mexico, May 14, 1920, page 1.

[*] They meant "below."



THE DANCE QUESTION

Apropos of the publicity given the circulation of petitions asking the school directors to restrain the teachers from dancing during the next school year, as a matter of public policy, the undersigned would like to give the reasons which actuated him to join in a movement of the kind. First, may I say of the school teachers personally that I like every one of them whom I have met, and I have found some of them charming. I believe, however, the question is of too great importance to permit personality to enter into it.

First, may I say, this is an age of specialists. Not a man in town, however much he may think of the blacksmith, will go there to have his watch repaired or the nerve in his tooth killed. Preachers are moral specialists, and while it is possible for them to be mistaken, as specialists in all lines disagree at times, it is practically a unanimous deduction from years of observation by ministers of all communions that the one who indulges much in the dance loses spirituality. The dance differs from all other so-classed amusements in that it is the great passion play of the world. Like poison oak, some people may handle with harm, others may handle without harm part of the time but at other times be susceptible to its poison, still others are always harmed by its contact, and yet others cannot pass close by without coming under its influence.

"What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say," is a terse statement of the observation of the race. Should one of the preachers dance as some of the teachers have danced right along in Deming, his resignation would be requested -- and properly. Yet, the preacher's influence with a possible hour or so a week is vastly less over the child and adolescent -- the plastic stage of life -- than is that of the teacher with her 15 to 30 hours weekly. Then what of the teacher? When the school board undertakes to look for a teacher of "good moral character," does the influence of that teacher count for naught? "Why, mother, teacher does it," says the child, and mother's efforts at discipline are weakened yet further though already the district judge -- not a preacher, mind you -- has threatened to bring action against the parents of this community unless there is less trouble with Deming boys in the future, and he says "contributing to juvenile delinquency" may be either by overt act or omission. Of course, he was discussing neither the dance nor the teacher, but these are community influences we dare not overlook.

What are the facts? Many of the teachers dance. Has there ever been a case where the dance was too objectionable to the teacher? Has a teacher ever left the dance hall because of the program? We have never heard of such a case but very, very much to the contrary. Yet the dances "pulled off" in our little city are the same ones that have been legislated out of community after community all through our land from coast to coast. Even San Francisco, once holding the criminal record of the world, found the "shimmy" too tough. How about our teachers? Bunny hug, turkey trot, wiggly worm -- tommy rot. But what are we to do? School patron, has a teacher with too little initiative to plan clean entertainment, sufficient ability to teach your little ones? Think it over. When they have shown that they have not sufficient moral fiber to put out the most objectionable dance, I personally feel we should not trust them to dance at all -- for the protection of our young. N. J. REASONER.

--The Deming Headlight, Deming, New Mexico, May 14, 1920, page 1.

Comment: N. J. Reasoner wasn't the editor or publisher, but this is apparently simply a letter to the editor on page 1.