the
various movements of the dance in harmony with the music takes their
thoughts away from themselves, and provides an escape from the dread
self-questioning: "Am I doing the right thing?" Success in mastering
the technique of the dance brings assurance and poise, and adds
immeasurably to the capacity for adjustment to environment that marks
the well-mannered members of what is in the true sense of the word
"good society."

[Illustration: NW]

DANCING AND CIVILIZATION

[Illustration]

Solemn professors are discussing the question "What is Civilization?"
the answers ranging all the way from an increase in man's power over
material things that add to his comfort and happiness, up to the
development of higher ethical standards of personal conduct. To one
the civilized man is he who has brought to his service the hidden
forces of nature, and by steam and electricity has girdled the earth,
vastly increased the production of wealth, and by superior methods of
transportation has brought all regions of the globe into close
contact. To another the mark of civilization is the diffusion of
valuable knowledge, the spread of popular education, and the sharing
by a whole people of the culture and scholarship of the great creative
minds. To yet another the real test of civilization is in the
cultivation of a greater capacity for enjoyment of all that life has
to offer. And a fourth affirms that only those are truly civilized who
have learned the laws of right living and conduct, so that in seeking
the fullest development and expression of their natures they are
careful to avoid infringing on the rights and welfare of their fellow
men.

Leaving the definition of civilization for future settlement, it may
be taken for granted that a civilized society is one in which order
and individual rights to life, personal liberty, and lawfully acquired
property are respected; in which the rule of brute strength is
supplanted by the higher law of reason and social justice and in which
the people are free to develop their artistic and aesthetic tastes
into a complete and harmonious whole. Applying this standard to the
world's history there are found great civilized communities that at
various periods have emerged from primitive barbarism, have flourished
for ages, have left their records of high achievement in architecture,
sculpture, painting and other arts, in imperishable literature, and in
religions that phrase the highest exal