Elizabeth Olivier walked back to Dykstra Hall on Tuesday evening after her activities, expecting her roommate, Dolly Gray, to be occupying the space. Miss Gray’s conversation with her roommate typically would start with a simple recollection of the day, how studies were going and which young man occupied the seat next to her in the chapel. After this recap, Gray would slip into a conversation regarding things that, before coming to Northwestern, Miss Olivier would have never thought of so abstractly.
She typically talked about society, how the whole world was being quickly poisoned by this new, post-war consumerism. Miss Olivier didn’t know what to make of her friend’s philosophies, but she listened with wonder in her eyes.
In Miss Olivier’s conversation with Gray last night, Gray had come back to the dormitory in the same state as usual, with fresh scuffs on her shoes and a hairstyle that had been neatly done each morning, but had been loosened significantly by the day’s events. This night, however, there seemed to be a strong sense of frustration that she wore.
“As wonderful as this campus is for our education,” Gray said “I am convinced that it is slipping more and more into legalism every day.”
Gray continued her bold statement by expressing that the Board of Trustees had recently made her aware of a set of rules from the 1930s, prohibiting dance. Students were not allowed to teach it, learn it or even simply do it on campus or at campus events. It was rumored that this rule was implemented due to a strongly worded sermon that one member of the board had heard from a visiting pastor during a day in age where dancing led to immoral practices and was a disturbance to the community.
“I don’t understand how this so-called ‘Board of Trustees’ at our Christian college can’t see through that lie.” Gray said “Sure some kids make it a problem, but David danced and it was a way he worshiped God.”
Gray went on with statements like this, tearing apart this decision to ban dance like a controversial front page news article. It seemed as though Gray felt personally offended by this new rule, almost as if she had been a regular on some local dance floor.
Miss Olivier had no reason to suspect that her roommate was a regular dancer. There was, however, some evidence in Gray’s passion against this ban. As Olivier thought more deeply about her friend’s conversations, it came to her mind that, though it seemed to be an insignificant detail, her friend’s shoes always appeared to have new scuffs each day. As a matter of fact, Gray removed her shoes almost immediately each night she retired to the dormitory. Then she would take out her hair, which, as Olivier considered this practice, she took notice of just how unkempt Gray’s hair was after the day’s events compared to how she placed it before the day began.
Olivier also had noticed that, in comparison to other girls in the dorm, including herself, Gray returned much later. Though she always made a point to be in the building by curfew, Gray was never more than 15 minutes early. This was typical of girls who had found themselves a fellow worthy of their daytime hours, but Gray had no young man to accompany her before curfew, so one person could not have been the cause of her later arrival.
“Dolly, I am not asking this because I think you are wrong,” Olivier said at the end of their conversation. “but have you been dancing up until curfew every night?”
“Why else would they have decided to sit me down for a conversation about that outdated rule?” Gray said.
“Well, why do you dance then if it is against the rules?” Olivier asked, “Lots of people think it leads to some pretty crumby things.”
“And it does for some people who do it for the boys.” Gray said. “I teach people to dance because, the way I see it, it’s art.”
“How does art make it more decent?” Olivier asked.
“You know that one artist, Michaelangelo?” Gray asked.
“The one that painted the Sistine Chapel?” Olivier said.
“Yeah, him.” Gray said “He painted that to worship God. He used his skill as a painter to glorify his Creator.”
“What does that have to do with dance?” Olivier asked.
“Dance is my Sistine Chapel.” Gray said “Now you tell me this, I understand that dance, along with any art, gets all screwy when done for screwy reasons, but how can a Christian institute ban how a student worships? How can they tell me that using my talent as worship is an infringement on morality?”
Olivier sat with this statement for a long time. She pondered it each night through the end of the semester. Sometimes, she still considers her roommate’s insight on the rule. Was it just another one of her roommate’s bold ideas, or was she, like she may have been many times before, right in calling out the college for a rule like this.
