This book is a typical example of mid-nineteenth-century anti-dance literature. Crane takes the position that the ancients, including the Greeks and Egyptians, danced only for religious purposes. The author additionally notes that dancing in the Bible was done by "maidens and women alone." Also typical of this type of literature, the author decries the religious ceremonies of the "savage and the semi-civilized" world of non-Christians, especially the customs of non-Europeans. Crane concludes that balls have a bad effect on health and are a waste of time.