| Citation |
MG-A(G.772.010
12 Mar 1772:31,32 (1383)
Returning from the ball on Tuesday night, and going
immediately to sleep, whilst the amusement and transactions
of the evening were strongly imprinted on my mind, the
following dream ensued. We may supposed it owed its origin
to some previous waking thoughts, which, as has been
observed, frequently and indeed generally are attendant on a
dreamer's imagination.
Methought I was in an island far distant from this trans-
Atlantic continent, where urbanity and politeness long ago
fixed their throne, and where the graces are every evening
sacrificed to, at beauty's altar, in resplendent ball rooms.
To one of these my fancy conducted me, the description of
which, from the confusion that usually accompanies a dream,
I cannot now recollect. --Without however falling into the
error which men of my advanced age commonly do, of
preferring their own youthful times to the present, I can
safely say that there was a total change in the general
behaviour, at this imaginary ball, of the young gentlemen to
the young ladies, from what it used to be in my time.
An elegant sentimental writer has observed that, if the
art of dancing was under proper regulations, it would be a
mechanick way of implanting insensibly in minds, not capable
of receiving it so well by any other rules, a sense of good-
breeding and virtue. I could not avoid in my dream being
puzzled on thinking, were he now alive, what opinion he
would form of those, whose minds are incapable of receiving
the impression of either--who can sit, absorbed in stupid
indifference, at the youthful season of life, when these
innocent intercourses of the sexes, ought to afford the
utmost gratification, the highest sensations of pleasure to
the human breast--unattentive to the charms of beauty which
surround them--engaged with each other at cards--
contemplating their own sweet person--guzzling bad wine and
punch--talking politics--or shewing their learning in vain
attempts to construe Latin and expound phrases. . . [15
lines] I could not help supposing that these young
gentlemen of the island thought dancing at best but a
trifling amusement, not an accomplishment; and that they
considered excellence therein to be ridiculous and
contemptible; or perhaps that having superficially read
Sallust, or a translation of him, their virtue recoiled at
the immodesty of dancing. For they consider the character
of Sempronia very differently from Sallust's intention, if
they suppose dancing was in disesteem among the Romans,
because he, in describing her vices and accomplishments
says, saltare elegantius quam necesse est probae. If they
imagine their conclusions therefrom to be just, I could not
help wishing their researches in the classics had been
deeper . . . [29 lines discussing classical opinions on
dancing.] The above sentiments occurred to me, whilst I
imagined I saw several beautiful young ladies, very desirous
of dancing, whose perfection in that art was known and
acknowledged by the spectators, obliged to be lookers-on, or
by an unnatural union, to be each others partner: I could
not help, like Nestor, recalling to mind the days of my
youth, and wishing myself young again on their account.
Other gentlemen I observed, who seemed to think they were
conferring a favour upon, and doing an honour to the ladies
they respectively condescended to dance with; and others,
who, with a rudeness or ignorance peculiar to themselves,
the moment they got to the bottom of the set,sat down, in
contempt of good manners and the right the other couples
had, to object to such behaviour; whilst the rest of the
gentlemen present, whose number greatly exceeded that of the
ladies, employed themselves in the manner I mentioned
before. Whether the behaviour of those gentlemen who I
remarked sat down, proceeded from an idea of their own
consequence, or an intended disrespect to any ladies or
gentlemen present, I can scarcely be supposed to have in my
dream attended to; I could not help however being shocked
at such a general indelicacy, and was going to express my
sentiments to a very sensible and polite gentleman, who had
been pleased to communicate to me his own pertinent remarks
on the subject before us, when my indignation, rousing my
animal spirits, awakened me, fraught with resentment against
these degenerate islanders, which however soon subsided, on
my recollecting that it was nothing but a dream; and on
comparing it with our entertainment of the preceding
evening, which had been conducted with the greatest
regularity and politeness, I could not help apostrophizing
on the happiness of this province, which from the gallantry
of its young men, and its concomitant, valour, may by their
happy progress, be justly expected, in a few ages, to equal
the most accomplished and celebrated nations of antiquity;
for here virtue is countenances, learning encourage, and
beauty admired; and, in another century, I have not the
least doubt, but that Maryland in the aetas of politeness,
will be enumerated with Athens and Rome.
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