isa-normaladvance-1913-00173

Description:	THE NORMAL ADVANCE173the catching of balls in wooden cups. Anothercommon diversion for young people,especiallytoward the end of the revels at night, when theanimal spirits were running riot, was to breakout into a game at romps, which usually tookthe strange form of throwing cushions at eachother. The drawing of valentines was a costlysport, by which gentlemen were frequently entrapped into an expenditure they had not bargained for.Dancing was a diversion for grave and gayalike. Men did not stand out half the programme, but were as keen for the dance as theirfair partners. A certain caricature depicted astate cotillion, with the Lord Chancellor dancing on the Magna Charta, and another depictedhim as dancing on the national debt. Musicand dancing helped out the day, and generallyended the night. The dancing was of twokinds, the stately minuet of the court balls,varied with an occasional galliard danced to amore lively measure, and the merry countrydance of the May games or Christmas festivities, with the jig or the hornpipe. Dancing being ended, the company usually took their station at the window of a room which looked outupon a square where a platform had beenerected, and a vast crowd assembled to see thebears fight with greyhounds, which affordedgreat amusement. Presently a bull tied to theend of a rope was fiercely baited by dogs. Afterthis certain tumblers came who danced uponropes and performed various feats of agility and skill on horseback. Perhaps the companywould be entertained by a fire-eater or a sword-swallower. Sometimes a traveling fiddlerwould afford the entertainment. Instead of theorgan-grinder, haunting the streets to pick upan uncertain penny, the tramping fiddlerroamed from fair to fair, or from farm totownship, sure of his welcome which generallyincluded bed and board, and found himself mgreat demand for wakes, May-games, andWhitsunales.Sometimes the host had been fortunateenough to secure a fortune-teller, who would reveal the guests past, present and future. Equalbelief was placed in the astrologers and fortune-tellers, who in many cases were thievesand house-breakers in disguise. The fortuneteller went everywhere and swindled everybody. He was regarded as a pope, whoselightest word was to be received with the respect due to an oracle.Masquerades and Italian puppet shows wereamong the select entertainments at Whitehalland elsewhere. The masquerades were of prodigal magnificence in their appointments, and themost distinguished beauties of the court oftenappeared in vizards.The pleasures of the day were never as greatas those after supper. It was then that the realenjoyment usually began. If there was not asufficient number of people present to furnisha dance, the host or hostess would send out tocollect any stray friends that might be lingering in the taverns or visitors would be sure todrop in at the last minute to make a party.The enjoyment would then wax fast and furiousthrough the night.The wear and tear of the constant round ofpleasure and excitement was very great, for itlasted upon an average sixteen or seventeenhours people who lived in the heart.of townlife seldom breaking up their revels before twoor three oclock in the morning. So we findthat the English lords and ladies, who did notknow what it was to work, found the constantpursuit of pleasure very wearing, and were always seeking a new form of excitement to varythe monotony of the continual round of tea-parties, balls, plays, and pageants.
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34618
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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