Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1840-05-14
A LESSON IN DANCING, AND A
CLERICAL DANCING MASTER.

"Have you read Baruchf" was the question
which La Fontaine was in the habit of pro
pounding to every person he met slave yol
ever read Youngp we should take the liberty
of asking, were not the enquiry a useless one
Who has not wandered, with The poet Of the
"Night Thoughts, under the gloomy cypress
trees of the church-yards his imagination loved
TO depict? for, in spite their dark and som
bre coloring, his portraitures possess attrac
tons which it is almost impossible to resist
Such is the constitution of the heart; its al.
formations of reyery, the image pf grief and
Suffering is not without certain charm; and
weall know and must have felt, that there is a
pressure even in melancholy.
And yet how much in Young is false and ex-
aggerated! How little he possesses of that gen
tie and unaffected sadness which finds its way
at once to the heart, and twines around its
strings while it softens and relaxes them; in
tact, in his strained and pompous eulogies
there is something laboured and artificial
which choaks the illnsion, and compels us to
think Of the author instead of the SENTIMENT
There are fine verses and fine images, but little
nature True grief, the grief which consoles
the heart as if with a hand Of iron, does not so
coqueltlshly land carefully arrange the Grape
folds of its mourning. The defamation of
Young is constantly directed against solitude
hence, we infer that revery and contemplation
were not habitual to him; yet the Parnassus
of The poets is solitary mountain. Be this as
1t may, it would have seemed at one time that
the most emphatic -four elogiac poets was not
predestined to sigh away his soul in lugubrious
accents. In his youth, when the horizon of
his future life was brilliant clouds, he was a.
mong the gayest and merrest, hurryng Joy
fully along the path Of life, and gathering the
smiling flowers that embroidered its walks.
Il was not until multiplied chagrins and bitter
had shivered the prism which
reflected so bright a tint on the objects of his
hopes and fancy, that he gave utterance TO
those lamentations which conlure up so des-
pairing an image Of human nature.
When Young left the university he was
master OF arts, and brought away with him a
vast stock Of Greek and Latin. But the fire
OF line imagination was not extinguished un-
der the heaviest acquisition of his scholastic
pursuits; its utuida uis and enthusiasm had sur
vived, and when he began the world, his heart
was new and peculiarly susceptible to each i'm
lPressIon. Thus constituted, person will not
go far without meeting Love on his road; and
Young soon discovered it in the charming smile
and plquant grace of Anna Bowley, 10 whom
ne offered tmid homage, which was accepted
without hesitation. The society in which his
fair one moved necessarily became the centre
OF his universe. and the ladies that composed
II possessedin him most devoted and assidu-
GUS cavalier.
One fine summer evening he escorted them
to the river side. not then SO thickly built upon
as now. II was the middle of summer, and
the hour was that one when the wings Of the
breeze bring GOODNESS with them to refresh all
nature, which was languid and exhausted by
the heat OF one of those oppressive days which
ever and anon give us taste of the fervid
hours of torrid Cline Bustle and activity
prevailed around; the river was instinct with
life and motion, and thousand boats, gallant
" manned, turrowed its broad bosom; a thou
sand confused sounds floated in the air land the
John Bnll Of the olden time seemed to be in the
full enjoyment of his proverbial merriment-I
hat picturesque John Bull of the second quarter
of the eighteenth century, in cooked hat and
aced cravat, embroidered and bright colored
coat, and knee-breeches and high quartered
Shoes
Young enjoyed the scene with poets eye,
ind found ample materials for the indulgence
# his satirica turn, when one Of the ladies pro-
posed that they should all 60 to Vauxhall, as
was public night. The proposition was re-
'eved with reclamation, and wherry was
Don lreghted with the joyous company. ByIl
way Of amusing his fair friends, Young drew
rom his pocket flute, on which he exceled,
md his notes were SO perfect that crowd Of
'oats soon gathered around; among others was
me filled with young officers, which pulled
Iastily up, and took station alongside Of the
'oung musician As Young only played for
he qualification Of his company and himself,
e did not choose to be made public specta-
le;so ne soon ceased, ard returned his flute {
nto its case. One ofthe officers took offence
I this; and thinking that his game was sure !
nth young man in aclergyman's dress, and {
whose action was anything but martial, he or
cred the player to produce his flute and begin {
new. Young shrugged his shoulders at this a
iece Of impertinence, but took no further no. t
zee oft; II was followed by threats and curses, '
hitch had no greater effect upon the person b
gainst whom they were directed. The officer, h
tho was very angry that his orders were DISC d
eyed, and his menaces despised, directed his h
overs to close with the boat Of the refractory n
and swore that he would fling him /
ito the Thames unless he Immediately began /
laying. The alarm OF the ladies was intense, h
nd seeing thatthe soldier was about putting {
is threat into execution, they entreated Young \
} yield to the oxigency bur the indignant lu- d