Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1857-01-30
Correspondents.
For the Standard.
OCCUPATION for Winter Evenings

as to the proper mode OF spending them' |
Your voice Is for a historical society, or
a lyceum. Good! am happy to hear
such wholesome and outspoken truths III
regard to the too prevalent fashion of
spending evenings in "some silly amuse-
ment," or Sin nervous idleness." Let
the lyceum and historical society come
into vogue, and then this nervous idle
ness" and these silly amusements" will
vanish. Why will not the press agitate
such subjects more-yea, keep them be-
fore the people until there shall be rad
zeal change in the habits of the rising
generation. Is it because it is not sensi-
bic of its power? Verify, in good
cause the press is almost Omnipotent.-
Go on, then, agitate, and bring about the
objects you propose. 1t can be done, and
if you persevere will be.
But while I say this, there is one part
of your leader that hardly harmonises
with the foregoing. You seem to favor
dancing schools and bowling alleys, which
can scarcely be consistent with the first
views taken of those who do no good to
themselves nor impart it to others, sill
ly amusements," &c. You put in a salyo,
it is true, saying that you make these
remarks not because you wish to coun-
tenanee either"-especially bowling sa-
looms. But you stigmatise those who.
oppose them with hard epithets. You
say some man in the purity of his own
conceited soul" denounces dancing, &c.
Now, sir, is it true, that those who oppose
dancing schools are worthy of the vile
epithets you are pleased to apply to them
in this case: 1 had supposed that these
schools would necessarily come under the
category Of those practices you denounce
in the outset. What good do they do to
the individuals engaged? They certain
ly partake of none of the characteristics
of historical society, and if they are
schools for any other purposes than dis
sipation and frivolity, their certain adj
vantage is to educate the heels instead OF
the head. If it is not a silly as well as
an expensive amusement to attend dan
cling schools, it would be difficult for me
to define one. The great and the noble
do not seek such education. At GER
tain great ball given by the so called
magnates of the land, an individual ex-
/ pressed his surprise to Daniel Webster
that he never danced. The noble states.
man at once replied: Z" I never had ca
pacity to learn, sir; never had capacity
to learn. His brains laid in his head.
And as to the epithets which your con
ceited witness heaps upon the gentlemen
who attend them, if stories which ar,
told, even by those aoho attend such gath
erings are true, it is passing strange how
the pure and the good can favor them.
Then as to bowling saloons. You thinl
that those who oppose this one, must d,
it out of personal spite to the proprie
Or" Now, is this so? Ihad supposer
that the good sense of almost the entir
community opposed such things. I an
certain that I have no personal i'll vii
to the proprietor or proprietors of tn
Irasburgh saloon. But all my previou
opinions, and they are founded not en-
! tirely on hearsay, are much opposed t
ball alleys. Who visits them? Wha
2 purpose do they answer? Go to GU
; large villages, or our cities, and you wi
find that those who frequent such place
are a rough, profane, Incorporate, gan
bling set of cut-throats, such as no fathe
: would wish his son to associate with
And the mind naturally associates thes
n characters with such places, and rice ne,
), Sa. There viii be gambling, there wi
s be drinking in their train, and [ fear thu
: this one will not prove more pure tina
n its fellows. am sorry there is such
/ place in this village; sorry on account {
y our young men, taking our scholars frol
+ school, taking from them and others II
e fools pence" sorry on account of i
o influences upon men, and its refectio
e upon the reputation of Irasburgh.
n hope our young men and maidens vi
Is give it wide berth.
ID On the whole, Mr.. Standard, althouc
h the first part of your leader is satisfa
N tory, this portion of it is not so Clear
n But perhaps have not caught the int
OF TONS or the meaning of the article.
l. 50 would be happy to be informed.
I'd Irasburgh. II.
N The CpvDYr or, Dr,.-,-.,-,