Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-09-25

Nelafs indebted to the Gredheale C.ila ).
Ne''s, for the following valuable historical pa
y The revival Of tHsse. :s*hiBitions. engages
pents, , eltabe elabers, or Whatever, they be-, has inl
d"eed many OF our patrons to request of us
an explanation OF their origiTl,- history and
purpose. 40 AEe approach the subject with ciit!
fltletts for tits 80 involved IN .n,ystery and
cqmprehonsibility tAat,ySe greatly fear, it is
beyond our powers of explicatiOn and re!
search We viii, however, do our best, pre-
missing that where s5 many have dikercd
in opinion, aud criticised askutelS. .aitl 5qss
be; expected that there shall he az variety of
sentiments: -. -,
T.. The Tournament is composed Of three
words turn a nlan-a fool, understood
In the early ugds OF the world, a Species of
insanity seised upon mankind; ;sahed Knight.
errantry. AiItwas like the hydruphobia; " hichl
attacks dogs, except that instead of attacking
men with the teeth, it produced dispositioni
to cut with swords, and run long pixies, armed
with. l.lron ,spearsa through mems bodies.
The most andieut aud distinguished head
OF the .concefn was an old Spanish gentleman
named Don QuixOtte, who rendered himself
famous by fitting against wind mills The
Invention of fitting Hoops and the inHationl
,,
less the excitingi If nbs;the. reh4ete Cause of
the revival Of the affection now. One can
see readily the connection. To run against
the wind mill was tilt against the wind
mill, and If the windmill turned, ana crack
ed knights skull, ten7chances to one he be.
came crazy. 1t WAS therefore said it ewas, n
turn man fool, SO now when in view of N
litter skirt knight breaks q latiee. he; is said
to night a wind>mill, and kind of wind>mill
that always turns man fool
The custom of this order are peculiar.
man dresses himself as Iackdaw and instead
OF, calling himself plain "John Smith or
Sam Jones, he takes the name of the
knight f.the red cross or of the tknight
OF the moon" In the first, case he has sewed
on his back tVSo pieces of red flannel. one
across the other, which means that he is red
or hery cross when he gets mads In the
other he stretches a, piece of.fide. on n hoon
which he calls his Shield and on which he
paints moon, to show that he is moon. struck
and that the man who strikes him is moon.
struck, too.
When they exhibit, the girls all set round.
while the knights, on long tail and short tail
horses, prance;r round in the. ring, and after
charging about and thrristing their poles
hlther and thither and yon, ride up to SOME
OF the prettiest girls on the benches, and get
down, whetethc- prettiest girls put on the
knights heads wreath of flowers.
The disease is contagious, and generally
ends in making the girls as crazy as the men.
ltiany Of the girls marry. or are housekeepers,
the infection besories Immediately apparent
by the young woman making up cabbage
and turnips into nosegays and boiling the
roses and geraniums for dinner. This is
called "the romance of married life. Some
foolish people think it very foolish thing
tor a dozen great, fat, bearded young fellows
hive feet sixstO, SIX feet. two, to- stick paste.
board helni6tsi on their heads; to dress in
tights With doublets, all ornamented with
ribbons and tinsel, and caper round on lean
horses, and charge about as they do; but
nothing that the ladies approve can be foolish;
and then in this there is Something SO much
more improving and intellectual than in dra-
matte entertainments, the only use of which
IS to quote, on such occasions, the beautiful
extract from Shakespeare
ns saw ey young John Smith with his pastebOa I'd on
Rise like tarred end featEeTed clown 2
ana vault upon the back of yonder bob. tailed pt
AS AS II ia monkey dropped down from the trees
i,o, Io k1ck and and spur his jaded Pegasus, 81
w hlch all the world declared was but an Ass %,