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TURNWOLD, GA., JULY 7, 1863.
Gen. Washington and “ Worldly Amuse
ments.”
In a late number, we referred to Gen.
Washington’s encouragement of dancing
as a means of keeping up the spirits of the
American aimy, in the first American rev
olution. It didn’t follow that because he
danced himself, and encouraged dancing
in others, he was therefore not a Christian,
and did not pray. He danced and pray
ed both, each in its proper season. “ There
is a time to dance.” The bible says so.
And there is a time to pray, too. And we
think it likely Gen. Washington sometimes
danced and prayed both at the same time.
We don’t see why he might not: for there is
no incompatibility between dancing and
praying.
The last time Gen. Washington danced
was on the occasion of a ball given in hon
or of the victory of Yorktown, and the sur
render of Cornwallis. This ball was a
splendid affair gotten up in the village of
Fredericksburg, and attended by the Amer
ican officers, and the French officers who
were anxious to see the mother of Washing-
ton. For this purpose,she was specially invi
ted to grace the festival with her presence.
Her reply was, that though her dancing
days were pretty well over, she would feel
happy in contributing to the general fes
tivity, and consented to attend.
“ It was on this festive occasion,” says
Custis in his “ Private Memoirs of Wash
ington,” that General Washington danced
a minuet with Mrs. Willis. It closed his
dancing days. The minuet was much in
vogue at that period, and was peculiarly
calculated for the display of the splendid
figure of the chief, and his natural grace
and elegance of air and manner. The
gallant Frenchmen who were present, of
which fine people it may said that dancing
forms one of the elements of their exis
tence, so much admired the American per
formance, as to admit that a Parisian edu
cation could not have improved it. As the
evening advanced, the commander-in-chief,
yielding to the general gayety of the
scene, went down some dozen couple in
the contre dance, with great spirit and sat
isfaction.”
[Note.—“ The venerable widow of
General Alexander Hamilton, informed
me that Washington was never known to
dance after the close of the revolutionary
war. She was present at many balls
where he attended. He would sometimes
walk through a figure or two with ladies,
during the evening, but never took the
steps of the dance.”]
THE COUNTRYMAN.
The following is the account which Mr.
Custis gives of the origin of the birth-night
ball, instituted in honor of the first presi
dent of the United States :
“The birth-night ball was instituted at
the close of the revolutionary war, and its
first celebration, we believe, was held in
Alexandria. Celebrations of the birth-
night soon became general in all the towns
and cities—the 22nd of February, like the
4th of July, being considered a national
festival, while the peculiarity attending the
former was, that its parade and ceremonies
always closed with the birth-night ball.
In the larger cities, where public balls
were customary, the birth-night, in the
olden time, as now, was the gala assembly
of the season. It was attended by all the
beauty and fashion, and, at the seat of
government, by the foreign ambassadors,
and by strangers of distinction. The first
president always attended on the birth-
night. The etiquette was, not to open the
ball until the arrival of him in whose hon
or it was given ; but, so remarkable was
the punctuality of Washington in all his
engagements, whether for business or pleas
ure, that he was never waited for a mo
ment, in appointments for either. Among
the brilliant illustrations of a birth-night
of five-and-thirty years ago, the most
unique and imposing was the groups of
young and beautiful ladies, wearing in
their hair bandeaux or scrolls, having em
broidered thereon, in language both an
cient and modern, the motto of ‘Long live
the president /’
[Note.—“This was first published in the
National Intelligencer, on the 22nd Feb.,
1830.”]
“Theminuet (now obsolete)for the grace
ful and elegant dancing of which, Wash
ington was conspicuous, in the vice-regal
days of Lord Botetourt in Virginia, de
clined after the revolution. The comman
der-in-chief danced, for liis last time, a
minuet, in 1781, at the ball given in honor
of the French and American officers, on
their leturu from the triumphs at York
town. The last birth-night attended by the
venerable chief was in Alexandria, 22nd
February, 1798. Indeed he always ap
peared greatly to enjoy the gay and festive
scene exhibited at the birth-night balls,
and usually remained to a late hour ; for,
remarkable as he was for reserve, and the
dignified gravity inseperable from his na
ture, Washington ever looked with the
most kind and favoring eye upon the ra
tional and elegant pleasures of life.”
In 1797, while Gen. Washington’s adopt
ed son, G. W. P. Fastis, was at college,
he wrote to the General as follows :
“ The fourth of July will be celebrated
with all possible magnificence. The col
lege will be illuminated and cannon fired.
A ball will bo held at tho tavern in the
evening, which 1 shall not attend, as I do
not consider it consistent with propriety."
In reply, Gen. Washington wrote his
adopted son as follows :
“ If it has been usual for the students
of Nassau college to go to the balls on the
anniversary of the Declaration of Inde
pendence, I see no reason why you should
have avoided it, as no innocent amusement,
or reasonable expense will ever be with
held from you.”
[Note.—■“ The followii g letter from
Washington, written about a month before
his jdeath, has an interest in this connec
tion. It was in reply to an invitation from
a committee of gentlemen of Alexandria to
attend the dancing assemblies at that place.
I copied it from the original in the Alexan
dria Museum, in 1848 :
To Messrs. Jonathan Swift, George De«
neale, Win. Newton, Robt. Young, Chas.
Alexander, Jr., Jas. H. Hoole, managers.
Mount Vernon, 12th Nov., 1799.—
Gentlemen:—Mrs. Washington and myself
have been honored with your polite invita
tion to the assemblies of Alexandria, this
winter, and thank you for this mark of
your attention. But, alas! our dancing
days are over. We wish, however, all
those who have a relish for so agreeable
and innocent an amusement all the pleas
ure the season will afford them. I am,
gentlemen, your most obedient and obliged
humble servant, Geo. Washington.”]
Gen. Washington patronized “ worldly
amusements” at the theatre. Says his bi
ographer :
“ The first president was partial to the
amusements of the theatre, and attended
some five or six times in a season, more es
pecially when some public charity was to
be benefitted by the performance. The
habit was for the manager to wait on the
president, requesting him to command a
play. The pieces so commanded partook
of but little variety, but must be admitted
to have been in excellent taste—the
‘ School for Scandal,’ and ‘ Every one has
his Fault,’ for the plays, and for the after-
pieebs, there was almost a standing order
for the ‘ Poor Soldier,’ and ‘ Wignell’s Dar
by.’ ”
“ In New-York, the play-bill was head
ed * By particular desire,’ when it was an
nounced that the president would attend.