USA > Rhode Island > The "Old Stone Bank" history of Rhode Island, Vol. IV > Part 9
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Its title was "The Rhode Island Alma- nack, for the year, 1728, Being bissextile or Leap Year Carefully fitted and exactly calculated to the meridian of Newport, on Rhode Island, whose latitude North
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by Poor Robin (Franklin's pseu- donym) printed and sold by J. Franklin at his Printing-house on Tillinghast's Wharf near the Union Flag Tavern." The first almanac in Rhode Island was a sixteen-page book, twelve of the pages being devoted to monthly calendars, with the usual information concerning moon phases, tides, church holidays and weather forecasts. Poor Robin was generous with his interpretations of weather signs, al- though he rarely got down to brass tacks in regard to the particular brand of weather which might be expected on a certain date. For example, he prophesied for late January, 1728, "some falling weather and raw cold," and, earlier in the calendar for the same month he observed, "If our prediction you may trust, this month you'll have but little dust." That was safe enough for January in Rhode Island. Among some of Poor Robin's "prognosticks of the weather," as he referred to them, can be found, "If rain water be drank or sucked up the earth sooner than ordinary, it signifieth Rain to be at hand." "If ducks or drakes do shake and flutter their wings when they rise, it is a sign of ensuing water." "If sheep do bleat, play or skip wantonly, it is a sign of wet weather." "When the Fire sends forth its flames waving, or that it sparkle more than ordinary, it is a sign of windy weather."
Elsewhere in this volume it tells of William Goddard who came to Providence and began the publication of the Provi- dence Gazette. Living in Providence at the time was a man of genius by the name of Benjamin West. Mr. West conceived the idea of publishing an almanac, made the necessary calculations and induced William Goddard to publish his material. It was for the year 1763, and was called: "An Almanac for the year of our Lord . . . by Benjamin West, Philomath." In the introduction, the author remarked, "that at a time when the extreme want of money seems to be the universal com- plaint, it ought to be the endeavor of everybody to keep as much of it in the colony as possible. Hitherto, large sums have annually been sent into other col- onies to supply the necessity for alma- nacs; to prevent this evil, and the hope of
private gain was the object of the present effort." He went on to say in words to the effect that this was his first performance of the kind, and that he hoped that suffi- cient encouragement would be given him to warrant further efforts. In 1764, with the issue of his second number, Mr. West, possibly with a view to more extended circulation, changed the title to "The New England Almanack," and, in 1765, he added: "Ladies and Gentlemen's Diary." The name remained unchanged until after 1780.
Within the pages of the pioneer Provi- dence almanac can be found quotations and extracts from the English poets plen- tifully scattered through its pages, while moral observations, maxims and proverbs are wormed in among weather forecasts, sessions of courts and aspects of the planets. Such quaint sayings as the fol- lowing gave our ancestors something to think about after they had read, and often memorized, the calendar for the coming month: "He most surely hits the white, who mingles profit with delight," - "Choose a companion for his good be- havior rather than for his purse," "Men complain that money is scarce - what then? The times are bad and so are men," - "Beauty consists more in good actions than in colour," - "The usurer is the greatest Sabbath breaker because his plough goeth every Sunday."
Prophecies concerning the coming weather, or, "weather judgement," as Mr. West called them, were an important part of the almanac publishers' business in those days. There is a charming vague- ness about what might be looked for in January 1763. According to the almanac, Providence folks were informed that they might expect pleasant weather early in the month, and that, "on the 7th the weather might be cold and look like rain; - on the 15th look for a northerly storm about this time; - the 20th and 21st were to be pretty good weather for the season, but the 22nd might be expected to be wet, -on the 28th, unpleasant wet falling weather." Besides the weather helps, another important use which early alma- nacs supplied was that of road informa- tion. Beginning with 1763, a list of all main roads leading from Providence to
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each large city or town in any direction was given, together with the distances from point to point. Until and including the year 1781, the name of the tavern- keeper in each town was also listed.
Glancing here and there among the well- seasoned pages of the many issues of alma- nacs which the Rhode Island Historical Society has preserved, it is noted that John Anderson's "improved" almanac published in Newport for the year 1773, featured a "Receipt to kill Lice." In- cidentally, Editor Anderson recommended "the Bark of Sassafras, reduced to powder and rubbed among the Hair of a child, will, in one night's time, destroy all the lice, if the hair be tied up with a handker- chief to prevent the powder falling out." On the same page, an excellent method for raising potatoes was outlined in detail. Abraham Weatherwise, in his "New Eng- land Town and Country Almanack," printed in Providence for the year 1769, described a remarkable cure for cancer; told what to do for a foundered horse; reported a practise among Finlanders whereby persons and animals were revived after they had been drowned many hours,
and, sometimes, many days. Job Sheperd in his Newport almanac featured a touch- ing poem entitled : "Contentment," which he inserted, "for the amusment of some readers and also to fill the page." Back again to Poor Robin, it is revealed that his thought for a month two centuries ago happened to be: "The Best Physick in this month is warm Cloaths, good Fires and a merry honest Wife. But beware of counterfeits."
Since the year 1728, Rhode Islanders have always had almanacs, some published locally, others elsewhere. At this writing, the Providence Journal Almanac carries on where the older and much smaller and simpler publications left off. Therefore, if one cares to know when Sirius sets in June, the name of the President of the Rhode Island Bar Association, the popu- lation of Woonsocket, or the wave length of radio station WJAR, January is the time to purchase a Journal Almanac, ready to be dangled on the old familiar hook in the kitchen where young and old may take it down to read and learn, as did our well- informed ancestors long before the days of free libraries and compulsory education.
THE LIGHT FANTASTIC
E IGHT
Hands Around" - "Ladies
Chain" - "The Other Way" - "Swing Partners Around" - "Dos a Dos" -"Forward and Address" - "Grand Right and Left" - "Gentlemen Contra Balance." Followed in that order, the resulting evolutions upon a modern ballroom floor would undoubtedly be both confusing and ridiculous, since these par- ticular dance calls, or terms, have not been selected from any particular dance routine, but from the complete dictionary. of dancing as our ancestors knew, and thoroughly enjoyed the pastime. And, strangely enough, our modern ballrooms and dancing schools are now going back, a little hesitatingly, perhaps, to some of the graceful group movements which we gen- erally think of as Square Dances or Barn Dances. Sandwiched in between the ultra- modern versions of the Two-step, rhythmic
Rhumbas, exotic Boleros, tropical Congas, and more and more swinging, sweeping Viennese Waltzes, dancers, both young and old, apparently welcome the novelty of the type of dancing which has survived longest among Americans. Is dancing, said to be the "universal human expres- sion," subject to evolutionary cycles? Are we to witness a gradual change from the one-and-one, or couple form of modern dancing back again to the "wide open, up and down the hall, beginning and ending with a single couple" figures that required master-of-ceremony orders, or directions, the older form of dancing that stressed group spirit of fun? Everything in the future is uncertain, but, the past is known. What about dancing in Providence and elsewhere, up to now?
In modern civilized countries, dancing has developed as an art and pastime, as
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well as an entertainment. In prehistoric days and during very early periods of recorded history, dancing was indulged in as a means of arousing emotion or religious fervor. In many ways, the original pur- poses of the dance have survived, espe- cially in exhibition dancing, but, we are not concerned with terpischorean expression as an art, or with stage dancing, in the tracing of its evolution. Rather, we are seeking the origin of the custom of people assembled in sociable, congenial groups, engaging themselves in physical gyrations, inspired by the rhythmic beat and meas- ured melodies of musical accompaniment.
In the fifteenth century, Italy saw the renaissance of dancing, and France may be said to have been the nursery of the modern art, although comparatively few modern dances are actually French in origin. The national dances of other countries were brought to France, studied systematically, and then perfected. The dance which the French brought to high- est point of perfection - which many, indeed, regard as the fine flower of the art - was the Minuet. The original Court Minuet, introduced in Paris, in 1650, was a grave and simple dance, although it did not retain its simplicity for long. But, when elaborated upon, the Minuet was glorified and moulded into a perfect ex- pression of an age in which deportment was most sedulously cultivated and bril- liantly polished. The French Minuet was actually a school for chivalry, courtesy and ceremony. The scores of slow grace- ful movements and curtseys, the pauses giving opportunity for neatly-turned com- pliments, the beauty and luxury of attire, were all eloquent of grace and outward refinement, but they were a far cry from the swinging-hot, catch-as-catch-can of "Swing" and "Jitterbugging." Some- times it may be "Bunny-Hugging," at other times, "Turkey Trotting," but it . the Puritan regime, but with the Restora-
all began when grandmother, or, great, great, great grandmother danced the Minuet.
Also naturalized in France was the Cotil- lon, fashionable under Charles X, the Galop, imported from Germany, and, at a later date, the Lancers, Bohemian Schottische, and the Quadrille. The Waltz originated in Germany and was
danced by King Henry III of France, but did not become popular until the begin- ning of the nineteenth century. From Spain, the land of once gay, contented, care-free, fun-loving people, came the Bolero, Seguidilla and the Fandango, but these willowy languorousandelectricshock, heel-tapping, castanet-snapping move- ments have had comparatively little influence upon group dancing in America.
English dancing was originally in the nature of games. There was little variety in the steps, nearly all of which were of the Jig and Hornpipe style. Before the Reformation, there were no national dances in use at Court, but, in the reign of Elizabeth, not a long time before the founding of Providence, the homely, do- mestic kind of dancing reached the height of its popularity. Remnants of many of these dances exist today in the games played by children. For example, "Lon- don Bridge Is Falling Down," ‘ ", "Hunt the Slipper," "Here We Go 'Round the Mul- berry Bush," and, it may be, "A Tisket, A Tasket," are nothing more than dance games. Other popular English dances, the nature of which might be guessed from their titles, were "Once I Loved a Maiden Fair," "If All the World Were Paper," "Green Sleeves and Pudding Pie," "All in a Garden Green," "The Happy Mar- riage," "Come Kiss Me Now," and an- other which has a curiously familiar "Bumps-a-Daisy" suggestion, "Up Tails All." Such dances, with their song title names, eventually found their way to the drawing rooms and assembly halls along the shores of Narragansett Bay, but, not for a long, long time after the sturdy pioneers and founding fathers completed the task of turning a vast wilderness into a fairly prosperous and successful colony of permanent residents.
Dancing practically disappeared during tion of the Crown, it again became popu- lar. It underwent no considerable de- velopment, however, until the reign of Queen Anne, and then were established the courtly and fashionable balls in which polite French dances completely eclipsed the simpler English "Jigs" and "Ring Around a Rosey" rustic pantomimes. Since those who banned the dance as a
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public pastime in England during the period when a Lord Protector sat in the place of a monarch included the founders, settlers and first families of Rhode Island, this area of New England had little use or time for any form of dancing. Puritan and also Quaker tenets outlawed the prac- tise, so one would be forced to look care- fully to find any reference to the "Light Fantastic" hereabouts, in the records of the first century in Providence, or else- where on these shores.
However, sometime around the year 1763, the want of a professor in the art of dancing was felt to be a serious evil. Someone wrote to the editor of the Gaz- ette lamenting the fact that Providence had no dancing teacher, adding his belief that, "a competent teacher who could play his own fiddle would meet with en- couragement in the community." Many agreed with this dance-minded Colonial; a few disagreed. The suggestion led to a long controversy, the opponents contend- ing that a spinning school would be more profitable and useful. A dancing master came to Providence soon after.
Newport was the first of the Rhode Island communities to adopt the graceful posturings, the bowing and the fan-wav- ing of the Minuet, danced to the music of the spinnet, flute and viol. Wealthy, cul- tured, refined in manners, aristocratic Newport enjoyed a golden age of social gaiety before the Revolution. In those days, dances, or assemblies, were held during the dreary winter months recap- turing to a degree the brilliance of Euro- pean Court gatherings. Between the years 1747 and 1751, a group of thirteen young and socially-prominent bachelors sponsored an annual series of assemblies, and with these popular, but closely-re- stricted affairs, held "every other Satur- day at six," begins the history of dancing in Rhode Island.
These Newport assemblies, with their candle-lighted brilliancy, their strict rules of etiquette, their rum punches for the gentlemen, Madeira wines for the ladies, popularized in Rhode Island, all of the dance figures and movements then in vogue across the seas. Travelers brought home the new steps, visitors from the mother country introduced the latest
variations. No doubt this Colony was on the way to becoming dance conscious; without any question, the intricacies of "Salute Partner Right," "Sides Sep- arate," "First Four Ladies Chain," "Gentlemen Turn Left Hand Lady," etc. would have been mastered by those who loved dancing instinctively, but who were nevertheless outside the iron ring of the set called "smart."
However, war, with its distractions, privations, and finally with the actual occupation of Newport by the enemy, put an end to all dancing, to all gaiety in Rhode Island. Many families fled; those who remained were in no mood for merry- making, and, before long, all were so reduced that they could scarcely provide for the wants of life, much less think of festivities. Rhode Island remained in this disheartened state until the summer of 1780 when forty-six vessels bearing six thousand Frenchmen landed on these shores to help fight the battles for Ameri- can independence. With these welcome allies came a sudden rebirth of life, joy, spirit; a revival of interest in neighbor- liness and sociability. Balls and parties were of daily occurrence, and frequently there was dancing in the open air. Dash- ing French officers led the colonial dames and daughters in a merry whirl as Rhode Island rapidly regained its social feet and set them to perfecting the latest slides and points from Gay Paree. When General Washington came to Newport, in 1781, he led the ball at Mrs. Cowley's Assembly Room on Church Street, and with the charming Peggy Champlain, danced to the air, "A Successful Campaign." And there is found a relation to the dances of Old England. Here, as well as in the mother country, dances were designated by descriptive titles, and, apparently, the figures, movements, and routine of a dance were designed to act out the subject, or some incident, suggested by the title. Other dances popular in Rhode Island in Washington's time were "Pea Straw," "Boston's Delight,""Haymaking,""Col- lege Hornpipe," "Faithful Shepherd," "Innocent Maid," "A Trip to Carlisle," "Freemason's Jig," "Soldier's Joy," and "I'll Be Married in My Old Clothes."
From these, all variations of the Min-
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uet, Polka, Gavotte, Sir Roger de Cov- erley, Schottische, Mazurka, Lancers, Cotillon, etc. gradually evolved the Am- erican Square Dance, or Barn Dance, symbolized in the minds of many by the Virginia Reel, the Portland Fancy, and The Washington Post, popular ballroom features near the end of the nineteenth
century. Rhode Island has made no spe- cial contribution to the development of dancing, but, for one period at least, when the army of Count de Rochambeau re- mained upon these shores, no other place in America witnessed more dancing grace, agility and perfection than did the "oc- cupied " towns on Narragansett Bay.
SHAKESPEARE'S HEAD
A' MID the incongruous assortment of garages, railroad tracks, non-descript rooming houses, lunch rooms, venerable houses of worship, precious places of historical significance etc., encompassed within a few blocks going north from Waterman Street in Providence, at least one mute survivor of pre-Revolutionary days can now anticipate with confidence an unlimited extension of its life and of its usefulness. The structure at 21 Meet- ing Street, on the south side, and a few doors up the hill from North Main Street, or, in the rear of the Arsenal, if you ap- proach the site from Benefit Street, is there to stay, although, not so very long ago, it was doomed to destruction. Patriotism, generosity, appreciation of genuine values and prompt, definite action on the part of public-spirited men and women in the community have, at last, made possible the rescue, resuscitation, and the complete rehabilitation of the building long known as Shakespeare's Head.
How came this fortunate survivor of Colonial days in Providence to bear the name of the immortal Elizabethan poet? At the time when plans for establishing a first printing shop in Providence were being talked over by active citizens, the foremost printer in all the colonies was Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia. In Newport, Rhode Island, his brother, James Franklin, had opened a printing shop, in 1727, and had started the New- port Mercury by 1758, but no one did any printing of any kind in Providence until 1762. Then, William Goddard came to the town and became the pioneer in that art or trade. Goddard was born in New
London, Connecticut, and, at the age of fifteen, went to New Haven to become an apprentice to the publishers of the paper called the Connecticut Gazette. The publishers, James Parker and John Holt, later moved to New York and there estab- lished the New York Gazette and Weekly Post Boy. Evidently, young Goddard, in the process of learning his trade at the type cases and at the ink pot, followed his employers to New York for the new venture, and it is also evident that God- dard completed his apprenticeship just about the time that Parker and Holt dis- solved their partnership, which printing historians place at May 2, 1762. Later that year, William Goddard, a full- fledged printer by trade, came to Provi- dence and established his own press with the financial backing of his mother, the former Sarah Updike, member of an old Rhode Island family.
The original printing establishment of William Goddard is believed to have been on North Main Street, near the Roger Williams Spring, and to have been moved once or twice, finally, in the Spring of 1765, to quarters not far from the present overpass leading to the railroad tunnel. He started off in business by offering job printing service, but soon announced his intention to publish a newspaper when, as, and if, he received sufficient encourage- ment from the townspeople. According to records, his first publications were a broadside announcing the fall, on August 14, 1762, of Morro Castle, Havana, and a play-bill for a local theatrical perform- ance. As promised, editor Goddard, having received assurances of support, hopefully came out with his newspaper
"THE OLD STONE BANK"
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Courtesy, John Hutchins Cady
SHAKESPEARE'S HEAD (c. 1769) AS IT APPEARS IN RESTORED CONDITION.
under date of October 20, 1762. A copy of Volume 1, Number 1 of the Providence Gazette and Country Journal containing the "freshest advices both Foreign and Domestic," is a priceless treasure in the possession of the Rhode Island Historical Society.
Whether or not the original Gazette failed to measure up to expectations, or because Providence folks were not ready for a home town sheet, historians have yet to offer conclusive evidence, although it is known that the first newspaper published in Providence experienced hard sledding. It lasted until May, 1763, and then sus- pended publication. On August 24, 1765, Goddard made an attempt to revive the paper by issuing an extra number, esti- mating that if he could secure at least eight hundred subscribers he might con- tinue. Incidentally, subscriptions could then be obtained without cash. "Provi- sions, grain, of any kind, tallow, wood, wool and other articles of country prod- uce" were acceptable, in fact, Goddard advertised that he would accept anything that he could use to support his family. He soon became discouraged, left town, worked for a time with his former em-
ployers in New York, and later moved to a more profitable field for journalism in Philadelphia where he published the Pennsylvania Chronicle, from 1767 until 1774.
In the meantime, left with a printing plant in which she had invested her own funds, William Goddard's mother, who must have been outstandingly capable and industrious for her times, kept the doors of the shop open for business. Fol- lowing the example of Anna, widow of James Franklin in Newport, who carried on the business after her husband's death, Mrs. Goddard not only continued to supply the town with printed hand-bills, official Colony notices, legal forms, etc. but she also bravely entered the profession of journalism, coming out with her absent son's resurrected Gazette, but under her own name. Her paper appeared on the streets of Providence, in 1766, and records show that, at first, she was ably assisted in this noble venture by Samuel Inslee. One year later, another name appears in the records, that of John Carter who was born in Philadelphia, in 1745. After serv- ing an apprenticeship in the printing office of Benjamin Franklin, he moved to
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Providence, in 1767, and it was not long before he entered the employ of, and be- came associated in business with, the courageous Sarah Goddard, editor, pub- lisher, and printer of the Gazette. She retired shortly thereafter and her expe- rienced associate gained full control of the enterprise.
To accommodate his family, and the steadily growing printing and publishing business, John Carter erected, in 1769, the substantial, three-storied structure that was destined to be known as Shake- speare's Head. Apparently, the business founded by William Goddard had been identified since its origin by a sign of some character displaying an illustration of the "Bard of Avon." Carter retained the name and the trade-mark, and when his Meeting Street, or as it was termed at first, Gaol Lane, headquarters had been completed, a painted or carved head of William Shakespeare was suspended from. a high post in front of the building. Carter, as did the Goddard family before him, sold books as well as printing, and it must now be agreed that such an important source of editorial production, as well as a storehouse of literary treasures, could not have been known to the general public by a more appropriate mark of identifi- cation.
"At the Sign of Shakespeare's Head" must have been a fascinating spot in the politically exciting days before and during the War for Independence. One can pic- ture the culturally-minded folks leisurely fingering the leather-bound volumes of the classics that lined the shelves in the north- west corner of the lower floor, while the revolutionary-minded compatriots vora- ciously flipped the pages of the legal, his- torical and philosophical tomes, eagerly searching for ammunition to blaze at a tyrant king in speech and in print. Across the hall was the office where local mer- chants checked over the printed proofs of their announcements; where subscrip- tions were paid for, although not very often; where publisher Carter sounded out customers on the substance of his editorial convictions ; where job printing was ordered
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