Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Southport Telegraph Literary November 17, 1840
Kenosha, Kenosha, Wisconsin
What is this article about?
An allegorical essay comparing human life to a dance, with partners, sets, and figures standing for fortune, love, avarice, hope, and time.
Quality green show the numbers
Measured from the scan
— how cleanly the OCR engine read the characters
- Mean ink quality
- 98.0% The length-weighted average confidence across the OCR lines — the mean of exactly the per-line scores whose tails the two figures below report. Typical is 99%.
- Illegible ink
- 0.0% Text sitting in OCR-detected lines that scored below 80% confidence — very shaky reads. Weighted by line length, so one long bad line counts for more than a short one.
- Uncertain ink
- 0.0% Text in lines that scored 80–90% — somewhat shaky reads.
- Matches source
- 97.51% How closely the served text matches the raw OCR of the same boxes, letter by letter, after collapsing spacing and case. This measures agreement, not correctness: the OCR is often wrong and the extractor corrects it, so 100% does not mean perfect, and a low figure usually means poor scan text was rewritten rather than that text was lost (length vs source shows loss).
- Length vs source
- 99.13% Below 100% means text was dropped from the OCR; above means text was added to make it read.
Assembled by the extraction model
— whether the stitched-together text holds up; catches layout and segmentation errors, which the scores above cannot see
- Transcription confidence
- 96.0% (typical 96%) How cleanly the extractor could assemble what it was given. Low here with clean ink scores points at layout analysis — the characters were read correctly but grouped or ordered wrongly.
- Comprehension
- 90.0% Whether the piece reads coherently start to finish. Can stay high while transcription confidence drops, when only part of the component is affected.
Clipping
Full Text
THE DANCE OF LIFE
"Mirth and motion prolong life."—Abernethy.
Human life is a mere dance—the nursery of a ball-room! Old maids and bachelors, for want of partners, are compelled to exhibit in a pas seul. Knavery practices the shuffle, while pride, prudence, and experience, are professors of the art of cutting. Courage teaches the "en avant," and discretion ("the better part of valor") the "en arrière." Some are happy in their choice of "partners;" while many are doomed to go through the whole "dance" with the dowerless and disagreeable Miss-Fortunes and Miss-Chances.
The ambitious and would-be-great are continually struggling to show off in a particular "set;" but, notwithstanding the pains they take in their "steps," frequently experience mortification of a "dos-à-dos," where they are anxiously exerting all their efforts for a smiling "vis-à-vis."
These are the "ups and downs" of the "dance." The "lords of the creation," with few exceptions, are very awkward and ungainly; while "lovely woman" is most generally perfect in the "figure."
Love is generally "master of the ceremonies," but, being rather pur-blind, makes the most ridiculous mistakes in introducing "partners;" and, although Avarice (who officiates in the higher circles) is lynx-eyed, he commits as many errors in "coupling" the company as his coadjutor.
Hope illuminates the "festive scene," and away they bound on the "light fantastic toe,"—hands across—down the middle up again—till Time steps in, and throws a damp upon their merriment—the piper stops for "want of breath," and—the dance ends!
Bentley's Miscellany
"Mirth and motion prolong life."—Abernethy.
Human life is a mere dance—the nursery of a ball-room! Old maids and bachelors, for want of partners, are compelled to exhibit in a pas seul. Knavery practices the shuffle, while pride, prudence, and experience, are professors of the art of cutting. Courage teaches the "en avant," and discretion ("the better part of valor") the "en arrière." Some are happy in their choice of "partners;" while many are doomed to go through the whole "dance" with the dowerless and disagreeable Miss-Fortunes and Miss-Chances.
The ambitious and would-be-great are continually struggling to show off in a particular "set;" but, notwithstanding the pains they take in their "steps," frequently experience mortification of a "dos-à-dos," where they are anxiously exerting all their efforts for a smiling "vis-à-vis."
These are the "ups and downs" of the "dance." The "lords of the creation," with few exceptions, are very awkward and ungainly; while "lovely woman" is most generally perfect in the "figure."
Love is generally "master of the ceremonies," but, being rather pur-blind, makes the most ridiculous mistakes in introducing "partners;" and, although Avarice (who officiates in the higher circles) is lynx-eyed, he commits as many errors in "coupling" the company as his coadjutor.
Hope illuminates the "festive scene," and away they bound on the "light fantastic toe,"—hands across—down the middle up again—till Time steps in, and throws a damp upon their merriment—the piper stops for "want of breath," and—the dance ends!
Bentley's Miscellany
What sub-type of article is it?
Allegory
Essay
Satire
What themes does it touch?
Moral Virtue
Social Manners
Death Mortality
What keywords are associated?
Dance Of Life
Allegory
Moral Essay
What entities or persons were involved?
Bentley's Miscellany
Literary Details
Title
The Dance Of Life
Author
Bentley's Miscellany
Subject
Human Life As A Dance
Form / Style
Allegorical Prose Essay
Key Lines
Human Life Is A Mere Dance—The Nursery Of A Ball Room!
Hope Illuminates The 'Festive Scene,' And Away They Bound On The 'Light Fantastic Toe,'—Hands Across—Down The Middle Up Again—Till Time Steps In, And Throws A Damp Upon Their Merriment—The Piper Stops For 'Want Of Breath,' And—The Dance Ends!