midnight
The Indian , dancing round the midnight fire , is very far deteriorated ; but the magnificent beau , dancing to the light of chandeliers , is infinitely more so . The Indian is a hunter : he makes great use of fire , and subsists almost entirely on animal food . The malevolent passions that spring from these pernicious habits involve him in perpetual war . He is , therefore , necessitated , for his own preservation , to keep all the energies of his nature in constant activity : to this end his midnight war-dance is very powerfully subservient , and , though in itself a frightful spectacle , is at least justifiable on the iron plea of necessity . _ Mr Jenkison . _ On the same iron plea , the modern system of dancing is more justifiable . The Indian dances to prepare himself for killing his enemy : but while the beaux and belles of our assemblies dance , they are in the very act of killing theirs -- TIME !