Corpus of Modern Scottish Writing (CMSW) - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/cmsw/ Document : 604 Title: Complaint from James Stewart, Dancing Master, about Edward Kennedy, Student Author(s): Anonymous Answers for Edward Kennedy Student in the College of Glasgow To the petition and Complaint exhibited against him by James Stuart Dancing master That your Wisdoms may be enabled to give a proper decision in the prsent dispute, th Respondent begs leave in the first place to prefer a candid and impartial view of every fact which may have any influence in the present question, and last of all to make a few obſervations upon the libel or Complaint exhibited against him That ſomeweeks ago the Respondent by accident Step'd into the Room libelled where the Complainer, as he ſays, was educating two Schollars and teaching them manners. The Respondent paid the ordinary dues to the door keeper, & having gone into the room in a ſober manner he found all in hurry, dispute and confuſion. This he was informed was nothing elſe, but what happens every day in the School, and the Complainer cannot deny, that there was even a [¿] betwixt him and a young Gentleman whoſe name can be condeſcended upon if requried before the respondent entered the School. The Respondent sometime after going into the School asked a young Lady to dance with him. The young Lady having conſented, he and ſhe took their place in a dance as usual. Upon this Lieutenant Dalrymple came up, and ſaid the Respondent ſhould not dance with teh young Lady. The respondent mae answer, that if the Lady was willing to dance with him, he did not know what right Mr Dalrymple had to quarrel him upon that head. Dalrymple [¿] the Reſpondent ſhould not dance with the Lady. The Respondent insisted he should. The Repondent fairly acknowledges, that upon this a few blows were exchanged betwixt him & Mr Dalrymple, however the scuffle was ſoon over. These are the facts which gave riſe to this preſent Complaint, and the respondent is informed that he was the only perſon who was injured in this School, and that there lies not only a competent action at his inſtance against Mr Dalrymple for quarrelling with and attacking him in the manner above ſet [¿], but that there also lies a competent action at his inſtance against Mr Stuart himſelf for having alowed any perſon whatever to attack the respondent in his School. The respondent begs leave to think he was acting entirely in Character, willing to dance with a Lady who had accepted of him as her partner; And he also begs leave to think, that he was fully entitled to object against any perſon who pretended to ſtop him from dancing with the lady. Had the Lady refused to dance with him, or had the maſter of the mob forbid his dancing with her, and had the Respondent insisted upon it, the Case would have been quite different The Respondent again begs leave to maintain, that he acted agreeably to the principles of common ſense, to insist upon his title to dance with the Lady against every perſon who might oppoſe; And he again ſays, that he is so properly founded not only in a Criminal proceſs agt. Dalrymple but also in an action against Stuart himself. But on the other hand no action whatever can lye at Stuarts inſtance against the Reſpondent Having thus fairly ſtated the facts, and drawn concluſions which cannot be called in question, the obſervations which occur upon the libel, are extremely few From what is above ſet [¿] it appears evident, that the libel is void of foundation The libel is alſo irrelevant upon the principles of our law. Your Wisdoms well know, that there is a Special Statute made against perſons who ſet themſelves up as teachers and inſtructors of youth, unleſs they qualify themſelves as ſuch, by taking the oath which the law requires. The respondent ſays, that this profeſsor of manners acts unwarrantably and illegally, in opening what he calls a public school for the instruction of youth, as he is not qualified in terms of law. Hence this profeſsor is not only liable in the penalties contained in that Statute, but the Respondent insists that he cannot in the Character of a profeſsor of manners, be heard in any Court of Juſtice The Respondent is extremely ſorry that he happened to ſtep into ſuch a rude and uncivilized congregation, on Mr Stuart's ſchool would ſeem to be, and he is aſsured that upon proper application, the Magistracy will order it to be ſhut up altogether May it therefore please your wiſdoms to aſolve the Respondent from this moſt groundleſs & illegal complaint & [¿] the Complr in full coſts of Suit Edward Kennedy