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The poet Dana, father of Richard Dana gave a course of six lectures on poetry
in the old ^college chapel. They were exquiste [sic], subtle, most poetical but rather over the
heads of sweet sixteen and college boys. But these, as all our lectures were
given in the evening, affording a delightful sort of a time, as we were invited
by our gentleman friends, strolling slowly up the ^long hill under their escort, and more
slowly back to our homes, under the stars after the lecture was over. [handwritten: "And no
chaperone"! I hear the conventional modern exclaim -- No such
order was even heard of in those days! -- Poor chaperones they
earn their honors protecting the budding beauties of to-days
ball-room -- My experience of it in my late years in society I
found too tedious to be ?.
But of the lectures