THE "PITTSBTJRG- ' DISPATCH,' SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 1889.
U
CAEDfGFOKOUEBOTS
'Training Children for Perennial
Health and Serene Old Age.
TTEST POINT TOILET DISCIPLINE.
Shirley Dare's Toints on Dress and Personal
Appearance.
6ISTEMAT1C TBIKIKG IN HANNEE8
rWMTTXN TOTS. THI DISrATCH.J
YIDEKTLYtoaman
who has lived as a man
ought, death in the ful
ness of years, followed
by cleanly and Chris
tian cremation, should
have no horrors. In
the refined Japanese
wording, he only
"changes his worlds."
But there is a horror
indescribable in the
breaking np which pre
cedes it, in the disabili
ties and corruption of
old age, which, upon near view, reconciles
one cheerfully to quick death in mid life.
There is no need of deformity, infirmity or
age. Die we must, and find the curse
changed to a privilege, but live, heavy with
imbecility and disease, we need not. Age
is the penalty of physical crime.
Do we not owe it to our children to train
them in their bright-eyed youth for a sum
mer that shall have no dark and noisome
autumn of decay? "Lad," said a mother
to her boy as old age in its dreariest forms
passed before them, "I have spoken to you
about health already, but now you can
have no peace from roe till you learn how
to keep from such miserable end as this."
Can you bear to think of supple, smooth
cheeked boys with sunlighted eyes, chang
ing to rheumy,ofhnsive decrepitude? Fath
ers and mothers, why do you not train your
children for perennial health, to delight in
themselves and the world they live in.
Theieisno necessity for their becoming
weaklv or diseased, or for their ever glow
ing old and losing all vigor and grace.
That they should so lose their birthright is
witness again&t thoe who ought to watch
for their interests in the beginning.
XEGIXCTED BOTS.
The neglect of boys' training in things
physical and polite i's surprising. If half
the care given to girls about manners and
toilet were bestowed on the boys of a family
it were better for both. "When a boy's long
.curls are cut close, and he is turned into
'jacket and trousers, good-by to petting and
pleasant pergonal cares. He has his hair
cut once a month, and plasters the front
locks down to his liking with plenty of
cosmetique, thoudi I hare known him a sad
poacher on bandoline bottles. It requires
the domestic police to enforce anything like
brushing of teeth, and his hair brush looks
as if it were kept under the bed in the dust.
He generally needs fumigating, and
his warmest friends prefer conver
sation with him at sa.e distance. He shirks
'his weekly bath, and writhes under the ne
cessity of getting into clean undershirts, nay
a clean starched shirt is a penalty. He goes
in swimming five times a day in July, vaca
tion and Saturdays till frost, but he makes
jup for it bv shunning the sight of a bath as
far as possible till spring. He perspires,
and throws his clothes in a heap as he tosses
himself into bed, and forgets to open a
window. In time his cheviot suit is satu
'rated with personal odors and it is best not
to take the wind of his nobility. This pecu
liarity sometimes lasts into later boyhood,
and it is difficult to persuade grown boys 25
and 40 years of age that woolen cloth" is a
dire absorbent of stale odors.
I wrote mvself out of favor once with a
divinity student in my teens, when after the
manner of young pci ons we had made a
serious compact to till each of any faults
'perceived in the other. He really was very
good and worthy, but his black coat, hang
ing in a close closet with unwashed shirts
and socks, smelt anything but nice, and I
really thought he would wish to correct the
defect. Why is it that the worse and more
conspicuous an offense, the more hotly the
offender resents being told of it? Ought a
young man to resent it when his second
cousin tells him that his coat wants airing?
Dropping a red-hct stone in a pail of water
is a faint image of his wratb, however.
SHOULD LIVE IN A TEXT.
The average bov should live under a tent,
or else keep all his wardrobe not on his
back outdoors, airing night and dav, to in
sure a tolerable presence. But It is his
parents' fault more than his own, if he be
neither so comely or so cleanly as he might.
"West Point cadets are taught by the strong
arm of authority, backed bv alf the force of
arrest and punishment, to keep themselves
and tbeir belonging neat and becoming a
gentleman and an officer. "We want West
Point discipline in homes, with all boys, and
nowhere more rigid than in toilet matters,
which ought to be ingrained into a lad's skin
and bone, literally.
A boy's hair, though short, need not be
bristly. If he is taught to shampoo his
head and use a clean hair brush vigorously
five minutes morning and evening, his hair
will be soft as the fur of a mole. Farther.
this practice in youth prevents baldness in
after life. By bringing the blood into the
capillaries of the scalp, it deepens and
brightens obnoxious pale hair. You seldom
or never see well brushed hair white at the
roots, as in some raw, sandy complexions.
The troublesome, stiff hair, which starts np
at the crown of the head, must be reduced
by thick bandoline, made by steeping gum
tragacanth in water, and boiling slightly.
This not only keeps hair in place but softens
it when washed out, so that it learns to be
smooth in time of itself. Stiff, bristly eye
brows should be rubbed over night with this
bandoline, washed of! next morning and
brushed with cosmetic. The boy with
white eyebrows may make them presentable
by wetting them with amber lavender, and
smoothing with warm fingers after the rest
of the toilet is done. This does not blacken
but gives a darkish amber tint, in harmony
with the rest of the pale coloring.
TO MAKE A BOT GBOW.
"When the mustache begins to grow, and a
razor is necessary, doctors say it is a sign
that a lad has reached his growth in stature.
If you would have him tall, and well grown,
bring him up in the open air, with plenty
of food and manly sports, neither working
him at books or business till he is 21. I
know very well that this advice will not be
received with favor, since the idea rules
that merchants will not take a lad into bus
iness later than 14. as he cannot be trained
to good habits afterward. Let him be used
to disciiiline, taught to obev orders to the
letter, when given, taught dexterity, thor
oughness, adaptability from his first lessons,
End he will enter business ready to be use
ful with half the breaking in which busi
ness men find necessary with raw lads from
grammar school.
It is hard to teach a boy that grubby
hands and finger nails are unnecessary,even
in his busy, well-filled life. Amateur car
penters and gardeners must learn to wear
gloves with the finger tips cut off when at
work to save the skin from knocks and
crime. Gloves are as necessary tor the
hands of a workingman as shoes for his feet
He can get more use out of supple,
comfortable hands than from stiff,
horny, bruised ones. The best out
fitting shops Bell caseworn gloves of
castor and dogskin for 15 cents a
pair, for this very use. "Woolen mittens are
not preservative of a good skin, and supple,
close-fitting lisle jot leather gloves are
always to be preferred. The nails and
fingers should be soaked in warm water,
with a little oxalic acia in it, before
trimming the nails, to soften them. "Water
purified with alum, which it the supply in
many towns, is hard for the bands, fixing
every trace of grime, deepening the cracks
of the skin and furrows ot the nails. Boys
will haie chapped, raw hands, in using
euch water unless they can be persuaded to
Hi I WW"
use of vaseline and wearing close gloves
by night as well as day joot from finical
refinement, but as preventive of a Lazarus
condition.
THE TOILET GRINDSTONE.
The Bpeediest way of cleaning hands of
workstains is by holding them to one of the
small kitchen crindctone. sold for a dollar
ortwo, and which should be part of the ap
pliances of every bath and dressing room
impractical families. A few turns of the
grindstone will reduce horny hands to
satin smoothness, and wear away stains
that soap and brush are powerless to re
move. Dexterously used, it will keep the
fingertips and nails in good shape, wearing
away the thick skin at the corners of the
nails, which gives boys' fingers a stubby
look. Oh, those boys hands! How .sooth
ing, life-giving and comforting they can
be in their fresh, generous devotion. The
little lad of 10 who fought the maids for the
privilege of carrying the toast and coffee to
his mother in her headaches, had the deft
est, coolest hand, the nicest skill to stroke
an aching brow, to arrange the couch for
tired shoulders, to bring the right book and
sprinkle fresh lavender with an instinct
women seem to lack nowadays.
If boys are careless of manners and per
son, there is much to be said on the other
side of the carelessness of those who train
them. Systematic training in manners is
found in very few families, that is the pre
vision of Bcenes and circumstances, the tell
ing what to do beforehand in place of find
ing fault afterward, the kindly prompt
repetition of the richt things to do and to
say in time and place according. How
children pick up the manners they do ac
quire is often a mystery. At least they de
serve all the aid and confidence, neat, well
fitting clothes can give them, and good
clothes are far more an affair of clever taste
than of money. Shielet Daee.
AN INTERESTING GUESSING HATCH.
A Fen- Simple Tesii Which Illustrate Com
mon Errors of Jndement.
A crank who is an occasional visitor to a
downtown office entered the place the other
day when nobody appeared to be very busy.
Someone was tclliDg a story in which he
made mention of some object "about the
size of a silver dollar," when the crank in
terrupted the speaker with the remark:
"I'll bet 53 there isn't a man in this office
who can tell without measuring what the
exact size of a silver dollar is."
The bat was not taken, for nobody knew.
The crank went on:
"I am also williug to give $5 to the man
who will take his pen or pencil and draw a
line which shall represent the exact diame
ter of a silver dollar."
Upon this all hands made the attempt.
A piece of paper was taken, and each took
his turn at drawing aline upon it. When
all had finished the crank took a dollar
from his pocket and placed it successively
over each of the marks. Some of them were
too long by half an inch, and some lacked
almost that much in length. There wasn't
one which was not as much as an eighth of
inch out of the way. The eccentric visitor
said:
"For men who handle as much money as
you do, it is strange you are not more fa
miliar with its size and appearance. Now
let me test your judgment in another mat
ter. Here is a long sheet of white paper
which I will place upright against the wall
back of this tabic Now take yonr pencils
and mark on the paper what you think is
the height ot an ordinary silk hat. Some of
you have a silk hat here, I suppose?"
"Mine is in the other room," answered
one of the clerks.
"Well, let it stay there until we want it.
Now try to guess how tall the hat is, and
mark the paper accordingly."
The estimates afforded a curious illustra
tion of the way men's opinions will differ
even about a small matter. Between the
shortest and the longest mark there was a
difference of nearly four inches. "When the
hat was brought ont and set upon the table
against the paper, all the marks, with two
eiceptions, were from one to three inches
too long. The nearest guess was made by a
man who made a mark about three-auarters
of an inch too short Then the crank asked
for an estimate of the difference in the height
of his derby and the silk hat. The guessers
didn't come as near as before.
'Xhat is the way it is," said the crank.
"People have an i'dea that a high hat is ever
so much higher than a common one, yet you
will find if you measure both that the differ
ence is very little. The eye that is not
trained in measuring distances will lead its
possessor into some serious errors of judg
menu" HYPNOTISM IN BERLIN.
Some Very Interesting Experiments With a
8nbmUtlTo Subject.
London Dally Newa.l
At a meeting of the Berlin Medical So
ciety Prof. Virchow introduced a French
physician, Dr. Feldmann, who made some
experiments in hypnotism. A young man
named Garrick offered himself as a medium.
After a few Eeconds of the usual manipula
tions the medium fell into a deep magnetio
sleep. He became perfectly apathetio and
motionless.
In this Etate of "suggestion" Dr. Feld
mann Bhowed the influence of various medi
caments on the medium, who took quinine
iur sugar, smauiing ais jips witn enjoyment
and he believed ammonia to be perfume and
smelt at it for some time. Immediately
afterward, following the will of the doctor,
he showed the usual abhorrence of these
bitter and caustic substances. "With the
same success he ate a lemon for an apple.
A piece of camphor held on hi forehead
had a singular effect. The medium bent his
body far backward and had to be held on
his chair.
A magnet caused a dreamy state, during
which the medium related his impressions
as to events in the street, in which he be
lieved himself to be. Then the medium
obeyed the will of the doctor in various
ways, shoveling snow, skating, falling and
rising again with one jump at the doctor's
suggestion, and finally took a pocketbook
by force ont of Prof. Virchow's pockets.
He was then ordered by Dr. Feldmann to
reseat himself and soon woke out of the
hypnotic sleep, remembering nothing of
what had happened. Two yonng physicians
then spoke, declaring that such experiments
were without scientific basis. They believed
the "suggestions" to be probably genuine,
but as to the other experiments especially
the effect of medicines and the magnet,
they thought they needed careful examina
tion. FACIAL IIIPRESSION.
The Business of a Man lias a Great Deal to
Do With It.
Eerald of Health.
A man's occupation or condition has a
good deal to do with making his facial ex
pression. Intellectual pursuits.like studies
of the scholarly profession, when coupled
with temperate and moral habits of life,
brighten the face and give a person a
superior look. Magnanimity of nature, or
love of studies and arts, will make a bright,
glad face; but, contrary to this, a man may
have a face that docs not please anybody,
because of a love of self to the exclusion of
all others, notwithstanding his learning and
worldly shrewdness. Soldiers get a hard
severe look, overworked laborers constantly
look tired, reporters look inquisitive,mathe
paticians look studious, judges become
grave, even when off tbe Bench; the man
who has had domestic trouble looks all
broken up. An example of the ludicrous
side of this subject is to see a third-class
lawyer stalking around a Police Court look
ing wise as an owl. Tbe business makes
the face, I say. There's the butcher's face,
the saloon keeper's face, the beggar's face
the ministerial face, the lawyer's face, the
doctor's face, the hoodlum's face, all so dis
tinct each from the other and singly, that I
seldom fail to recognize those callings show
ing through the laces. And what city boy
cannot recognize a genuine farmer on the
street as a farmer the moment he sees him?
Uoriford'a Acid Phosphate
Believes indigestion, dyspepsia, etc.
A HUMAN STORAGE BATTERY.
Peculiarities of n Resident of Jopllu-
-How
no Locates Mineral.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
The Hon. Fred "W. Mott and Colonel 0.
A.-Haines, who have just returned from a
visit to Joplin and theJSoutheast, relate a
pecnliar story of a human phenomenon, a
Mr. McKinstry, who is astoniihing the na
tives there. McKinstry is six feet two in
ches tall, of somewhat angular and awkward
build, though lithe and muscular. His pe
cuharitv is the wonderful affinity he has for
the earth and the vast amount of electricity
i hnis system he being, in short, a sort of
an immense human Leyden jar. They say
that when he walks over the ground a few
hours he becomes thoroughly exhausted and
so limp -and helpless that 'he has to be as
sisted home. But he has to keep walking,
for when he stands firmly on one spot'of
ground for a few seconds he becomes ns if
rooted, and has to have one foot assisted
loose, when the other can be moved, and
then, by treading up and down for a min
ute, the electric current becomes broken, in
the course of which, however, the peculiar
sparking incident, for instance, to brushing
a black cat's hair backward is developed.
But what is causing a sensation there is
his claim of being able to locate mineral.
Most everyone is familiar with a part of the
process walking over the ground with a
forked peach switch, held horizontally in
front of the waist, either extremity grasped
in the hand, and the stem from which the
two branches issue pointing frontward.
McKinstry has adopted this plan, and im
proved on it to locate mineral. Four months
ago he fitted up his simple machine and as
serted his ability, not only to tell where
mineral was, but just what "depth it could
be struck nndthe value of it. To search
for water he simply takes the peach switch.
In quest of lead he caps the knob by a fer
rule of composition, in which aluminum is
a large factor.
To discover a zinc deposiythis gives place
to a large one, in -which plantinum predom
inates. It is stated that whenever a man
has delved in the earth at a point marked
by him mineral has been found at about the
depth the "witch" had promised. Superin
tendent J. D. Vincil, ot the Viroqud mine,
so Mr. Mott says, offered the human battery
$25 to "point" out a pocket for him. On
the other hand Vincil warned the witch that
in the event of a failure he (Vincil) would
kill him. So confident was McKinstry in
the virtue of his charm that he accepted,
and going over the ground stated that zinc
would be found 26 feet below the surface at
a given point "Work was begun and the
shaft is now 18 feet, and McKinstry still
hangs nonchalantly around. He has not
ordered a coffin to date.
Mr. Mott and the Colonel were so imbued
with faith in the potency of the trick that
they invested on the strength of what the
miners believe necromancy, but wnich
they, somewhat familiar with science,
account for by the popular philosopher's
stone electricity. Mr. Mott states that
each one of them grasped an end of the
magic stick as it turned, thus supplement
ing the hold of the operator, but that the
attraction was so strong that it turned,
despite their combined efforts to prevent it,
even twisting the bark off the branch.
Everyone is watching for the development
of Vincil's test. If it succeeds they will be
elated by the confidence that at last they
have an open sesame to the treasures hidden,
away in the subterranean recesses of the
earth.
A HAUNTED MAINTOP.
Mystery That Was Derp and Thrilling mi it
Was Explained.
Sheffield (Eng.) Telegraph.!
Talking about ghosts, our chief mate once
told me that on board a ship in which he
had Eerved, the mate on duty ordered some
of the youths to reef the maintopsail. When
he first got up he heard a strange voice say
ing, "It blows hard!" The lad waited for
no more; he was down in a trice and told his
adventure. A second immediately ascended,
laughing at the folly of his companion, but
returned even more quickly, declaring he
was quite sure that a voice, not of this
world, had cried in his ear, "It blows hard!"
Another went, and another, but each came
back with the same tale.
At length the mate having sent up the
whole watch, ran up the shrouds himself,
and when he reached the haunted spot,
heard the dreadful words distinctly uttered
in his ear:
"It blows hardl"
"Ay, ay, old one; but, blow it ever so
hard, we mnst ease the ear-rings lor all
that," replied the mate, undauntedly, and,
looking, round, he saw a fine parrot perched
on one of the clews the thoughtless author
of the false alarms which had probably
escaped from some other vessel to take refuge
on this.
Another of our officers mentioned that on
one of his voyages he remembered a boy
having been sent to clear a rope which had
got fonl above the mizzentop. Presently,
however, he came back trembling, and al
most tumbling to the bottom, declaring that
he had Been "Old Davy" ait the crosstrces.
Moreover, that the evil onehad a huge head
and face, with prick-ears and eyes as bright
as fire. Two or three others were sent up in
succession, to all of whom the apparition
flared forth, and was identified by each to
e "Old Davy," sure enough.
The mate, in a rage, at length mounted
himself, when resolutely, as in the former
case, searching for the bugbear, he soon
ascertained the innocent cause of so much
terror to be a large horned owl, so lodged as
to be out of sight to those who ascended on
the other side of the vessel, but which,
when anyone approached the cross-trees,
popped up his portentous visage to see what
was coming. The mate bronght him down
in triumph, and "Old Davy," the owl,
became a very peaceful shipmate among
the crew, who were no longer scared by his
horns and eyes, for sailors turn their back
on nothing when they know what it is.
Had the birds in these two instances de
parted as they came, of course they would
have been deemed supernatural visitants to
the respective ships by all who had heard
the one and seen the other.
6TRANGE CHANGES OP XAMEB
Made In Bringing the Gaelic Into the Saxon
Tongue.
London Troth. 1
So, long as the practice of translation is
confined to Christian names it does nol
much matter, but when O'Mulligan
(O'Maolagain) "translates" himself, as he
does very frequently, into Baldwin, because
Maol bald, he obviously lays a very
dangerous trap lor the after-coming ethnolo
gist, who will certainly take this shame
faced Gael for a bluff Saxon. O'Mulligan,
however, generally speaking, makes a
Frenchman of himself as Molyneux. O'Birn
and O'Brian, of Koscommon and Wicklow,
once content to misspell themselves as
O'Beirne and O'Byrne, respectively, have
now a great fancy for calling themselves
Biron and Byron, and sometimes De Byron,
and desire to be thought of Norman origin.
Nearly all tbe O'Darcys and MacDarcys.
of Connaught, who used to be humbly
anglicized "Darkey" (for the Gaelic "c" is
hard), now have assumed the name and
arms of D'Arcy from the well-known Meath
family of that name whose Normau origin
is undoubted. MacMullen, by the way,
does not seem to know when to stop. He
can't let his name alone. I remember
when he modestly Anglicized himself "Mul
lins." Now he is Desmoulins or De-
moleyne. God forgive bim.
Winter Scenei at Connecticut.
From the Hartford Conrant. l
AFarmington man plowed a field on
New Year's Day.
In Bhelton, last Friday, men and boys,
in their shirt sleeves, were skating on the
canal.
A Danburv paper says that the bnds of
the pussy willow trees are bursting in that
section something which rarely happens
until April.
It was a common sight in the country
sections recently to see cattle grazing in the
fields.
THE DIZZY WALTZ
Still the Most Popular Dance in Met
ropolitan Society.
ORIGIN OP THIS PASTIME.
How a Good Waltz Step Should be
rated by Beginners.
Culti-
A PEOFESSOR'S PBACTICAL POINTEES
-BITTEN TOE TOT DISPATCH. 1
HAT is the most pop
ular dance this sea
Bon ?" repeated the
professor, raising his
eyebrows in mild but
polite surprise;"Why,
the waltz, to be sure.
There is never any
thing most popular
bnt'the waltz. It has
held a pre-eminent position in social enter
tainment almost from the time it was first
introduced. There are other dances which
the accomplished gentleman or lady mnst
know, but the waltz comes first in order of
learning and first in order of importance."
The professor paused and pulled nonchal
antly at his embryonic mustache. He was
a disappointment to look upon; one of the
most celebrated masters of the dance, witha
name that sounded distinguished by the
very arrangement of its letters, and a com
fortable income from its clientage in the
highest society; all these things led to a
mind picture of him as tall, distingue, hand
some, and with just that command of de
meanor that atands midway between pom
posity and condescension; yet, here he was,
short, commonplace even to weariness, and
in spite of the confidence which naturally
About to Begin.
arose from his thorough knowledge of his
profession, blushing like a school boy at the
idea of explaining the mysteries of the
dance to a writer. The mark of a gentleman
was npon him, however, in every action.
Without the slightest effort he moved grace
fully, was courtesy itself, and even his lan
guage took upon it some of tho finish of the
cultivated man. When he was compli
mented for these attractive traits, he blushed
still deeper and said that it was all due to
tbe attention he had paid to learning and
teaching society accomplishments.
"The waltz," he said, "originated, as per
haps you know, in Bohemia, and it is fre
quently styled the German national dance.'
Just when it arose, it is difficult of course to
say, bnt it was some time in the latter part
of the eighteenth century. It was discov
ered by the French and English early in
this century and made instant progress into
popularity all over the civilized world.
We begin with that in teaching our students
for two reasons: First, perhaps, because it
is the one thing the student is most
ambitious to learn, and as a rule you know
society people are not much inclined to go
through a long season of dry and routine
exercises, as piano students have to before
they reach the practice of the thing they
ultimately wish to master. The second rea
son, which is the better one from the point
of view of the terpsichorean artist, is that a
good waltz step cultivates that grace of
In Sad Form.
movement and commandof the limbs which
is essential to good dancing of any variety.
I can imagine that one may begin with the
contra dances, such as the Virginia reel and
the simpler quadrilles, and go through the
evolutions required by them in perfect
form. Yet, if this were the case, when he
came to take up the waltz, he would be
just as badly off as if he were a novice,
with the single exception that he would
have learned to pose well when not in
motion. The fact is, however, that few peo
ple who begin with the square dances
learn to do them well. If you were ever at
a country ball you have only to remember
the styles in vogue there to see the truth of
this. Your country gentleman, who doubt
less takes as much delight in dancing as the
most cultivated member of the Four Hun
dred, is full of life and energy, and is all
action regardless of grace. In a crude way
his movements are rythmical, but there is
no uniformity in the steps he takes and a
dozen different steps may be in use during
the same dance by ns many different people.
Such a man, accustomed to holding his
hands behind his back and keeping up a
light shuffle at every bar of the music, or
even cavorting about the room more vio-
The Otd-Faihioned Way.
lently, would cut a rather sorry figure in
the society waltz, even granting that he
knew somewhat about the movements. So,
as I say, it is the best thing to begin with
wi'Ujp'nSa.
Mil!
PS (rill
the waltz, because there we cultivate that
grace which is necessary to all society be
havior. The man who has learned to waltz
well will find all other dances and all other
behavior easy matters to acquire."
"What is the first thing taught tolthe be
ginner?" , "We begin with a gentlemanly or lady
like pose and show to the pupil how to
stand correctly while waiting lor that bar
of the music to sound which will be his cue
for beginning to dance. The initial pose is,
of course, very natural and easy to learn,
though it is frequently a somewhat difficult
matter to impress upon the pupil that he or
f V I
Private Practice.
she must not crook the elbow or raise the
hands above the point where they naturally
lie when clasped. Your awkward waltzer
takes the lady's hand in a firm grip and
raises it to about the level of his face, and
with his other arm he either grasps her
tight about the waist or seizes hold of her
elbow and starts out on a dance as if he were
a fish with fins on each side fully extended.
All that is wretched. The lady's hands
should rest lightly upon his arm just below
theshoulder, and his band should just touch
the back of her waist. When we have im
pressed this rule upon the pupil, the next
thing is to learn the step. This is to be
taught by imitation, of course, and the only
generd point that I can give about it with
out giving a lesson outright is that in mak
ing the step the toe should not be turned in.
It is the mistake made br all dancers who
are careless 6r who have been poorly
taught."
"What happens if the toe is turned in
in making the step?"
"Merely that you step upon your partner's
foot. See here," and with this the professor
went to a wardrobe and took out a pair of
low dancing shoes of expensive pattern.
"These," be said, "are what I wear when I
am teaching beginners, and I call your at
tention to the remarkable way in wh'ichthey
have been bruised."
The shoes looked as if somebody had set
them upon the floor and stamped upon them
an d kicked them so as to put a scratch or
bruise upon every part of their surface.
"All these wounds," continued the pro
fessor, "were made by clumsy dancers, who
would insist upon turning the toe in as they
took the steps. You may imagine that I had
some severe knocks, but I manage to stand
it as dong as tbe shoes do. If the dancer
simply steps straight forward he will never
stumble nor injure his partner's foot. An-
Mismanaged.
other thing that never happens with good
waltzers is the collision of the knees. By
the necessities of the danco your knees are
almost touching those of your partner, yet if
you understand how to take the steps she
will never be conscious that either you or
herself has anything like a knee. This ex
cellent feature of the nerfect waltz can never
be acquired if the dancerpersists in bending
his knee during either the initial pose or
any portion ot the dance. So many men,
seem to think that it adds a certain springi-'
ness to their motions if they bend the legs
more or less during the dance. The fact is
the spring of the waltz should come entirely
from the muscles ot the lower limbs, and the
bend of the knees only adds awkwardness,
and not grace, to the movements."
"Are good dancers able to avoid the
actual collision with other couples during a
ball?"
"Not always. It depends very largely
upon the number of couples.dancing, and
somewhat upon the watchlulness ot the
gentleman. But in a crowded ballroom, be
the parties ever so careful, it is almost im
possible to avoid some collisions. No seri
ous results may tollow, nowever, such a
complete upsetting of one or other of the
parties, unless one or both are exceedingly
careless and awkward."
"Are there any new forms of the waltz in
vogue this season?"
"None that can be described. As new
pieces of music are composed, each academy
or professor may invent some" little varia
tion to suit himself, but as a rule it may be
said that the waltz proper remains the same
from one season to another. It is not like
the square dances, where there are a certain
number of evolutions to go through, but it
may be danced continuously or left off at
the will of the performer."
QUEER FINDS IN PIANOS.
Some of the Curious Things Tbat Get Be
tween tho Keys.
Philadelphia Ledger.
The variety of articles that piano tuners
find in pianos is remarkable. One says he
found four diamonds in a piano and received
a very substantial reward for his discovery
from the lady who had employed him.
"You can understand the shock given to a
ring," he said, "when a lady is playing and
brings her fingers down in a crescendo. If
a stone happen to be loose, away it goes,
and with that rare affinity which valuable
things have for getting into strange places,
it promptly gets between the keys and
works down into the framework of the in
strument. And little things like gems are not the
only ones lost in this way. I have founds
coins of all sorts in a loosely set piano, hair
pins, visiting cards, and the like. Where
there are children around the accumula
tion becomes greater, for the little rascals
have a fashion of stuffing pianos full of
every small thing they can get their
mishievous little fingers on. Of course, the
tone of the piano is very much injured by
the presence of anything beneath or behind
the keys, but very few persons who use the
instrument can distinguish when it is a
quarter tone out of the way, especially
when they-are using the piano themselves."
A Young Minister' Mistake.
Philadelphia. Record.
Pretty Girl Yes, T like that young min
ister: but I really do think he might have a
little more judgment. I know I'm not very
wicked, but he imagines I'm going straight'
to perdition.
Friend Oh, you mnst be.'mistaken.
"No, I'm not. There :are lots worse
sinners in the congregation than I am, and
yet, no matter what wickedness he preaches
against, he always looks right straight at
me."
Jsl
CLABA BELLE'S CHAT.
Yanderbilt and Astor ladies Come
Out for Charity's Sake.
HICKS-LORD'S PHETTI TEA EOOM.
How a Dancing Master Manages to Do Busi
ness at the Old Stand.
THE SWEET-8CENTED MB. J. B. POTTEE
rCOBBLSFOXDENCZ Or THE DISrATCII.
EW YOKE, January
12. The vast parquet
area of the Metropolitan
Opera House was smooth
ly floored over, and so
was the spacious tage,
thus making a waxed
level almost as gleaming
and slippery as a frozen
lake. The boxes and all
other places for specta
tors were crowded, but
not a person was on this
immense floor. A nu
merous orchestra, placed
away np aloft, broke forth suddenly with a
Lohengren march. To this martial music a
couple stepped forth, and became instantly
the focus for 10,000 eyes. Behind them a
second pair instantly halved the scrutiny of
the assemblage, and a procession thus
headed went once clear around the edges
of the floor, and then through the
center. But the two ladies in the
quartet at the lead were the cynosures of all
eyes. The foremost was Jlrs. William
Astor, matronly in a trailing gown of
emerald green velvet, with a frontage of
diamonds, and gems otherwise disposed
upon her person'to the aggregate value of
something like a quarter o'f a million
dollars. The second lady was Mrs. Corne
lius Vanderbilt, younger than her com
panion in distinction, and dressed more
youthfully in rose-colored tulle, but deco
rated with diamonds almost as profusely.
They had partners respectively in Elbridge T.
Gerry and Ambrose C.Kingsland.butnobody
cared much about them. Two of the richest
ladies in America were on view, and even
their familiar acquaintances watched them
eagerly and critically. They were formally
opening the Charity Ball of this wees:.
This was the first time that either an
Astor or a Vanderbilt lady had consented to
officiate thus at a public ball, even for
charitable purposes. Ihey had formerly
countenanced the affair by an hour or two of
presence in their boxes as spectators, but
had not consented to seep on the dancing
floor. On this occasion of unprecedented
condescension they did not do any dancing
with the multitude. They simply marched
at the front, of the parade and then retired
to their boxes. The usage is to form sets of
landers out of the procession at its con
clusion, the openers of the ball taking their
places in a set at the top of the hall. But
this time, in deference to the refusal of
Mesdames Astor and Vanderbilt to lend
their countenance so extensively as that, the
initiatory lanciers was omitted, and the
music chanced instead to a waltz, in which
those who chose to joined, while the two
millionairesses retired. Nevertheless, it is
believed that Mrs. Astor favors a relaxation
of that aflected exclusiveness which has
brought the McAllister people into ridicule.
This same week she gave an afternoon and
evening reception to which she invited over
a thousand persons. As a summons into the
Astor presence at home means formal social
recognition, it will be seen that the hostess
has tor this occasion at least multiplied the
Four Hundred by two and a half.
Of all the afternoon teas spread in or
about New York that of Mrs. Hicks-Lord's
is the most elegant. The tearoom in her
Washington square mansion is finished in
mahogany, and every article of furniture is
framed in that wood and polished like a
mirror. Covering the walls and hung on
panels and screens are small pictures in
oil, heads of historical braves and beauties
in enamel, porcelain or paint, photos of
most of the reigning sovereigns of the
world with autographs, besides pictures of
men and women of world-renown fame.
One table screen is devoted to miniatures
variously jeweled, any one of which would
keep a pantry in supplies for at least a
month. On a side table is a sort of animal
kingdom, with dogs, lions, horses, deer,
sheep, cats, moose, chamoise, buffalos,
leopards, cows and a score of other brutes
rangirg from one to nine inches in height,
made of steel, bellmetal or silver. All
round the room set on the shelf of the pan
eled wainscot are outclass tumblers the size
of a claret glass, filled with pink and scar
let carnations, making a perfect belt of
color about the room and fire place. The
tea table is also bordered, and so are the nu
merous stands, laden with bric-a-brac. On
the hearth stone swings the tea kettle from
a brass crane, and the sparkle of cut crys
tal on the table, with the gas light falling
over it, is something dazzling. In the serv
ice is a paper porcelain tray of tea cups;
silver kettle and egg filled with salt for the
almonds; aqd cracker bowl, almond jar,
olive boat, ice tray, lemon dish and Bugar
basin, all ot the finest cnt crystal that can
be touna in or out ot tne itussiazn .Empire.
There is a great deal of argument being
indulged in at present in regard to the
morality of dancing, but if any one has an
idea that the rotatory exercise is growing
unpopular in New York he should con
template the patronage of the leading danc
ing teacher of the town, who has his big
square house ou Fifth avenue thronged with
pupils from morning till night, and then up
to 12 o'clock. At 5 o'clock on every after
noon, when the young people's classes are
breaking up, the avenue in the locality is
thronged with a larger array of carriages
than the greatest social event in New York
could call forth, and tbe hurrying, skurry
ing children with their maids and their
mothers form one of the most bewildering
sights of the metropolis.
A clever thing on the part of the swell
dancing master is his manner of retaining
people for his pupils season after season.
He does this by inventing a new dance each
winter, and altering the waltz to such an
extent as to make it necessary to go to him
for the latest movement. In this way he
keeps ladies on his floor that were consid
ered the poetry of motion more than ten
years ago. Considering the immense
crowds of patrons that this man receives,
his income during the winter must be quite
colossal. Now that the minuet is to be
fashionable again, he will doubtless have
to hire some more mansions to accommodate
his overflow of customers.
One of the most painful transformations
that I have lately been aware of is that
which has overtaken a woman who, a few
years ago, was as physically luxurious as
any actress on our stage, whose spherical
goigeousness of body was impossible to sur
pass, so pink, so lovely was she. I remem
ber Selina Dolaro when she represented all
that was gorgeously sensuous in comic opera,
and afterward all that was plump and de
licious in comedy. She looked then as if
an illness was as much out of her line as a
gloomy expression of countenance.
The other evening at a theater my escort
desired to leave the house between the acts.
His seat was the fourth one from the aisle,
and it was with considerale hesitation that
he began to disturb the people in those
three end seats. His immediate neighbor
was a sour and fat old man, who made it as
disagreeable as possible for him when he
passed, by digging knees into his back
and muttering imprecations at him for
putting him to such a bother. Tbe other
seats in the row were occupied by a very
much emaciated and sorrowful looking
woman whom my friend really disliked to
disturb, and a young, rosy-cheeked fellow
who showed an evident desire to make the
ijuiuucjr ui iiuu an jiiciuitub as jjuajjuie. i
My companion expressed regret at disturb
ing these two. The woman in a gentle voice
and sweet smile, said: "It is of no conse--quence,
sir." Her young companion stood
up in the aisle, and made some courteous
remark. Then I looked at the two good
natured people. One was the faint, but
pleasant shadow of Selina Dolaro. The
other was E. Heron Allen, tbe erstwhile
palm reader. I am not acquainted with
either of them, but their evident good
nature, especially in a circumstance which
seems to worry most people in most remark
able way, deserves a word of commendation
in these times of short tenmers and extensiva
selfishness. If we were all so glad as they
to be pleasant amid trifling vexations this
big city of hours wouf3 be a sweeter center
ot existence.
Mrs. James Brown Potter is a "rank" bad
actress, no doubt, but off the stage is as
sweet as a breath of violets. Her very hair
is redolent, and not only laces, handker
chief, gloves and girdle, but her sleeves,
drapery, skirts and even the flowing cloak
fills the senses with the delicious perfume
of that flower every time a fold changes or
the wearer moves. Every woman of refine
ment for age3 has worshiped the incense of
odors, and in these days of originality and
invention, each has a scheme of her own for
secretly appropriating the favorite scent.
Mrs. Potter's hobby is sachet pillows, of
which she has as many as there are dresses
in her trousseau. The pillows are a yard
long and 18 inches wide, made of light
silk, and filled with a layer of wadding and
two pounds of violet powder. When a dress
is folded the sachet is laid between the skirt
and waist, and when it is worn the fragrance
is perceptible at every motion. The same
care is taken by the lovely Cora with her
gloves and linen, and in place of the
customary shampoo of bay rum or Florida
water, the reddish brown tresses are rinsed
in extracts of violets for which she nays ?5
a pint. At a little company in Mrs. Pot
ter's parlor the guests, some two or three of
the literati, a celebrated beanty and two
intimate friends, were regaled with cold
lemonade, oaten meal biscuits and violets
candied, distilled and natural. The fair
hostess was enthusiastic about her appear
ance as Cleopatra, and playfully sailed
about the room to show off some of the jewels
and costly wraps just received from Paris.
About the bustle there is absolutely noth
ing to say, other than to confirm her aver
sion. Not one of her gowns is projected or
extended by reed or steel, sack or tournuie,
of which fact she is very proud, for her back
is superb. Nothing like it is to be found in
society, photography or the play house. It
is so beautifully curved that a grace hoop
could be placed in the turn at the telt. Be
side being the first woman to lay aside the
tonrnure on all occasions, she has set the
fashion of wearing no collar. The neck of
her dresses are cut low enough to show the
clavicle, and an inch frill ot crepe lisse is
the finish. Claba Belle.
THE BIRTHPLACE OP JESUS.
Nazareth ns it Appears In the Nineteenth
Century.
Centnry.J
One of the best views of the city is to be
had from the campanile of the Church of
the Annunciation. In the distance is the
brow of the hill to which Jesus was led by
the enraged multitude who attempted to
throw him from it. A modern house in the
foreground brings to mind the time when
they uncovered a roof and let down the bed
whereon the sick of the palsy lay. This
must be very much the same kind of house
as that historical one at Capernaum.
There is the peculiar roof, and there are the
outside stairs leading to tbe roof. The
Eastern householder makes his roof serve
for more than a protection from the
weather. It is the piazza, the quiet place
of the dweller, and sometimes it becomes
his summer residence, Asa rule it is not
very heavy or very strong. Rafters are
thrown across from wall to wall, say a yard
apart; then the whole space is covered with
twigs such as we saw the women selling in
the market place. On these the slender
limbs of trees are thrown and thickly
coated with mortar. Lastly, a thick spread
of earth is thrown on, rolled to a level, and
oftentimes sown with grass seed.
Thus by care manyof the roofs become as
smooth and soft as a machine-mown lawn.
They maybe easily broken up and anything
lowered inside from above. By some such
process the four bearers of the poor palsied
man managed to enlist the attention of the
Great Physician in behalf of their friend.
It is not hard to understand it all when
viewing such a house as this one at Nazar
eth. It would not be difficult for four men
to carry a lame friend in a hammock by the
outer stairway up to the roof, and, breaking
through, let him down into the apartment
or court below.
Not far from this same house, in a narrow
street, is a little chapel erected upon the
6ite of Joseph's carpenter shop. Over the
altar is a picture representing Mary and
Joseph instructing Jesus, and finding that
he knew more than they. Another painting
represents the lad Jesus assistiner his father
at work. It contains no accessories of the
carpenter's shop, but there are enough of
them in the shops close bv. The websaw,
the gluepot, the plane and the hammer are
the principal tools used in such shops, all
without the modern improvements. Yet
whatever the Pahstine carpenter produces
is from the fragrant cedars of Lebanon or
from the eccentrically knotted and gnarled
olive wood. The operation of bargaining
and waiting for any article of wood to come
from a Palestine" carpenter shop is a
lengthy one. Articles of wood are a lux
ury there, and when the carpenter receives
an order for one he usually employ the
next three days of his life in soliciting the
congratulations of his friends upon his won
derful good fortune in receiving "an order
for something made of wood."
A STDD1 IN STILL LIFE.
Tbe Camera ai nSIeanntoAisIitaDrsnknrd
to Reform.
Indianapolis Journal.
The camera in the hands of a photographer
has served many uses, but its valufe as a
temperance advocate has never been fully
tested. A few days since a couple of en
thusiastic photographers, with an instanta
neous pocket instrument a little longer
than a sardine box, appeared at one of the
city hotels and informed the clerk that they
came to photograph a friend who had been
taken violently drunk the day before, and
and who was still largely under the in
fluence of the ardent.
Inquired of as to the reason for wishing
to make a counterfeit presentment of the
vinous individual they said their object was
to reform him by exhibiting to him, on his
next occasion ot sobriety, a picture of him
self taken in an advanced stage of whisky,
and that this exhibit, thus made, would in
all probability have the same effect upon
him that the sight of a drunken woman had
upan the Spartan youth teaching him the
need of moderation in his cups. The hotel
people, at first disinclined to permit any
copying from the still-life of the character
referred to, were induced to relent and co
operate in the proposed reformation, and
the expedition, including a reporter who
was taken along to chronicle the success of
the new method, proceeded to hunt up its
proposed subject. There was no question
ot bis fitness for that test when found.
Like Marmion, he had fallen in mid-battle.
One boot had been subtracted, but the other
remained, and as if to leave no doubt as to
the means of his overthrow he had gone to
bed with his hat on.
It required but a moment to snpply the
few details necessary io make the picture
effective. A.n American flag draped after
the manner of a winding sheet, a few bottles
and tumblers peeping out through the inter
stices, and the inscription, "We have given
him up for gone," on a tag pinned to his
collar, 'told the whole story. The instru
ment was leveled and sighted. Snapl and
with an instant's opening of the shutter
valve, the whole scene was perpetuated for
all time to come. If the victim does not
reform when he gets his copy of that picture,
there is no hope for him.
Eveet household In the land should
have Dr. Boll's Cough Syrnp convenient.
25 cents.
HUMAN ANT-EATERS.-
Men Who Eagerly Devour the Black
Insects Instead of Pickles,
ESTEEMING THEM A DAINTY POOD.
Curious Facts and Superstitions About Wise
little Creatures
WHICH PHUOSOPHEES HATE PEAISED
CWEirncT roa the dispatch.!
HOTJLD a Maine lum
berman find a stump or,
rotten log with thou
sands of big black ants
in it, he scoops the tor
pid insects from their
winter domicile and
fills his dinner pail
with them. When ho'
gets back to his camp
at night he sets tha
pail in a-cool place un
til his supper is ready,
then brings it forth,
and, while helping himself to pork and
beans, helps himself also to ants. There is
no accounting for tastes, and he esteems a
handful of ants a very choice morsel. Tha
animal' called the ant eater is by no means
the only one entitled to the name, for tha
Yankee woodebopper is an ant eater and so
is the black bear, the skunk and other deni
zens of the wilds. This statement is made,
not with the intention of classing together
all the animals which have a liking for this
particular species of food, but merely to
point out one ,trait which they possess In
common. It must not be inferred that all
lumbermen eat ants; the taste is one which
must be acquired, as few men are naturally
insectivorous.
Ants are said by those who have tasted
them to have a peculiarly agreeable,
strongly acid flavor. The woodsmen, whose
food consists largely of salted meat, baked
beans and similar hearty victuals, naturally
have a craving for something sour. "Ants
are the very best of pickles," said an old
"logger," who confessed to having devoured
thousands of them. "They are cleanly in
secU, and there is no reason why they
should not be eaten, if one can get over a
little squeamishnes3 caused by the thought
of taking such crawling things into his
stomach. There is nothing repulsive about
them, and when a man has once learned to
eat the creatures as pickles he prefers them
to any other kind."
ANTS A3 LAEGE AS FOXES.
Ants have at various times and in differ
ent countries been auite extensively used in
medicine, and formic acid, which was first
obtained by distilling the bodies of these in
sects, but is now artificially prepared, is a
well known and useful chemical product.
Herodotus tells of ants that live in tha
deserts of India which are in size "some
what less than dogs, bnt larger than foxes."
These creatures, in heaping up the earth
after the manner of common ants, were a
very efficient aid to the Indian gold hunt
ers. The sand which they threw up being
largely mixed with gold, the Indians were
accustomed to go to the desert in the heat of
the day, when the ants were underground,
load the sand into sacks, pile the sacks upon
their camels and hasten from the spot as
rapidly as possible. The ants, according to
the historian, were not only the swiftest of
animals, but were gifted with such a sense
of smell that they immediately becama
aware of the presence of men in their terri
tory, and unless the Indians got away while
the' ants were assembling to attack them not
a man could escape. The strangest thing
about this remarkable statement by the
"father of history" is the fact that he
seemed to believe it, and Strabo, Pliny and
other writers of a later period inserted it,
together with other marvelous stories, ia
their works.
The wisdom and the industry of the ant
have furnished texts for moralists and
philosophers from Solomon's time to the
present day. One writer speaks of tho
creatures as "exemplary for their great
piety, prudence, justice, valor, temperance,
modesty, charity, friendship, frugality, per
severance, industry and art."
INSECT LANGUAGE.
"It is no wonder that Plato, in Phsedone,
hath determined that they who without tha
help of philosophy have led a civil life by
custom or from their own diligence, they
had their souls from ants, and when ther
die they are turned to ants again. To thfs
may be added the fable of the Myrmidons, &
people of iE'ina, who applied themselves
to diligent labor in tilling the ground, con
tinued digging, hard toiling and constant
sparing, joined with virtue, and they grew
thereby so rich that they passed the com
mon condition and ingennity ot men aaa
Theogonis knew not how to compare them
better than to pismires, that they were
originally descended from them, or were
transformed into them, and, as Strabo re
ports, they were therefore called 3Iyr
midons." Franklin believed that ants had tha
faculty of communicating their thoughts to
one another, and the observations which he
made of the creatures' habits only strength
ened this opinion. Having noted that when
an ant discovers any delicacy, such, for in
stance, as a lump of sugar, it at once runs
into its hole and presently returns with a
sufficient number of companions to carry it
away, he concluded the insects must have
some kind of a language. He made a very
interesting experiment to test their cunning.
Putting a small earthen pot containing
treacle into a closet ne touna that tne vessel
was soon alive with ants. Shaking 'them
all out of the pot except a single ant, hs
suspended the vessel to a nail in the ceiling
by a small string. When the ant had ate
its fill of the molasses it of course began to
try to find some way out of the pot,
FACTS AND STJPEESTITIONS.
After running about on the bottom and
sides of the vessel for some time it finally
found its way to the top, espied the string,
ran up to the ceiling, and thence along the
wall and descended to the floor. It had not
been gone half an hour when a whole army
of ants came marching in, climbed the
wall, ran along the ceiling to the string and
down into the pot. How did the ants find
where the treacle was, and how to get at it,
unless their comrade informed them?
There are perhaps as many superstitions
regarding ants as about any living creatures.
They were used in divination by the Greeks,
and it was thought that battles between
them presaged conflicts of human armies.
The English north country people have a
belief that it is a sign of coming good for
tune to dream of ants. In some of the
Southern States ants are said to be fairies,
mid superstitious people say they must never
be killed, for if they are, the cows
will be bewitched and give no
milk. The Hindoos believe that good luck
comes to the house where ants gather, and
it is said they have a custom of depositing
each morning small portions of sugar near
the ants' nests.
Ants have been sacrificed on heathen
altars, and savages have a belief that they
furnish food to spirits dwelling upon the
earth. In Germany and other parts of Eu
rope the wood ants and their pups are
gathered and dried and sold as food for
birds. In several parts ot the world the
pupa: of the ants are regarded as a choice
edible by man, if the testimony of travelers"
and naturalists is true. Baknet.
Not Quite Ideal.
Harper's Bsiar.
"The ideal country is that where thert
are no classes," sighed young Mr. Honey
moon. "But there are no classes in this
country, Alfred," said his fair young bride,
stirring the batter for the cakes. "Yesthere
are. There are cooking classes" rejoined
Alfred, and again he sighed deeply.
n
J&