The herald. [microfilm reel], October 17, 1897, Page 26, Image 26

About The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
26
A MINISTER WRITES
OF BICYCLE SKIRTS
IS
WHAT IS IMPROPER
CLEVELAND, 0.. Oct. 13.—(Special
Correspondence to The Herald.) At las:
a minister comes before the public who
has sufficient courage to tell exactly
What he thinks of the bicycle skirl, with
out regard to what the opinion of others
may be. He is the Rev. H. S. Place, pas-
"Catch the dust; become entangled
and soiled so as to be really unpre
sentable."
A SIXTEEN-FOOT LONG MONSTER OF THE DEEP CAPTURED ALIVE, THAT EXPLAINS SEA SERPENT YARNS
BERLIN, Oct. 3.—(Special Corre
spondence to The Herald.) There has
lust been placed ln an aquarium here
what is probaly the most remarkable
fish that ever sorrowed in captivity.
This monster of the deep is 1 16 feet ions,
17 inches in diameter and 6 inches wide.
It has been brought here all the way
from Australia where, during a fierce
storm, it was cast up on the beach at
Cape Everard., South Australia, wherc
lt was found by Charles Smith, the keep
er of the Everard light.
Keeper Smith, realizing that he had
four.d a wonder, secured a tank which
he filled with sea water and had: the same
transported to the nearest railway sta
tion. From there it was shipped to Mel
bourne to Sir Frederick Mac Coy, the
famous professor of zoology. Professor
Mac Coy was enthusiastic over hisi new
acquisition and recognizedi it to be a
species of bandfish tregalecaus or
gmynetrus), the like of which had never
before been captured by human beir.gs,
that Is, within the knowledge of the
•avants of today, or as related in books
referring to these monster fish. He is
now ensconced ln a'big glass tank at the
aquarium and looksout with sixteen feet
,cf curiosity at the strange people, to
' him. who crowd about him and view this
wonder of old ocean.
The bandflsh, of which this gigantic
specimen is the only one ever placed in
an aquarium, makes its home on the bot
tom of the sea. It Is a very peculiar fish
for on its back is an un-
interrupted row of fins, while its head
is adorned with a crown of fins, which
give it the name also of herring king.
Tradition has it that each shoal of her
rings has such a king and Is led by it.
.While the herring shoals return every
CHURCHLY NOTES
Recent statistics show that the mate
rial condition of the churches of the
United States is one of prosperity. There
was on the Ist of January, 1895, a gran?,
army of church communicants In this
country of ours amounting to the vast
number of 22. 995,016, officered by 120,000.
ministers, and having 177,300 places of
worship, and possessed, of property val
used at over the splendid' sum of ?300,
--000,000. As the growth of these churche =
in numbers and wealth has beer, steady,
we may assume that their present mate
rial status presents a still more gratify
ing exhibit of prosperous strength and
activity. Except to the accountant or
mathematician, figures as a rule convey
but little Information, and. in stating the
numerical strength of some of the many
religious denominations amoug us, we
can only Impart a proximate idea of
their real power and Influence. Em
bracing under one generic head all off
shoots from each mother church men
tioned —for we have not space to ram;
all —there were at the date mentioned
of communicants: Baptist, 4.24n.0r,0:
Methodist, 4.786.335; Presbyterian, 1,851.
--311; Catholic, 7,521,161; Congregational
ists. 559,214; Episcopalian (Protestant),
639,, 000; Jews Orthodox 61.097, Re
formed 76,913; Salvation Army, 21,920;
Disciples of Christ, 871.017; Dunkards.
•9,000; Friends or Quakers, 107.863; Luth
erans, 1,277,676, and of United Brethren.
323,(54. It should be remembered that
tor of the Gordon-avenue M. E. church
of this city, and he openly stated in a
sermon ot long ago that he saw no rea
' son why, if men were permitted to wear
! knickerbockers, women should not at
least be allowed to wear their skirts sev
eral inches above the ankle.
"Among cultured and observing
people that the skirt so popular
among this class reaching to about
three inches above the ankle."
year, these fish kings are rarely seer.
The bandflsh are also sometimes called
rowing fishes, for on the breast are two
long line shaped like oars.
Beside being a natural wonder, this
great fish for the tlrst time furnishes
so that all may see the facts regarding
the sea serpent tales the sea captains
have so long told. Professor Mac Coy is
of the opinion that they occasionally rise
to the surface of the ocean and, when
seen, furnish the basis for sea serpent
stories that are breathed into the ears
of landsmen by the old salts that vow-
allegiance to Father Neptune. It Is,
known that they frequently attain a
length of twenty feet and doubtless
grow much longer.
They have beer, sometimes confounded
with a certain species of sea pigs or
dolphins which are in the habit of swim
ming in long rows, one after another,
and executing a series of evolutions
while swimming, so that from a dis
in the total of Methodists given, above
are Included, fifteen denominations
among them being the Methodist Epis
copal South, with a membership of 1.161.
--666, and the Methodist Episcopal, with
2.555.70S members.
♦ ♦ ♦
Paul Casimlr-Perier, recently cx
presidsnt of France, was, like the ma
jority of his countrymen, born and
raised a Catholic, but left that faith
pursuing .a religiosu course of his own
selection. He was a successful politician
of the better class, and a statesman of
no mean ability. His dead body was. by
his request, lately cremated in Paris
His will embraces what may be termed
a "confession of faith," which, as th".
emanation of a typical representative
of educated Frenchmen, will be found
in the summary we give below not with
out interest to readers of our Churchly|
Notes. It reads: "It is my wish that
my funeral shall take place without any j
distinction by Cathoitc or Orthodox j
Protestant ceremonies. I am deeply'
convinced that all exclusive religious I
dogmas are the product of lamentable 1
superstition and are a plague of man- 1
kind. . . . I believe ln a good, a just
land a loving God; in the immortality;
lof the soul, in human responsibility and
j accordingly in. human liberty of action, i
I I believe that true piety consists in
| active love, In obedience to duty, in sub
' mission to and reverence for the divine
! law, which has been written in our
hearts. In Cirist, viewed in the light ot
, the pure Gosjxl. I lovs and venerate the
most perfect tr.4 StMH lovable of all the
; creatures that have ccme into the
| world, the most exalted and in every re
LOS ANGELES HERALD: SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 17, 1897
This preacher, who seems to b? pos
sessed of much common sense, stated
that he really saw no Immodesty what
ever ln the exposure of the ankle of a
woman, and, that only an evil mind
would see in such an exposure o caus -
for the cry of indecency. Why should
women, h says, be compelled to be ur»
comfortab'.e when riding a wheel any
more than men. He is by no means a:-,
advocate of the new woman, nor does
he declare that a woman should in any
degree take the place that nature has
apparently alloted to man. but he feels
that womenshould be treated with every
possible consideration, and that false
modesty is in its way as bad as im
modesty itself.
Mr. Place by no means set a rigid
limit for the bicycle skirt. He trusts
01 poonuntuoAv jo stsßj pool luejaqn)
••tit pun equal uotutuoo Sof[Mjs ftij o
settle that question for itself. He bo
"It is mock modesty that asserts the
shocking appearance of a lady simply
because her ankles appear unincum
bered."
tance the dolphin row seems to be the
compact body of a long animal moving
forward in a wavy, sometimes vertical
line. Just as the sea serpents are shown
in the pictures that have been made of
the m.
The bandflsh recalls a story that was
first told many years ago by Captain
McQuhae of the British navy, who
stated that he encountered a seaeerpent
in the south Atlantic ocean near the
Tropic of Capricorn, and not far from
the coast of Africa. At this time the
weather was dark ar.d cloudy and there
j was no ocean swell. The serpent was
j swimming rapidly, with, its head and
; neck above water. Captain McQuhae
I eaid:
"As nearly as we could approximate
i by comparing it with the length of what
our maintopsail yard would show in the
water, there was at least sixty feet of
the animal on exhibition, no portion ot
| which was to our perception used In
spect the most perfect model for man
kind.
"I request that a liberal Protestant
pastor conduct my funeral services in a
plain and simple manner, and that he
fail not. in my name, to admonish my
friends to do better than I have done,
and thus 'to make death serviceable to
the living.' My body is to
be taken to the grave In a wagon and
at the lowest possible cosi. Only a few
flowers to be placed upon my coffin, and
I direct my wife to give to the poor of
Paris the sum of money that a eeculaj
funeral 1 of the first-class would cost.
At the time the funeral is ready to movf
the officiating pastor or one of any of
my friends will read this document to
the assembly."
This "voice from the tomb" conveys a
lesson characterized as much by piety as
Iby common sense .
♦ ♦ ♦
I 'Speaking of Itev. P.. Fay Mills' posi
| Hon regarding the old and. new theo
: logical schools, to which we made ref
ere nee last Sunday, and his statement
defining the same, the Standard (Bap
tist, Chicago) uses the following lan
j guage:
"The spirit of Mr. Mills' statement is
sincere and manly. H° is neither
'apologetic nor defiant. The only feeling
in regard to his case on the part of most
Christian people will be one of regret
that a man of so evidently Christian
spirit finds himself n.o longer able to
speak confidently ot the fundamental
Christian verities, and hence inevita-i
bly cuts himself off from the large use-,
fulness which has been his In the pust." j
'j The Watchman (Baptist. Boston)
lieve® that a girl or a woman has no
desire to make an exhibitor* of herself,
ar..d that in wearing a short skirt she
merely acts 1n accordance with the de
mands of the situation. To ride a bicy
cle is in no way immoral, says this
preacher, and this being the case-, th
way to ride it is that in which the most
comfort can be obtained, eomhirrd with
a reasonable degree of propriety. Mr.
Place's new departure, while it startled
the fold of divinity, has met with r. )
condemnation, except from extremists
and those who are so rabid that they
would almost follow the Turkish cus
tom of keeping even a woman's face hid
from all except the members of her own
family.
The action of this minister has claused
the question of bicycle skirts to b;
widely discussed. It has also brought
to light the fact that the majority of
girls who appear ln bicycle costume
propelling It through the water either
by vertical or horizontal undulations.
It passed rapidly but was so close under
our lee quarter that bad it been a man
of my acquaintance I could easily have
recognized his features with the naked
eye, but It did not, either in approach
ing the ship or ofter it had passed our
wake, deviate in the slightest degree
from Its course to the southwest, which
it held on at a pace of from twelve to
fifteen miles an hour.
"The diameter of the serpent wns
about fifteen or sixteen inches behind
the head, which was without doubt that I
of a snake with a crown of fins, and it
was never duting the twenty minutes
that It continued ln sight of our glasses
once below the surface of the water. Its
color was a dark brown, With yellowish
white about the throat. There was a
line of something like fins down its
back."
Professor Mac Coy refers to this mci- j
thinks that Mr. Mills' language impli>?s
that he Is "ln serious doubt as to tht
supernatural character and work of
JeSUS," while the Christian Regis'.u
(Unitarian), wishing that he had giver,
a clearer expression of his theological
views, adds:
"We fear that he has rot escaped the
confusion into which many generous
minds appear to fali of thinking a defin
ite denominational position Inconsistent
with the broadest toleration and th.
noblest service."
'The Christian Advocate (Methodise
Episcopal, New York) sees a grea'.
change in Mr. Mills since it first hailed
with delight his appearance as an evan
gelist. It elaborates the- question In
three columns, during which occurs the
following sentence: "If, on his own
statement, Presbyterlanlsm can retain
Mr. Mills that denomination will take
a long stride away from the principle?
and the sipirit for which andTby which
its heroic founders wrought and died."
It find's ir. Mr. Mills' case likeness to a
person "with his portmanteau packed,
standing upon the threshold, pausing to
see whether the privilege of making
Journeys into the enemy's camp and
back again, at his own wayward will,
will be granted him."
Clearly. Rev. Mr. Mills will find the
way of independent theological think
ing a hard road to travel.
■f ♦ ♦
Rudyard. Kipling's Jubilee poem,
"Recessional," has received much at
tention from the religious papers. The
Presbyterian Review claims It Is of
high devotional merit and Bays of It:
"Its dominant note is a religious one
are as careful about exposing their
timbs to an immodest degree as the
most ardent moralists could desire. The
concensus of opinion seems to be that
a woman looks much more dainty,
graceful. iand ln all things feminine In
a skirt that comes to a few'inches above
her ankle than (n those baggy affairs
that are termed bloomers or even the
divided skirt.
Mr. Place is perfectly capable ot
speaking for himself and here Is his
statement, exactly as he wrote it, which
is prepared expressly to show that at
least there is one minits. s r who combines
with his task of leading his ffock in
the way they should go that of also In
stilling into their minds at least the
rudiments of that invaluable commo
dity known <as common sense:
"I have never said that I do not con
sider 'short' bicycle skirts immodest,
nbreviated skirts, however, are not Im
modest. In fact, It goes without saying
among observing and cultured people
that the skirt so popular among this
class, reaching to about three inches
above the ankle. Is not only more con
venient for bicycle riders but makes a
much better appearance as well.
"It is mock modesty that asserts the
shocking appearance of a lady simply
because her ankles appear unincum
bered by flaunting skirts in a breezy day
to catch the dust and become entangled
nnd soiled so as to be really Unpresenta
ble. H p r escort wears knee breeches
and nothing is thought of It. We say he
does it for convenience sake. The lady
possesses the right, all her own, to so
"The lady possesses the right all her
own to so order her attire and so wear
it as to appear to best advantage in
her own eyes."
dent as proof positive that the Everard
lightkeeper's find is really a specimen
Of the famous but ever mysterious sea
serpent. It is doubtful if in all the years
that have elapsed during this century
there has been a greater bone of conten
tion between scientists and laymen
than the sea serpent. Other shipmasters
beside Cautaln McQuhae have insisted
that they saw sea serpents, and, after
the manner of the mariner, grown red
In the face w hen, in answer, it was de
nied' that there was any such thing as
a sea serpent.
The rarity with which these monsters
appear on the surface of the ocean is
caused by the fact previously stated that
they prefer to live as near the bottom as
possible, In nature and habitat they are
| like the eel. It is opined that once in a
while a convulsion at the bottom of the
ocean or some disturbance of seismic
j origin so alarms these great fish that
; they seek the surface of the water in
and it is a religious chord. It hasstruck
in the conscience of the nations." Of
the many tributes the Jubilee called
forth, it further says: "None have come
from the pen of any poet with the same
effect of Kipling's, and it is surely a
good sign when its high tone is recog
nlzed and' acknowledged generally."
The Golden Rule traces in Its versifica
tion the "true recognition of the Sover
eign God," while the New York Observer
declares It is "a hymn which will live."
It Is ac evidence of the versatility of
Kipling's genius to find him singing with
so much success devotional poetry. His
forte is not in that direction. The bright
est wit, quaint humor, the startling, the
horrible, the intensely dramatic, have
been heretofore the spontaneous notes
of his lyre. It required an occasion as
rare and significant as that of the jubi
lee to stir the devotional rhythm of his
muse, and it seems the chords she
touched vibrated with hymnal unction
forcible enough to strike the conscience
of the nations. By the way, was it not
in connection with his Jubilee poetic
contribution that Kipling referred to
Canada as "Our Lady of the Snows?"
and for which he was somewhat rough
ly criticised by the Canadian press? In
"Wee Willie Windie" he refers to the
criticism and In the following humorous
skit discovers the real bent of the Kip
ling muse:
"There was once a small boy of Quebec
Who was buried In snow to the neck.
When asked, "Are you friz?"
He replied, "Yes. I Is;
But we don't call this cold in Quebec."
i♦ ♦ ♦
A letter of Inquiry, addressed! to a
order her attire and so wear It as to ap
pear to best advantage in her own eyes,
and she is derelict if she does not do so
regardless of a persnickety, narrow
gauge and unpopular criticism of the
day.
"We infer, of course, that a lady's at
tire will not bring blushes to her own
cheeks. If a lady's ankles appear to
the gaze of men in the ordinary exercise
of her prerogatives and privileges. It Is
only vulgar In the eyes of the uncul
tured and unrefined and the gazing
gawkey.
"I have no objection to the bicycle at
church, although the very thought of
worship suggests the propriety of avoid
ing observation. Hence the ordinary
costumes are preferable.
"H. 8. PLACE."
For the benefit of those who have not
in their mind's eye the various bicycle
costumes which are worn by feminine
riders, this paper presents herewith a
representation of different costumes on
the wheel which were drawn from life.
Not one Is exaggerated in the least, the
object being to show a comparison be
tween Mr. Place's idea of what is the
correct bicycle costume for a feminine
cyclist and those which are sometimes
worn. It must be distinctly understood
that the Illustrations are not designed
to 9how that the majority of the girls
and women who ride the wheel wear ab
surdly short or absurdly long costumes,
but merely to indicate the whole gamut
over which the feminine costume for
bicycles extends^
As a matter of fact the bicycle skirt
"I have never said that I do not
consider 'short' bicycle skirts im
modest."
self-protection. The extent of their
growth Is of course a matter of conjec
ture, for fish that live on the bottom of
the sea do not offer an inviting field for
the scientist. Therefore there is no rea
son to suppose that they do not grow to
be fifty or sixty feet long.
The bandflsh in the aquarium here,
as far as it is possible to Judge of the
age of a creature of this sort, Is quite
young, and Professor Mac Coy says: "I
Is my opinion that the bandflsh I send
you is an Infant in size. I have exam
ined him very carefully and from all the
data in my possession have reached the
conclusion that he is a youngster. How
he came to be thrown ashore Is some
thing I cannot understand, for certain
ly the bandflsh Is very powerful, having
.something of the strength of the boa
constrictor.
"The only conclusion which satisfies
me Is that the fish was stunned in some
manner and thus, giving no resistance
number of prominent religious leaders,
by Mr. F. L. Stickney, says the Exam
iner (Baptist, N. V.,) as to what book,
next to the Bible, has helped them most
in their religious life, has produced re
plies of much suggestive interest to
churchly people. Rev. Drs. Theodore L.
Cuyler. A. C, Dixon and J. J. Muir,
named Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" as
second' only to the Bible as a help to their
success. D. L. Moody paid, that "Cru
den's Concordance" andi the "Bible
Textbook" came next to holy writ as
most useful to him In his study. Dr.
Kerr Boyce Tupper named: the writings
of Frederick W. Robertson and Dr. W. i
H. P.. Faunce replied that the sermons
of Robertson had exerted an Influence
which he could not possibly express.
President B. L. Whitman of Columbia
university selected Robert Browning's
writings as those to which he wasgreat
ly indebted, while Prof. Henry C. Ved
der of Crosier seminary said that the
book from which, next to the Bible, he
had received most of moral stimulus
was the plays of William Shakespeare!
Prof Vedder's reply contains the follow
ing interesting statement:
"I suppose I am either very depraved
or very eccentric, but the book from
which, next to the Bible, I have received
most of moral stimulus, and that had
most to do with forming my character,
is not a religious book at all; some very
strict people would class It with Irre
ligious books; I n.ean the plays of Will
lam Shakespeare. These fell Into my
hands when I was a boy of 12. ... I
devoured them eagerly, not half under
standing them, of course, but perfectly
entranced, and, impressed'most of all by
the profound views of life and char-
vies with the bathing suit ektrt as a
matter for discussion. The question
arises, Is It not more Immodest for •
woman who goes Into the ocean clad In
a bathing skirt that comes barely to her
knees, than It Is for a woman who rides
her wheel with a skirt three or four
Inches above her ankle? It requires no
sophistry to make the average peraon
understand or believe that the bicycle
skirt Is really the more modest of tha
two, and yet the bathing skirt passes
unquestioned, worn by girls and women
who would lift their hands in holy hor
ror at the Idea of mounting a wheel In
such a costume.
There Is no question but that the bi
cycle skirt Is one of the problems of the
day. The person who would seek to re
veal Its ending has a task before him or
her that Is simply gigantic. It Is one of
those things which must of necessity
be left to the good taste of the wearer.
There are in every walk of life, among
every class of persons who partake ot
recreation, young women who conceive
It to be a fact that the more conspicu
ous they make their attire the more at
tractive they render themselves. This
fact 1s perhaps more apparent among
the bicycle girls, because of the vast
number of them. Taking the country
over, they outnumber the bathing girls
at least two to one.
And so the burning question of the
hour Is, what shall be considered the
proper length of the bicycle skirt?
Read the answer ln the personal state
ment of the Rev. H. S. Place of Cleve
land, Ohio.
"We infer, of course, that a lady's
attire will not bring blushes to her
own cheeks."
to the action of the waves, was tossed up
where the lightkeeper found him. I
think this should settle forever the sea
serpent controversy. The first of tha
species of serpent Is now In custody that
has furnished more tales to the mariner
than anything outside of shipwreck it
self."
Thus it Is plain that knowledge has
again stepped forward and explained
away the mystery ofccnturles. Many of
us have long been Inclined to believe
the sea serpent a myth. Many a man
has gained a reputation for drawing the
long bow by the tale of a wonderful fish
he saw that was of extraordinary
length and bore the appearance of a
snake. Now we must admit that alTof
it probably had a basis of truth. We
may still think that there are no sea
serpents seventy-five and one hundred
feet long, but that there are some fish
thirty-five or forty feet ln length we
have now no reason to refuse to believe.
acter that are the substance of th*
greatest of the dramas."
Dr. Henry Van Dyke of the Brick
Presbyterian church, New York, replied
that he found It Impossible to determlns
what book helped him best, but stated:
"In the interior life I should put very
close together 'The Imitation of Christ'
and 'The Confessions of St. Augustus." "
Dr. John Hall of New York mentioned
the "Shorter Catechism" with "Scrip
ture Proofs," "Pilgrim's Progress."
"History of the Reformation," Dwlght's
"Lectures on Theology" and the worke
of Dr. Chalmers, adding: "I have used
many religious books with profit since
I became a minister, but couldi not put
any one in the place you Indicate."
Rev. Alex. Mackay Smith writes: "I
cannot say what books Influenced me
most next to the Bible." He mentions
Jeremy Taylor's "Holy Living and Dy
ing," "Thoughts on Personal Religion,"
"Urbane and His Friends," and says:
"But the daily use of the prayerbook
of the English and! American Episcopal
church, In my father'shome, all through
my boyhood, was a powerful factor ln
my education."
Thus it appears that in the ministry,
as In other professions, the success'and
fitness of the worker no specific
source of inspiration. It Is, however,
of great interest to know the religious
books that, next to the Bible, have been
the favorites of the distinguished
divines named herein.
John Jay Jackaon, Judge of the United
States court for the western distrlot of
West Virginia, who Isaued the famous In
junction In connection with the miners'
strike, was appointed by President Lin
coln, August 1, 1861. He Is 76 years old.