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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.