The Saint Paul globe., December 28, 1902, Image 4

About The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
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No. I—SALUTE.
BY ELLA ADELIA FLETCHER.
Tho teacher of fencing—the maitro d'armes i
-is always in lore with his art, and he
draws a marked distinction between fencing
as a fad aud the art of fencing-of fencing
in earnest.
Not all society women take fencing as a
fad. Many of them have a double object
in view; to be amused, of course—none will
work so hard to be bored—but the woman
who is in earnest realises that if she masters
the fascinating art not only will her amuse
ment be trebled, but she will reap a reward
in the added grace which the agile move
ments impart. Systematic practice will de
velop the feminine figure, at the same time
strengthening all the limbs and imparting
litheness to their movements, with perfect
ncise and ease of bearing and that lightness
of step the want of which makes a woman
hoydenish or loggy, according to her age.
The most awkward woman or girl cannot
fall to exchange that handicap for alluring
i grace of movement if she gives herself with
enthusiasm to the endeavor to acquire ex
: pertness in handling the foil. It so quickens
the pulse and stirs the blood, without over
working the muscles, that it ranks as one
of the most perfect forms of exercise.
Fencing has well been called "the sport
of kings." Nothing else calls into such ac
tivity the highest powers of the human
being. Exercise with the foils stirs a
woman's brain to such rapidity of thought
and Infinity of resources that she will look
back upon the days before she practiced this
fine art of athletics as a period of intolerable
sluggishness, and feel that only now has she
come into possession of her best self.
The various movements, salutes, lunges,
parries, ripostes and on guards, are mat
ters of technique and are easily learned, but
the secret of expertness in the art lies In
alertness of sight, thought and movement.
Every parry and reposte calls these move-
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Ho. S—GRAND SALUTE.
ments into instantaneous action. Here Is
one thing into which a woman must enter
with her whole heart and soul or enter not
at all. She cannot here scatter her forces
by thinking of one thing and doing another,
as has been her deplorable, nerve straining
and demoralizing habit.
No other drill equals that with the foil
in compelling a command over the simul
taneous action of all the powers of mind
and body; and no other art cultivates to the
same extent celerity of thought and alert
for these so desirable qualities",
in all fields of endeavor are indispensable
in foiling the adversary's attacks. The
eye and thought are thus trained to re
markable unity in action, and the muscles
to instantaneous compliance to the nerves
of command. During lessons or practice
every square inch of the body derives some
benefit from the varied movements. Lungs
are developed and the chest broadened, and
the stillest limbs must gain suppleness and
elasticity.
The art of fencing dates from the sixteenth
century, when armor gave way before gun
powder, and men had to learn to defend
themselves with swords, but it reached its
highest point early in the nineteenth century,
when it came into vogue in France. The
favorite system, called the French school of
fencing, was- founded on the historical
sword-play of Spain. In Italy, especially in
Naples^ and from patriotic motives, the
sword-masters still retain the long foil, with
its bell-shaped guard, which, is a descendant
of the Spanish rapier.
The French school combines nobleness of
character with correctness of form, har
monized by their national instinct for all
that is truly artistic In its early days, in
fluencedby the prevailing bombast and blus
ter of the period following the French Revo
lution, it was overlaid with superfluous form
and theatrical nonsense. Now, however, a
ST. PAUIi GLOBE: mr^TDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1902.
rigid simplicity of movement has taken the
place of the old-time extravagance of ges
ture, thus reducing the action to those par
ries and ripostes—"tbe keystone of fencing"
—which are most effective.
The best description of the aim in fencing
is, perhaps, that which'Moliere puts into M.
Jourdain's mouth—"A dormer et a ne point
recevoir." In English this is: To "pick"
your adversary, but to parry his ripostes.
The slender, modern foil is an evolution
from its deadlier sharp.-edged forerunner,
used on the dueling field for cutting and
slashing. Its flexible, quadrangular blade
is dull, about 34 inches long, and its sharp
point is securely protected by a button in all
amicable -contests and in practice. When
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engaged In these friendly bouts the partlcl-,,
plants are protected from bodily harm by
wire masks and padded waistcoats and
gloves, but for ordinary practice these are
dispensed with, as they are heating and
cumbersome.
In the first position the foil Is held in the
right hand, between the thumb and index
finger, the other fingers clasping easily the
handle, which fests lightly along the life
line of the hand. After the salute the torso
is twisted slightly to the left, exposing only
about three-quarters of its surface to the
adversary's ripostes.
The parries illustrated are those most fre
quently used, parry four being generally
considered the strongest and most forcible
of all. There is a meaning and use for
every line and gesture which these poses
show. The left arm, as curved upward in a
half circle, helps to maintain the perfect
poise and balance of the body, and the feet
are exactly at that angle and distance apart
which enable them to bear so^equally the
weight of the fencer that she can instantly
advance or retreat, according to the exi
gencies of her opponent's lunges and
ripostes. An expert fencer throws his feel-
Ing into the point of his foil so successfully
that lie manipulates it with the delicacy of
an etcher's point. It is as near being alive
as an inanimate thing can be.
The women of Continental Europe were
much quicker to recognize the advantages
of studying the art of fencing than any of
their sisters, yet the art has "had its femi
nine followers in New York for 25 years
past. It has, unfortunately, gone through
many stages of fadism here. At one time
the mere announcement that an influential
young matron was an expert fencer served
to double the classes of the best-known
maitre d'armes.
Fenclngls greatest vogue as a fashionable
craze In New York brought unpleasant no
toriety upon its devotees. A healthier and
more enduring phase of this sporting exer
cise, however, has been entered upon. Those.
who would not give It up parried tie public
curiosity by raising an impenetrable bar
rier, and have since pursued this pastime In
the private ealles d'armea in their own
homes. One New York maitre d'armes has
this winter nearly 150 students.
Dogs Of The "400"
Canine socfeii;. like the "400," has its smart
set, and a Ypry^exclusive one it is, too. Its
members would' n» more dream of associat
ing with, or even notlcfng, ordinary, every
day dogs thshf the- inaer circle of society
would the new^xyjh. In fact, Pepita White
house, Mrs. itJufJorman do K. Whitehouse's
fox terrier, o^i'tfertain occasions, when she
is ou*t with her fond mistress, and has on
company behavior, sctfrns even the adula
tion and affectionate greetings of her mis
tress' friends. No dog can boast of more
beautiful indifference to-such expressions
as "You dear thing!" "You sweet doggie
woggie!"' "You darling bow-wow!" than
"Pepsie," as she is affectionately called.
"Pepsie"'is-devoted to Mrs. Whitehouse,
fairly: idolizes her, and obeys her slightest
look as.; well as command. ." Last summer
when " Mrs.:; Whitehouse made frequent trips
to towja from ; her country home, .at Port
' Washington, L. 1., "Pepsie" in variably ac
companied her,"find when Mis. -Whitehonse
: took , luncheon at Sherry's "Pepsie" needed
uo instruction to curl up on ihe sofa in the.
ladies' -reception-room, 'for - she sought . this
spot 'time she went there, and, in
tobedicuce to Mrs. Whitehouse's upraised
finger warning her not to budge, she never :
moved : until - her j mistress returned "or . her.,
Friends o£Alr.s. Whitehonse niigh-t.come and ■
go, 1: calling "her sbrts-.of endearing names,
but without avail, and.Mrs. O. H. P. Bel
niont's French, bulldog and .Boston terrier
often-cast end-eariug- glances in her direc
tion, but they were met with an expression
of ; utter indifference, for Pepita , realized
that she must mainjain her .dignity,' obey
her mistress' instructions and comport her
self in a way becoming her station in the
world of modish dogs, -where she holds the
position of leader. - Pepita dresses" in
severely : plain " English style, wearing a
broad . nickel trimmed collar. She- leaves
blankets, furnb&as, rubber boots, bloomers
and bow knots jto other dogs. ' She prefers
simple elegance. -;v - „. - v
Hunker Elttman. if lie could talk English,
6 would probably be able to , tell of his long
descent from reyolutionary stock. He comes
' from Boston, anyway—or, :at least, his '.an- i
cestors did. He is a Boston ; terrier, who
boasts of having been born ;on Bunker Hill
day, which fact accounts for his name. He
j belongs to . Mrs. Lawrence' Bog»«"t Ejirmii'n,"
and leads the happiest l|^erof...any:.dog in
New York. A,ll his mistress' sisters and other
relatives are devoted to him, and whenever
his birthday,; June IT, comes around there is
a family party iti bis honor. Last year he
had a,cake four teawtiful caudles on it,
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and In it were a thimble, some money and
favors of vartous kinds. He received several
other gifts toesfefes.
Bunker was very ill recently, and two
veterinary surgeons were in constant at
tendance upoß him day and night, in addi
tion to his mistress and one of her sisters.
His cousin, Terrence Coppell, the fox terrier
of his mistress' sister, Miss Florence Cop
pell, is another aristocratic bow-wow,'and
one that has affection and wealth lavished
upon him. He is very fond of Mrs. Elliman,
and when she was married last month in
"Grace Church he sent her.a beautiful silver
framed mirror for a wedding present.
Tommy Cameron is the only dog in fash
ionable circles that is permitted to enter the
restaurant at Sherry's. He is a most gen
tlemanly dog, and always acconipantes his
mistress, Miss Catharine Cameron, daugh
ter of the late Sir Roderick Cameron, when
she lunches there. She carries him in her
arms, and he sits demurely t>n her lap dur
ing the meal. Like Miss Pepita Whitehouse,
Tommy dresses very simply and never wears
anything m)>rß: ornatethan a collar as broad
as his neck; is long, made of brass-trimmed
leather. Ttommy is a toy bulldog and Is
about as big as a pint of cider.
Chinese Slumming.
A Chinese"' wbman, young and pretty, with
a girl companion of about her own age, was
making a tour of inspection through New
York. It csold not be determined by an on
looker wtort h%r object might be. She was
intensely t|te|ested in the skyscrapers and
went in ap&gu't of buildings/with the activ
ity and persistency of a book agent. How
ever, she /d&Med Hothing in her hand but a
paper fan?: Which she opened and closed
daintily with a rattle of jade bracelets.
She and her friend went in and out of ele
vators and rode to giddy heights. With no
purpose that any one could detect, they
peered here, and peeped there—all of the
time opening i and. shutting doors with sly
eagecness and much curiosity. Finally
someone wh4 had met them repeatedly in
the course of the day asked what they wer^
doing. The Chinese maid answered quick
as a flash: "Me all the same slumming to
day."
rood In Its Relation To Health.
Therje Is an old recipe beginning "First
catch your hare," which is a reasonable
enough direction to apply to more things
than a rabbit stew. The process of nutrition
begins and ends in the earth, and half the
struggle of life is a struggle to catch the
hare. Every step of the way, from the
chemical workshop of the earth's surface to
tti:it marvelous combination of muscuiar
power and Intellectual energy which we call
man, is a part of the process of nutrition.
Food is the controlling factor of life, the
larg§6t passive factor in the development
of the individual, and his life is molded and
modified by his method of obtaining his
food supply. The human animal is affected
by his environment—climate affects him,
weather affects him—but he is formed by
the food he eats.
Whatever our vocation in life, in whatever
way we are called fco do our part in the
world's play, nothing is of more importance
than that we should be physically and men
taliy equal to the daily task. Farmers long
ago learned that to produce quality in stock
animals must be properly led. A well fed,
that is. a -property fed, horse can do twice,
fcbe work of an underfed or an overfed one.
Properly fed cows proauce a larger quantity
.ss well as a better quality, of milk. -Pigs,
■geese, ducks and,chickens, ail have_certain
foods which, under given ■ conditions, are
known to produce the best pork ami the best
poultry. It seems strange thafr-ttfan, basing
discovered aH this and acted upou it, should
so persistently ignore the. fact that the
same.! law applies • to> himself. There is con
siderable talk, of the/conawitioa between
health and morals, and probably every one
kuowjj something of the influence of diges
tion, or indigestion, vpon the temper. But,
in spite of all the talk, of all that science
has done to prove it, few actually believe
that their mental condition and capacity are
directly effected by the food they eat.
The struggle to get sufficient food has been
and is the great problem of many other
countries, but in America starvation occurs
only In individual cases, for famine does not
threaten the land. The prodigality of na
ture in America has led to a spendthrift
habit, nowhere more manifested than in our
use of foods. If the workingman, the stu
dent or the wealthy man of comparative
leisure were limited in his choice, the errors
and sin of overeating would not be so com
mon or persistent. The variety of food
products of all kinds is bewildering, and the
temptations for over-indulgence great, par
ticularly in a city like New York. New York
is one of the great eating places of the
world. There people go to eat. There people
go to see others eat. Conversation, however
it may begin, usually ends with where,
when and how to eat. In what other city
do people who have homes of their own, to
the same extent, so continually go forth to
eat? The temptations to overeat are con
stant, the incentives to rightly learn how to
eat few. The tempting variety and the
superabundance of food now enjoyed con
tinually induce men and women to eat and
drink more than their systems can stand.
It might be safe to assume that a large pro
portion of those who habitually dine out in
New York resemble lv inner feeling, if not
in outer action, the small boy of the follow
ing tale: Queen Alexandra, when Princess
of Wales, came one day upon a tiny mite of
a bay crying piteously. He was in charge
of a fat and cornfoTtable old lady, who
seemed quite unmoved by his grief. "What
is the matter?" inquired the Princess. "Is
he ill?" "Wa'al, ma'am," said the old lady,
"he isn't exactly ill, but-no stomach carn't
stand nine buns-." Believe it or not, the fact
remains that over-indulgence in food weak
ens the moral fiber, and lessens mental as
well as physical efficiency.
THE HUMAN SYSTEM LIKE A BANK.
No single living thing Is the same fox two
consecutive hours. In its normal, living body
there are always changes taking place—losses
from within, gains from without. Change
is the necessary condition of life and activ
ity. No bank could exist if its depositors
required a hoarding of their money. The
use of the deposits makes the bank's living,
earns its dividends, pays ita salaries. It is
done by continual interchange, a paying out
from within, a taking in from without. Thus
it is in the human system, but food is the
medium of exchange. However solid and
secure the building may appear, the bank
is not the permanent factor. The money ia
the fixed consideration. Man is prone to
look upon himself as the permanent object
through, which dinners may or may not pass.
It may be this mistaken way of regarding
themselves as tie fixed consideration which
leads men to use their bodies as depositories
for food, with, resulting partial or total fail
ure of health and strength. We may not
even store np food in our bodies as the chip-
BY HELEN LOUISE JOHNSON.
munk dqea nnts in his nest. Energy may
be stored, reserves of health and strength
against a day of need, but man can use and
assimilate only certain, and these limited,
amounts of food. To continually overwork
the system by forcing It to digest more
material than it can pare for means to over
draw the account. A balance must be found
and kept between the income and the ex
penditure.
OVEIt-NUTRITION THE BANE OF CIV
ILIZATION.
Food is "that which, taken into the body,
either builds tissue or yields energy." Man
undoubtedly was originally endowed with
the instinct of the animal which leads it to
select the foods s-uited to its needs. Civiliza
tion has led us, we fondly fancy, far from
the savage, but its complexity has bred un
natural desire* 1. The evil of the eating habits
of the present (lay is apt to be over-nutrit'on,
rather than under, with resultant diseases
due to the overwork.of the digestive organs.* i
It is not the occasional, but the habitual,
repletion which'causes trouble. Take one
case as example. This man continually cats
more meat, which means nitrogeneous ma- ,
terial, than his body can use, leaving a
surplus of nutrient material which must be
disposed of In the system In some way. This
goes on until a bilious attack occurs, which
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No. 3—PARRY SEVES
About New York's Swell Set.
Mrs. M. Bright Collier solved the prob
lem of what to do with a debutante's bou
quets at the reception which she gave re
cently to introduce her daughter, Miss
Georgette Collier, Instead of having them
scattered about the drawing-room, as they
usually are at coming-out teas, and decorat
ing the mantel shelf, Mrs. Collier had a
screen made for them, on wiich they were
hung and placed near the door of her library,
where she and Miss Collier received.
This screen was made of wire and was
about six feet high and three and a half
wide. It was entirely covered with smilax,
and tips of Florida palm leaves edged it all
around. "Wire rings were fastened on it in
rows, and served as holders for the bou
quets, the handles of whie'u were placed
through them. The ribbon bows-, which al
ways trim the handles of the debutante's
bouquets-, hid these rings, and added to the
bright mass of color. The effect was ex
ceedingly pretty, and at a distauee suggested
a bit of gorgeous brocade on which great
bunches of flowers were wrought. The
hostess and her daughter stood in front of
the screen.
Mrs. Auguste Moutant loves harmony, as
her drawing-room suggests. It is done in
blue and white, even the ornaments on the
mantel shelf carrying out the color scheme
In clock and candelabra of china. The man
tel is draped to match them in blue velvet,
trimmed with a heavy white Russian lace.
Mrs. Henry D. Nicoll has a little chair in
her drawing-room which, vr.ere it in her
bedroom, one would imagine was intended
to be used when buttoning one's boots, it
being just the size,of chairs made for that
purpose. It is a quaint little bit of furni
ture, in dark-painted, wood, inlaid with
mother-01-pcarl, and is older ihau its owner.
It looks & bit strange in up-to-date surround
ings, for it belongs to another period and has
an antique loneliness.
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Wo. 2-PARRY FOUR.
he lays to the hearty meal of the night be
fore. A bilious attack is but the effort of r
the system to clear or clean house. It Is
the effect, not the cause, and it means that
the body is making an effort to balance its
accounts. After a time this surplus material '
may appear as fat on the outside of the body
or around the various organs, or it may go
to produce some other form of disease, for
too much fat is just as much an indication
of something wrong as not enough.
The liver having rebelled, gout and rheu
matism ensue, sometimes worse, for the kid- )
neys, too, are involved. The object of eat
ing has been stated in the definition of food,
and our diet should be that which will best
answer our individual needs for the two
purposes of building material and fuel. It
is perfectly possible to eat rationally and
healthfully and still gratify the palate; in,
fact, things which please the sense of taste
stimulate the flow of the digestive juices.
It is safe to assume that man wherever
found desires to be the most powerful man ,
he can become, and he wiil asree, if he
thinks about it at all, that at least to a cer
tain degree he mnst be what he eats. But
in the face of all that science might teach
him, he still reverts to the superstition
.that what he likes and all he likes is best
for him to eat.
Mrs. Henry W. Poor when receiving anj
one with whom she is not acquainted has
herself announced by her footman before
she enters her drawing-room or reception
room, as the case may be. The strangei
waiting for her Is startled by the door being
thrown open, a footman in livery entering
and announcing in loud and Imposing tones,
"Mrs. Poor."
Mrs. Hermann Oelrichs has a dog collar
made of diamonds and turqolse. Large *
olive-shaped turpoise are joined together .
by, or rather are «et at intervals upon, c
filigree work of diamonds, which fnrnsE *
charming background. Mrs. Oelrichs TE" »"e i
this necklace recently with a gown of £ *ck
net covered with jet spangles, and Lad a
large, round brooch to match fastening the
bodice at the belt in front.
In the drawing-room of Mrs. Frederick
Snse, Peter Marie's niece, is a quaint and
beautiful sofa that it would be difficult to
duplicate. It is made of Italian oak, and the
frame is so exquisitely carved it looks ex
actly like a piece of Venetian lace. The
covering is of Pompeiian red velvet.
Mrs. Clarence Mackay is a great admirer
of the Japanese dwarf plants, and has niuny
varieties of the little trees and shrubs at
her country home, Harbor Hill, Roslyn.
They are not in the stately house, for they
would be lost amid the luxurious surround
ings there, but they are in a little cottage,
which Mrs. Mackay calls her "hut," in the
woods, where, from tUne to time, she seeks
rest and seclusion and where she is able
to get in touch with nature. These tiny
plants from the land of the Mikado stand in
queer-shaped little china pots and bowls, •
over which small porcelain Japs stand
guard. They are extremely qnaint and fit
the "hut" to perfection, for, like it, they
are modest little things, and the jardi
nieres that hold them also are unostenta
tious as possible.