Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-12-22
d0Ottester Qallg SPY
Skating Dresses.

In the nrSt place dress warmly, and have
besides cloak or an oyercoat, to be thrown
off when skating, and put on again when rest
ing from the exercise. Skating itself will not
give any one a cold, but there is danger of
standing on the ice while perspiring after
skating. Pilot cloth makes the best skating
costume for gentlemen Ladies should wear
closetitting cloaks orspencers, as shawls and
loose cloaks Except for extra service, to be
used when not skating) are very much in the
way, and apt to impede progress. Ladies who
skate much should wear dresses without
hoops, and with short skirts, and if the Bloc
mer costume were not stigmatized by fashion
able society, it would prove the best kind of
skating dress The Polish and Dutch and
Russian women, who go much upon the ice,
wear short dresses. In skating scenes at the
Paris operas and ballets, the short dresses are
always worn, as much from their propriety for
the scene as from stage conventionalism.
What would an opera goer think, if in the
skating scene in the ''Prophete," the perform
ers wore long dresses and hoops!
The English ladies' dress, worn so much at
present, is well adapted for skating. 1t in.
cludes rather tight dress, dnot reaching be-
low the ankles, which are hidden by laced-up
boots-tight cloak and the ''pork-pie" hat
with its jaunty feather. A woman skating in
''sky-scraper" bonnet is a shocking incon-
sistency, and appears as much out of place
with such an article on her head as would a
lady on horseback. Ladies have riding hab-
its, which they can wear only on horseback,
and they should also have skating dresses,
which they would expect to wear only 'on
lce." As to the extra expense, that is very
slight; because a stout serviceable dress
would last several seasons, while the ordinary
dress-with its long skirts and wide expanse
of crinoline-is sure to suffer from the coils
ions inevitable on a skating pond; and lady
skater IN ordinary costume generally finds
some work for her needle before her evening
or afternoon on skates is over.
Wear light colors. The skating pond is in
tended as a scene of enliving enjoyment, and
funeral black OF dull gray by no means en-
hances this effect; which, by the way, must
depend on the ladies. A gentleman would
look very absurd with blue trousers or Grim
son coat; but ladies can wear these brilliant
colors with propriety- Ribbons tell well in
skating. They stream out from a skating
cap with very pretty effect. Muffs look
pretty, but should only be used by experienced
lady skaters, as others need their hands to
balance themselves with. OF course these
remarks are principally intended for the la
dies, who, graceful anywhere, look doubly
fascinating when, appropriately dressed, they
skim along the ice. As to the sterner SEX
there are few hints about dress which it is
worth while to give them, as they are awk-
ward and ungainly everywhere: we would
only remind them that the chief duty of man
during the coming season will be to accompa-
ny his own or somebody's else's sisters to
skating ponds, and administer to the necssi-
ties of those fair charmers who wish to in
dulge in our national amusement.
RoTHsCBLD AND THE BANK OF ENGLAND.
An amusing adventure is related as having
happened to the bank of England, which had
committed the great disrespect of refusing to
discount bill of large amount, drawn by
Anselm Rothschild, of Frankfort, on Nathan
Rothschild of London. The bank had haugh-
tly replied that they discounted only ''their
own bills, and not those of private persons /"
But they had to do with one stronger than the
bank. Private persons" exclaimed Nathan
Rothschlld when they reported him the fact.
Private persons! | will make these gentle
men see what sort of private persons we are"
Three weeks afterward, Nathan Rothschild-
gathering all the five pound notes he could
procure in England and on the continent
presented himself at the bank at the opening
of the office. He drew from his pocket book
Is note, and they naturally counted outfit
soYereigns, at the same time looking quite
tonished that Baron Rothschild should have
The Baron examined one by one the coins,
and put them into little canvass bag, then
drawing out another note, third, tenth, a
hundreth: he never put the pieces OF gold in
to the bag without scrupulousy examining
them, and, in some instances, trying them in
the balance, as he said, ''the law gave him
the right to do" The first pocket book being
emptied, and the first bag full he passed them
to his clerk, and received a second, and thus
continued till the close of the bank. The
Baron had employed seven hours to change
Ell, 900. But as he had also nine employees
of his house engaged in the same manner, it
resulted that the house of Rothschild had
drawn f2l0,000 in gold from the bank, and he
had so occupied the tellers that no other per-
son could change single note Everything
which bears the stamp of eccentricity, has
always pleased the English. They were,
therefore, the first day, very much amused at
the little pique of Baron Rothschild. They,
however, laughed less hen they saw him re-
turn the next day at the opening of the bank
fanked by his nine clerks, and followed this
time by many drays, destined to carry away
the specie. They laughed no longer when
the king of bankers said, with ironical sim
plicty :-'These gentlemen refuse to pay my
bills; have sworn not to keep theirs" eat
9eir lesure-only notify them that l have
~ehough to employ them for two months p
"For two months! !" eleven millions in gold
drawn from the Bank of England, which they
never possessed! The bank took alarm.
There was something to be done. The next
morning notice appeared in the journals that
henceforth the bank would pay Rothschild's
bills the same as their own.