Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-08-05


the hobby-horses, and the exposure of
the ankles of the naidens indulglng IN
swinging, proceeds thus: z
I We have mentioned q certain display
which the swings cause them to make,
but, upon O breezy day the hobby
horses, more than any other, occasion
an exhibition of
ANKLES,
which are positively enchanting, and
Yesterday, for the first time, we took it
| into our head to make hasty study OF
this charming and suggestive feature OF
female beauty in an entirely ethno-
logic and purely esthetic point Of view.
Representatives of almost every Euro-
pean nation participated In the amuse-
ment. The wind was high; the con-
volutions of the hobby-horses were swift,
| and the ''study" was easy as well as de-
| leetable. as .ES}N .skQ83IE@
We ascertained by numerous examples
the following facts aeme@ .s.y
| The German ankle, as general thing,
is not beautiful. Tt is short, thick,
clumsy. Yet to the eye of the love-sick
swain it may appear more graceful than
that of the Venus de Medici. Never
theless, there are many kinds of ankles
of Germanic formationgi and somed of
them are notat all unsymmetrical.z 81
| The Danish ankle is generally 5yery
good. The blood of the sea-kings is in
the damsePs veins. H., b-. $780, r.
bright maiden Of Orkney,
| II Star of the blue sea,
| s.f Z. I've swept DER the waters -
| TO gaze upon thee.
So sang the Berserker of old, and he
/ 51o1 o77lffxafa1 HE 70 cfesa for
ankles in his own native land. But,
generally, the Danish ankle is too abrupt
| in its descent from the swell of the calf
to the delicacy Of the approach to the
foot. This gives it a clumsy appear
ance, and prevents it from being a spe-
cial favorite. .r ~
The ankle of Saxony (of course we
speak and always only of female ankles
is worse than the Danish. 1t is short
er, thicker, and Indicative of vigor, and
vigor only.
But the Swiss ankle is a model of
beauty. Long, slim, elegant, delecta-
BILE, it is something to think and dream
Of. The peasant stocking of plaid
covers it with fairy like exactness. You
can see the keen muscles play beneath
the fabric Of the covering. It swells
abruptly, but gently, upward into
perfect calf. Only the Alpine roads, the
rude torrent crossings, the romance of
Switzerland, could have produced such
an ankle. tits for apicture rather than
an every day sight, it is for the painter,
the poet, and the philosopher. 1t is
beautiful, delectable, charming, enchan-
ting, 1t is strangely suggestive.
The ankle of Bavaria is. also beau
tiful. Lean and elegant, it however
broadens too quickly as it approaches
the foot, which is an imperfection not
easily to be overlooked by the connois-
seur.
Austria is worse. Her ankle has the
fault of having no taper. The calf of
the leg ends at the foot.
| Hungary is the same. This is pro-
badly owing to the inhuman tyranny
which has trodden over her for years. =
Women are compelled to pull plows and
canal boats, and engage in other species
of degrading laborS more meet for cat
tie, steam and caloric engines, and no.
thing better could be expected OF their
ankles.
| Prussia makes better show, but, on
the whole, her ankles are not good, and,
in dancing, she has ludicrous custom
of switching up her petticoat in order
to make special display.
The Irish needs no eulogy. 1t speaks
for itself
Thr English is fair, indicative of great
feats of walking and other exercises.
The French ankle is positively bad
The fault with the German is usually an
excess of size--a superiority of feshand
muscular power; but the French errs in
an entirely opposite direction. 1t is
too slim. 1t is long, thin, scrawny.-
The ascending swell to the calf (inor-
dinately large is too long and gradual,
! and the largeness and LONELINESS of the
foot also detracts from the general eff
feet. n.A 81 h@ oas
Italy has an Exquisite ankle, light,
graceful, full of elasticity. and yet with
a languid listlessness which recalls the
promenades of Naples and the evening
lounge round the winged lyons of st.
Mark" ''3
But perfection is only reached in the
ankle of the Spanish girl 1t is soft,
slight, luxurious, and rife with tremu-
lous, nervous thrills. 1t descends to the
little foot with firm confidence, but it
rises too, and is slowly immersed, in the
gradual expansion of the leg with the
happiness of illimitable progression.
The Spanish maid was on hobby
horse, which was flying at full specd !;
her dark face was aglow with the exer-
else, her little hand clutched the bride
with tremulous eagerness, and her large
eyes, ''wild with the fire of the South, -
were emitting .more than their accustom-
ed blaze, but the gaze Of the admiring
I throng was fxedupon her anRles--her
! chiefest. charms. AS the wind-the
south wind fresh from the sea, with
all the voluptuousness of the tropics
gently lifted her crinoline, and that de-
lightful, perfect, delectable ankle was
suddenly exposed to view, a deep sigh
arose from the breasts of the gazers;
and when still higher the amorous
breeze elevated the coy, striped petit
coat and the rounded, glorious calf of
1 the damsel was made visible, the deep
respiration of the spectators was almost
painful '
A Strike Of Bachelors Pu6licite,
anewspaper in Marseilles, France, al
luding to the strike of the drivers and
coachmen, speaks of another strike,
still more important and serious in its
estimation-the strike of the bachelors.
According to the account he, gives, six
thousand young men, between twenty
o,,d FORTY xvaorc l<,f ,xro ha1J a actin