Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-10-23
SKATING FOR THE SOUTH.
A New source OF Recreation and
social Enjoyment.

A New source OF Heere0tlOm anu
social Enjoyment.
While 10 Louisville at iha Convention
we we're induced one night TO attend the
Skating Rink" but had very little idea
Of what IT, was before going. The Risk
is in q large building. constructed for a
market-houss by Mr.. Glover, a wealthy
and highly respectable citizen of the
place. AZ q 06eket-house it was q
failure il was id< xbe wrong place. and
people would nok patronize it. The in
vestment was over $50, 900. SO Mr.. Glover
resolved to try something else. Six or
eight months ago be bought the right to
use the parlor skates in Jefferson
county, in which Louisville is situ-
ated, and converted his spacious and
magnificent market-house into a
single hall for skating purposes. The
floor is very smooth and solid, and few
rows of seats are ranged around he wall
for spectators, and narrow gallery over
head is for the same purpose. At the
entrance is small box-oifice where tick
cts are sold, and there is a small dress
ing room on each side where ladies' and
gentlemen, respectively, are supplied
with skates; and it is rumored that the
room for ladies is supplied with looking
glasses, combs, brssheA cosmetics nd
perfumery 10 great profusion. The skates
used buckle on the shoe like any other,
and each one has four small wooden
wheels. This describes full enough what
parlor skating rink is.
The night we went the fret time. there
we're about five hundred people in at
tendance, and at least one hundred Of
them we're on the floor circling around in
graceful waves with great velocity and
more of the poetry OF motion than we
ever saw on rink of ice in colder re-
gions, where skating is one of the stand
ard pastimes. The young gentlemen
wore small, jaunty caps, without rims,
and the ladies were neatly dressed in
bright colors. The whole scene was
brilliantly lighted with innumersble gas
Jets, and as the tide of beauty, grace and
gallantry flashed like stream of fire.
works round aud round the polished
Goor, the effect on O first beholder was
bewildering and enchanting as q
dream of hashesh. For hours and
hours we fingered to admire the skill,
swiftness and self-possession Of the tide
that seemed never weary. The skaters
seemed to fly without wings, to have
velocity and self.control without motive
power or d ,rt; and as they followed one
after the other, like melted racers,
glancing back the rays of the sun, or
gathered together in groups, and seemed
to cleave the air like sesgulls swoopiDg
down to brush the foam from parting
pillows, they became mingled in an end.
less whirlpool that ran faster and faster,
until we became dizzy looking at it, and
concluded that the Goor was circular,
and was whirled around by some con-
cealed machinery.
This illusion was occasionally dis
PEELED by seeing some unskilled six
footer enter the arena and fall twice his
length on the floor. Then the tide
smiled; be would smile, too, in great
agony, look reprovingly at his skates as
if they we're to blame, and then try to fly
again. Then some young miss with q
bright scarf would leave the charmed cir
Gle, 90 in the dressing-room, and in a
short time re-appear without her skates,
but ready to walk home with her sweet
heart at o gerry slew page. After being
in the rink an hout, walking seems
to become tame business and entirely
too slow. We want to see tracks laid to
| the market house, to the next neighbor's
and to every place where people are in
the habit of walking, 80 they can 90 with
out walking or riding or taking street
car But every one cannot skate at the
start some of them, who are as grace
full as bird in the air, had hard time
of it of the Start, and acquired their skill
at the cost Of many hard thumps. But
they feel amply repaid by nightly exhibit
ing their accomplishments to q wonder
ing crowd.
In Louisville this amusement is
confined exclusively to the best
classes of society, and the rink is as
nice a place to 60 rs theater
or opera house. The proprietor is max
ing fortune, and the people take nm
abated interest In lsrsting amase-
ment. The exercise iSvery healthy, and
those proficient in it are extremely at.
tached to it. We would like to see some
thing of this kind in Memphis, but the in
sestnent considerable, and it will hardly
be uBRdsrisksn tRis s,sisf, fitting on a
hall would be expensive, add the rieht
could not be bought at d low price. But
if properly managed there is money in it.
Who will try it2