Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-12-01

N LEAF COSTUME IN vogue in
the days Of Adam and Eve IL said 70 be perpetu-
ated by small HindOo tribe inhabiting remote
hOOk or the province of Orissa. When engaged
with Mr.. L. Cavenshaw, the commissioner of
gris>a, IN setting boundary dispute in 1866
colonel Dalton had his first opportunity of
studying party of Juangs, consisting of ma
tron' nall dozen comely maidens, and as many
men The men had already abandoned the use
OF leaves for the smallest possible quantity of
cotton cloth, but the women chung to their foil
age under the belief that when the river goddess
Byturnee. hrst leaped from the Gonasika rock
She was so angry at the spectacle of party of
JuaDgs dancing naked, that she condemned
mem to adopt leaves as their dress forever, or
die. The first torchight dance of this partv
was shy. Next day, saws Colonel Dalton. thew
came TO my tent at noon, and while | conyers-
ed with the males on their custom, language and
Iengion' the girls sat nestled together in a cor
ner, for long time silent and mOtiOnless as
statues, but after an hour two had elapsed
the crouching nymphs showed signs of life and
symptoms OF uneasiness, and, more attentively
regarding them, found that great tears
were dropping from their dOwncast eyes like
ueW-drOps, on green leaves. On my tenderly
SEEKING the cause of their distress, was told
mat the leaves were becoming dry, stiff aud
uncomfortable; and if they were not allowed to
go into the woods for a change the CONSEQUENT
ces would be serious and they certainly could
not dance. 1t was bright, dry day, and the
crisp Tustling as they rose to depart confirmed
the statement. When they returned, arrayed in
fresh leaves; we induced them TO give us not
only the solemn measure of the evening before
some quite dramatic in effect, and 1t was alto
eether most interesting "ballet." They con-
cluded with a vulture dance, highly dra-
matte finale. One of the men was made to lie
on the ground and represent adead BODY. The
girls in approaching it, initiated the hopping
sideling advances of the bird of prey, and, using
their hands as beaks, hipped and pinched the
pseudo corpse in a manner that made him occa-
siohaily forget his character and yell with pain.
TIE ExTRAORDISARY VITALITY OF PORES
WRITINGS is remarkable phenomenon in its
way. Few regulations have been exposed to
such perils at the hands of open enemies or OF
imprudent friends. In his life time "the wasp
OF Twickenham" could sting through an even
fold covering of pride or stupidity. Lady Mary
and Lord Harvey writhed and retaliated with
little more success than the poor denizens of
Grub street. But it is more remarkable that
Pope seems to he singing well into the second
century after his death. His writings resemble
those fireworks which, after they have fallen
to the ground and been apparently quenched,
suddenly break out again into suffering ex-
blossoms The waters of a literary revolution
have h. passed over him without putting him out.
Though much of his poetry has ceased TO inter-
est US, so many OF his brilliant couplets still
survive that probably no dead writer, with the
solitary exception Of Shakespeare. is more fire.
quently quoted at the present day. 1t is in vain
that he is abused, ridiculed, and even declared
TO be no poet at all. The school of Wordsworth
regarded him as the embodiment of the cor
rupting influence in English poetry; more re-
Gently nj. Taine has attacked him, chiefly, as II
would seem, for daring to run counter to NJ
Iaine's theories; and. hardest fate of all, the
learned editor who is now bringing out a con-
elusive edition of his writings has had his nerves
20 hardened by familiarity with poor Pope IS
many iniquities, that his notes are one prolong-
ed attack on his authors morality, orthod oxy
and even poetical power. We seem TO be listen
ing to Boswell animated by the soul of a
Dennis. And yet Pope survives, as indeed the
bitterness of his assailants testines. When
eontroVersialists spend volumes In confuting an
adversary who has been for centuries in his
grave, their unconscious testimony to his vi
tally Is generally of more significance than
their demonstration that he ought to be insig-
| nihcant Drowning dead rat is too dismal an
| occupation TO be long pursued; and whilst we
watch the stream descending, we may generally
assume that the rat has still some life IN him
| COrnhiH Magazine.