The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-12-23
Skill Tn HtkattBg.

tlle NcW 1OIA &AoAbAus
The record of feats of skill, IN skating
is unusall : full. The famous Chevalier
de st. George, who was marvelously ex.
pert in all exercises of the body, was
able TO sign his name upon>the ice with
the blade of his skate A certain young
lady, it is said, accepted challenge to
correspondence on the ice, and in few
minutes question and answer were
written down with an elegance unsur--
passed by hand writing upon glass with
a diamond. There was Swede who was
able with one foot to design portraits on
! the ice. Strut, in his "Sports and Pas
times OF the people of England" speaks
of tour skaters who were able to dance, a
minuet upon the ice with as much ele-
! gance as if they had been walking on
the floor of the ballroom, and VIII am
Hone, in his Every Day Book" speak
ing of the skating oh the Serpentine
River, says:-''The elegance of skaters
on that sheet OF water is chiefly exhio-
tied in quadrilles, which some parties go
through with beauty scarcely imag-
Unable BY those who have not seen grace
full skating" Mr.. Sam Weller, as we
| learn from the veracious history In
which Mr.. Pickwick figures so promi
nently, was an adept at the beautiful
feat of fancy sliding known as "knocking
at tue cobler's door" which Is achieved
by skimming over the ice on one 1901
and occasionally giving double knock
with the other. Tracing the letters Of the
alphabet on the ice has long been ia
v0rite exercise, but with US, i'll these de-
generate days, the execution OF the hgure
s is about the severest test oil skill. In
Germany, particularly, there are many
graceful skaters. Baron de Brincken,
who was page to the K!ngiof Westphahs,
who was able while moving over the ice
ut great pace to leap distance OF two
yards and clear two or three hats placed
one above the other, or even some OF the
little sladges which the ladies use. hlop-
stock not only wrote fiery lyrics IN
praise of skating, but he was an expert
at the exercise even in his old age.
What the less active among his coun-
trvmen would exclaim, 1.-The author OF
Messiah liuger over pleasures no lon
ger suited to his age" When he and
Goethe met the conversation for the
most part was on skating, and the latter
! is said to have found in the exercise re-
| lief from the fortunes of mind he suffered
in consequence of the breaking OF the
! love link which had existed between him
| and Frederlca OF SeSsenhelm. with us
it Is within comparatively recent period
that ladies began TO skate, but IN the
countries of Northern Europe both sexes
practise the art. In Friesland most PEG
! ple skate more than they walk, and
| skating races, especially Tor women, are
| freoue:.t in all of the towns. The course
! is always carefully laid out, long strips
of wood being ranged IN line to keep the
competitors separate, and as it is some
times more favorable to swift progress on
| the one side of this demarcation than
on the other, the skaters are required TO
change sides every time they turn. The
lists are enclosed by ropes which run
around by the sides of the canal, along
which there is always multitude OF cx-
cited ,pectatoro. The prizes are val
liable, but to obtain them it Is necessary
To win from sixty to eighty races. AS
matter of course, the races in which wo-
| men dlOIt cHSaSC aiO LHOtO i"S S ,
than those open to men, First, there Is
the honor of attaching the skates to the
feet OF the fair contestants. and second
the reward of II kiss to the fortunate
swain. In these countries, if the women
are not as swift as the men they are at
least more expert and excel them in
lightness and in beauty of style. The
races on the ice" says Palati, "are the
csrnavals of the Dutch; there are their
tstes, their operas, their designations. At
this season, during which many fash
ionable people IN different parts of the
world are running themselves by their
extravaganza, the only expense to which
the Hollanders are put is the cost of
pair of skates and the outlay is called for
only once or twice during their lives"