The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1879-01-25
LETTER FROM BALTIMORE.
BALrIMoRE. Jan'y. Is, 1879.

season for the lovers of skating, Of whom
We have an increasing number. A good
place to learn the movements is the Rink,
on Biddle street, where many nightly whirl
on roller-skates. The favorite ponds are
those Of Newington and Druid Hill parks,
especially the former, which is the we'll
known baseball ground flooded for this
special purpose. The advantages here, in
addition TO the absence Of danger, owing
to the ponds shallowness, in case one
should break through the ice, are an ad-
mission fee, room where ladies and their
gentlemen escorts may warm themselves,
separate room for the less gallant or less
fortunate members of our sex, and ade-
quate lighting in the evening by gas.jets.
On favorable evening the glittering ice,
with its multitude Of gliding figures, pre-
sents brilliant scene. Skating Is, indeed,
in its movements very much like another
fayorite amusement; 50 much like it that
a young gentleman at one Of the parks, not
long since, pirouetted up to a lady with
this question upon his lips Miss -,
may have the pleasure Of dancing with
you 2" Now that the old fashioned strap
ped skate, which necessitated disagreea-
BILE compression of the blood vessels Of the
font, has been supplanted by the "Club, T"
which is screwed TO the heel and fastened
to the sole by clamps, the only considera-
bic objection to skating is the liability to
dangerous falls. 1t is obviously free from
the objections which hyper-criticism has
urged against dancing. Certainly it is one
of the most healthful exercises, as well as
one Of the most delightful sports, condu-
cling as it does to agility, gracefulness, cir
culation of the blood, bodily vigor and ex-
hilaration Of spirits, it is the most capti-
vating inducement by which Jack Frost
endeayors to win our young people from
the languor and inconsequential amuse-
ments to which they surrender in their
overheated Libraries and drawing
So far, there has not been much coasting.
But the boys make use of every chance,
you may be sure. And they exhibit an
other triumph Of American inventive skill.
Walking recently down street the merry
coasters had in part appropriated, l noti-
ced large sled that had kind of for
ward rudder, working on the principle Of
the an old-fashioned velocipede. What
next?
Let me say, while l think Of it, that II
the youngsters were compelled to abstain
from every diversion fraught with any dc.
gree of danger, they would really have very
little "fun." | need not mention the dan
gers Of sleighing in hilly country, for my
readers know much more about them thar
do. True, ~ could tale unfold O
sleighing accidents ESQ called, but | mus
guard the dignity of this correspondence
While | do not think correspondent neeC
be SO rigidly impersonal and judicial as thu
august being who sits upon the editoria
tripod, yet | think he should seek to b,
characterized by the same breadth of view
and carefulness Of generalization. linus
hold in mind, therefore, the possibilit,
that, instead Of ordinary incidents of sleigI
rides over your hill-tops, mine were tn,
mishaps Of green city gentleman.
Let US get all the enjoyment out Of ey
cry season that we can. We ought not b
be afraid Of an occasional scold snap.
FWhen you and were young" Messrs
Editors, people expected cold weather il
winter, and We did not creep along tn,
streets shivering beneath an Arctic over
coat, into which an Esquimau could pu
himself and all his family.
Although the weather has been excep
tionally severe as far south as Florida, put
ting this winter upon the record as one o
the hardest In our experience, the mos
noteworthy fact having been the duration
of the freezing temperature, the periodica
thaw has begun, and we have no cause /
fear that with us open winters will ceas
to be the rule aud polar ones the excep
tions.
l have heretofore glanced at our loca
lecture system, and have emphasized tn
value Of the Peabody courses. Idesire +
add that the Johns Hopkins University
our Harvard, has opened the door for III
accomplishment Of inestimable good b
giving the public free access to Hopkins
Hall, to hear the educational lectures dc
livered there from time to time by cminen
specialists, do not think, however, tina
these are designed to be, like those at tn
J Peabody, permanent institution. Tn
only perceptible difference between tn
University and Peabody courses is tina
J the latter are measurably of a more popu
lar character. The large and regular al
tendance at both places has revealed a re
fined taste in this community that onl
needed opportunity to show itself in thi
disposition to attain still higher cultur,
At the University, Prof. G. S. Morris, Q
the University Of Michigan, has been dc
livering series Of afternoon lectures o
Ethics, and at the Peabody Institute, ID
William Everett, head master Of Adam
J Academy, is lecturing in the evening o
Latin Poets and Poetry-Lucrctius, c.
tullas, Vigil, Horace.
OF the dramatic artists who have bee
here this season, recall Janauschek, Ad
Cavendish, Genevieve Ward, Marie Gol
don, Lotta, John Il. Owens, and that "a
s,S.uns' w,,u inc s,ea. V'ollnis.s, hemegli an
VA man, as .i ';n dnu snS prOuisy, ss Dnn1 m, ION
Tss SS M1Iu I'M w. NJ p'sss' PISS ap1o,s nv NJ henogs
. ".