The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-07-05
P-ECULIARIT1Es OF PEOPLE.
How Folks Scratch their Heads,
Hold Umbrellas, Sit in Street
Cars, and Blow their Noses.

Detroiters scratch the head with the right
forefinger. 1t IS a sort of Involuntary move
ment which you will see in the cars, on The
straet, in stores and Offices, and, in fact, in all
situations II daily life. In Cincinnati, they
dig with the whole hand, and make a bust
ness of it.. In Cleveland they scratch the
left side of the head with three fingers. In
Boston the thumb Of the right hand alone is
used. In Chicago they use both hands. Each
city has a different attitude, but Detroit's
fashion of gently lifting up the forefinger and
giving it a back ward movement over the ear
il the toniest movement Ut all. Out OF l25,-
QUO population Az least 12O,OO scratch the head
with the right foreinger, making three dis
tincL motions in military III
In New York, when a lady is trying hard to
remember something, she clasps the lobe Of
the left ear between The forehnger and thumb
and pulls IL down. In Boston it is the right
ear. In Toronto she folds her arms. In SYRIA.
cuse she stands Oh one foot. In Baltimore
she bites her finger. In Buffalo she puts her
tongue in the left side of her cheek. In De-
troit she simply closes the left eye into a sort
OF wink, Fuckers her mouth to the right, and
III ten seconds can remember clear back to
Daniel III the lions den. 1t is only a move
inent Of studied grace, but there is cuteness
in it. After a little practice the eyelid can be
made to t1utter, just enough and not too
much, and If the woman has good teeth, the
quicker in her mouth is a inquest in Itself.
When a Chicago man stubs his toe lie says,
-! ! ! ! !" right out, no matter how
many presiding elders are in the same block.
In Omaha they yell "Thunder!" In st.
Louis they dammit y In Cairo they Jump
up and dow and spit On their hands. ln
Philadelphia they cuss the bones of old Will
liam Penn. ln Portland they throw stones
at the nearest dog. Each city has an excla-
nation and All attitude OF its own in cases of
this sort, but Detroit beats them all.
Detroit is the only city in the world where
&: man knows how to hold ali umbrella over
his head to get the full benefit. In Charles
ton they hold it in the right hand, with the
arm a foot in advance. In Mobile it is tipped
so far forward that the rain strikes a man
stl aight i'll the small of the back. In Chat
tanooga it is tilted back and the men get
their knees wet. In San Francisco it is tilted
to the left, and in New Haven to the right.tu
Detroiters sit down in The street cars wi
a motion never ound in any other city. In
Philadelphia they fall back like a bag of sand.
In Brooklyn they sit down sideways. In st.
Louis the men grab a ~coat.tail in either hand.
In Detroit the art Of sitting down is a grace
tut slide, without any bump or jar to it, and a
Car may be OvercrOwded and yet furnish room
for two women, three market baskets and a
dog.
The art Of blowing the nose has been work
ed down to a fine point here. The Detroit
way does not take over one-eighth Of the
handkerchief, and only two fingers. The
nose IS given ample warning of what is to
come, and when all is ready the tip end Is
gently hidden in the linen, the fingers slight
y contracted, aud a slight wiring and two
graceful twists do the business.
Forty ladies in a street Car could blow their
noses all at once, and the driver not be any
the wiser for it.. 1t is not a snort or report
as in Buffalo, 1t is not a decided wipe, as in
Chicago. 1t is a wiring and wipe combined,
made in about tour graceful motions, and
eavingthe nose in the best possible condition
to detect adulterous straw berries. -Detroit
Free Press.