The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-06

been ignored for some time, scrap-books
and fancy cards are to be found III dusty,
unfrequented corners, and neither the
collection of cigars nor the hair albums
were of very long duration. And now
comes the bangle craze, which though
delightful to the feminine heart. is the
cause of considerable agony to their
gentlemen friends.
Bangles appear on eyerything-hair
combs, belts, carriers, fans, tides, hats,
necklaces, breastpins and finger rings.
But the most popular use is for bracelets.
The first step a girl takes toward the
accumulation of bangles is the purchase
of pair of very narrow band bracelets
of either gold OF silver. This trinket
should be supplied with a number of tiny
hooks, to which the bangles are attached
as they are received. This is all she can
d in the matter. Her admirers those
scrutinizing young chaps who are always
in search of some attribute or some
characteristic which does not exist must
complete the fancy 1t is considered the
proper thing for the parents to make the
first contribution Where the bracelet is
silver a 10 cent piece is secured, and the
side with the denomination on is scraped
off and polished, after which it is
engraved with various lines and curves
according to the fancy, and initials Of the
giyer. A hole is then bored and d, fine
piece of chain attached by which it is
hung on the bracelet. The number
varies, and no matter how many she has
received. like street car conductor she is
always able to find room tor one more.
Although six pendants are sufficient to
properly equip a bracelet, there is a
S trong aversion to even numbers. So,
when the charms are in pairs, some quiet
ST ia tegy is had recourse to in order to
m Ike this number odd. No objection then
is made to proffered bangle, but straight
the sly little maiden is uttery miserable
until some gentlman makes the numb eT
odd again.
As the gifts are nearly all from
gentlemen, it is a pretty hard test of
friendship to have pretty girl f1aunt a
pretty trinket on pretty white arm in
his face, and know that his monogram is
not among the chosen ones All men
have not the strength of good, stupid
Saint Anthony, and cannot withstand
the ordeal.
The result is that these bangles
accumulate so rapidly that the little belle
is at loss what to do with them. Not
unfrequently the monograms of the
indifferent are hung on carriers or trim the
ends of table scarfs or felt tides and
mantel hangings. In the East some in
genious girls wear them around the
bottom of apron overskirts. As a whole,
the fashion is not a pretty one, for the
simple reason thatit is cloud"
AT the high school of the city the
professors are so annoyed by the
censeless jingle that they request the
young ladies to remove the nuisance
before coming to class If some such
method could be employed at the fash
ionable churches there would be fewer
frowns and less internal eruptions among
the men who are unable to lend ear to
any part of the service without being
distracted by the rafting of dimes and
quarters with every movement of the
wcarers. Albeit the craze is sanctioned
by the aristocracy, who employ small
gold coins, engraved and enamelled, for
pendants, still the es timation is by nc
means high and the patrons are forced
to admit that the within is adopted more
to satisfy personal vanity and social
rivalry than anything else. The craze
has already begun to show signs of
waning from the fact that it is spreading
like any common plague, and it is only
a question of a short time when the
| fashion will be abandoned.