The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-24

| the sentimental ballad style can occasionally be
heard along the streets of the South Side, where
the bulk of the railroad men live, eulogizing
| railroad men and their occupation The 'Mnor
Mention" observer has frequently heard young
girls of ten to fifteen singing little snatches of
these songs in their evening promenades. They
are not of conspicuous poetcal or even rhyth-
| mical merit, and the airs are rather of a
doleful cast-usually pitched in minor key
| but the sentiment is professionally warm, not to
say enthusiastic One of them begins:
81 love my railroad engineer;
know his whistle far or near;
know I've got the best of mon
| At the lever of lively old No. TO-"
| The I'M. NJ orr not sure of his memory in
this verse, but it is about as he reports it. The
| chorus of another asseverates, with the usual
superfuty of language of that class of literature;
IF ever marry in all of my life
A railroader's bride I'll be-"
| There are other songs of the same character,
but they have not been caught with distinctness
enough to be reproduced to the reader.
| A NUMBER of more or less distinguished men
and women discuss the question of Women's
dress in the current North American Review.
When young preacher announced to Gail Ham
| AACVA LAS iutCAtAOu VI uCllVGTiuS SoEuOu Oh tuc
same topic, she devoutly desired that the Lord
might have mercy on his foolish soul The same
wish may be extended to the writers in the Re-
view, but particularly to any misguided women
who seek to follow the advice. AS no two Of the
| advisers agree, one insisting that corsets are
deadly, and another that the weight of
skirts suspended from the shoulders
causes lung disease and curvature Of
| the spine; one holding that pantaloons are
| proper feminine apparel and another that petit
coats and lownecked gowns are not injurious,
| the woman who desires to reform" her cos
| tune according to hygienic rules is in an un-
happy predicament To attempt to reconcile
the conflicting ideas must inevitably result in
| the abandonment of everything but the Mother
| Hubbard" gown. or some costume even more
primitive. To retain the present dress, in de-
6ance of all advice, is to invite repetition of
lectures and sermons Between two evils the
| much advised sex must take their choice, ard
there is little doubt what this will be-
WHY is it considered necessary to give the read
ngpublic an accurate description of the pistol with
which man chooses to shoot himselfl 1t is an
nouncedp that a community in Illinois was
4 oAOShCo Wy tuO uioSOfeEy Iudb d Woll- kuOWu
| clergyman had committed suicide by shooting
himself with a 32-caliber revolver. Would
the shock have been less or the grief nit
| igated had the gun carried ball of any other
measured 1t is also learned, by perusal of the
morning dispatches, that much excitement was
created in Chicago saloon and vicinity by the
act of Mr.. Patrick Collins, in perforating himself
with bullet from a A. caliber ''bull-dog." The
| ordinary reader is satisfied to know merely that
Mr.. Colins's anatomy contains any sort of
lead pellet. but is moved with mild curiosity
! as to whether there is, in this and similar cases,
any scientific or professional reason for specify
| ing the exact measurement of the destructive
| bit of metal
| CORRESPONDENT of the Womans Journal
| complains about the fashion of thrustng upon a
| woman bereaved of her husband the title of
''widow" and referring to her as ''his widow" as
if, observes the writer, she were in fact relict.
an appendage to the deceased without whom she
| is incomplete. In view of the vast number of
| women who bear with entire resignation the title
here objected to, to say nothing of others who
are suspected of willingness to become widows,
it is evident that the correspondent is not in har
mony with the majority of her sex. The title is
not likely to be abolished, and her only hope of
| revenge and of escape from the hated name is to
marry again and die leaving 'her widower" be-
| hind.
| ACCORDING to the New York Herald's Wash
| ington correspondent the attaches of the White
House are able. from long experience, to form
"a very good impression" of the character and
standing Of callers from their cards If these
| accomplished employees should lose their situa-
tons at any time, they should have no trouble
| in finding lucrative engagements as fortune
| tellers. Indeed, they might add to their per-
quisites now by foretelling the fate of anxious
officeseekers, since, if they can size UP strange
| visitors SO accurately, the mind and secret i'll
! tentions of the President must be an open page
| to them.
A FEMALE evangelist of Brooklyn, has a hus-
band who is worth his salt The evangelist, hav-
| ing, rather surreptitiousy rented a church in
| the suburbs, announced to the congregation that
no preacher should enter that pulpit without her
| consent. The evangelists husband detecting
signs of dissatisfaction, thereupon rose promptly
| and declared that if any minister dared enter
that pulpit without his wife's consent, he would
| walk up and drag him out by the collar. Hav-
ing thus intimidated all listeners and quieted an
| incipient rebellion peace reigned and the evan
gelist proceeded with the usual devotional servi-
| ces.
| FURTHER advices from Boston indicate that it
| is only the preaching of sermons which is pro-
hibited on the sacred" Common, other devotion
al exercises held there, such singing and pray
| ing, not being criminal. A grocer, who had
prayed and sung at the now farfamed open air
meeting, was discharged from custody, but all
clergymen who had uttered words of exhortation
| we're fined and warned not to do so again. Evil
/ IDENTIFY the sermons of the Boston clergy are not
rated very high by the police force. Can the oc-