St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-01-31
FASHIONS IN SKATES.


The Ancient and the Modern Styles
Winters Glorious sport-The Means for
Enjoying 1t Open to the Million.
Lives there man with soul so dead,
who never to himself hath said: 'I'll
HE me to my sWeetheart's gate, and
beg her to come out and skate, before
the ice is water" If such man ex-
lists, it is altogether probable that he
never experienced the mingled bliss and
suffering of boyhood, but arrived at his
present soulless state at one miserable
bound. To the American boy, small and
big, and the American girl also, the
joys of winter are boundless, but to
none of them is attached the deep i'm
portance accorded to the privilege
which combines a glorious winter day,
a frozen surface, smooth as glass, and a
pair of skates with edge so keen that
the flying figures pathway is defined in
clear-cut, graceful curves, that tell OF
the perfect bond of sympathy existing
between the skater and his steels.
Time was when the ''poetry of mo-
tom wasn't harbinger of the miseries
of frozen toes and benumbed fingers.
The ancients who INDUCED in the pas
time were satisfied to propel themselves
over the frozen face of nature on pieces
of hard-fbered wood or of bone, Gradu-
ally these primitive skates gave place
to others more nearly approaching, in
principle at least, the perfect skate OF
the present day. But the art of skating
as practiced to-day as well as the skate
now in general use. belongs to the pres
ent generation. Iron and steel have
forced their more clumsy wooden COM
petitors from the field, and no city
Bred youth will betake himself to any
of the ponds in Central Park nowadays
unless he can afford to attempt the
grapevine on a pair of skates that
would blush at the sight of a leather
strap. Yet the old strap skates were
held in high esteem not so many years
ago, and feats of endurance performed
on them still stand as a record in the
unwritten annals of the sport.
Twenty-Five years ago the ''swelI'
skate was of German make and was
called the Clutch turn over. The
steel-runner terminated in front in
series of curves, one within the other,
the end of the final twist being decor
ated with a brass ball. The runner was
groo7ed; the foot-plate was of wood.
There were various notifications of this
skate, all more or less alike. All were
fastened with straps, and those who
used them no doubt still recollect the
agonies suffered in attaching them to
the feet on bitter cold day. For trav-
cling long distances, years ago, and
also for fast skating, the skate general
ly used was known as the ''long reach. ("
The name is descriptive. The runner,
from foot to eighteen inches in length,
was quite shallow. The top was of
wood and lightly constructed. The
wooden-rocker has seen its day, as have
all wooden-topped skates, According
to dealers, it is still in favor in rural
districts, but only in regions which are
decidedly country" The market con-
tains nothing new in skates this year,
but the most fastidious taste can easily
be suited from the immense variety
which the market affords.
Wooden-topped skates, furnished with
straps, can be purchased for from 80
cents to $1.75. Few more expensive
than this are made, except for special
orders. Those who prefer a low-priced
skate. minus wood, can be accommo-
dated for so cents. These, however,
are furnished with toe-strap. Askate
devoid of wood and straps can be
bought for $1.25. The 'tsteel' of
which this skate is popularity supposed
to be made is a fair quality of iron.
Women's woodentopped skates, of
comfortable make, can be bought for
from 1925 to 1915 per pair.-M 7.
Tribune.