The Cecil Whig., 1886-07-10
THE WRIGGLES.'
They Have Reached Elkton And Promise
to Become an Epidemic.

They Have Reached EIkton And Promise
to Become an Epidemic.
"Oh, wre lthe the ribbon lightly round,
nd tie it meath your chin;
A nd do not let its folds be bound
BY needle or by pin!
1t is unworthy, lady dear,
Your dignity of mind,
To take such trouble with your gear.
For some time past people i'll Elkton who
are gifted with fair eyesight and ordinary |
habits of observation, have noticed now pc !
culiarly not to say oddly some Of our most
fashionable young ladies have suddenly |
learned to walk. Plain people and unversed
in the ways of the world, they overlooked
the fact when passing a fashlonably attired
young l,dy either in Elkton OF in the cities,
that there are fashions in manners and car !
riage as well as in dress, and that this pc
cularity of walk which to them is so new |
and novel, is nothing more or less than the
"iuteSt t0uch" in walking, popularity known |
as "rhe Wriggles." Some years ago ai
our older readers will remember, the Gre |
clan Bend was the agony i'll fashionable
circles of society everywhere. Then II d
lady wished to be considered ut all dtMtny"e,
in style Of carriage-and every one whether
versed in fashions ways or not, knows how |
few persons either male or female really
walk well-she was compelled to throw her
body forward, and with her elbows held
firmly against her corsage, her fore arms
dropping gracefully q Ia kangaroo, she
b.r ri triy
entire body a rising and falling motion, like
the graceful SWING of the pendant willows,
stirred slightly by the passing breeze. This
fashionable walk, like all other extremes oi
fashion was short lived, for the simple rea |
son that it proved too sincere Il tax upon a |
lady physically and produced an unavoii |
able stoop of the shoulders which was any
thing but becoming 1t had its day, and
died for want of patrons. But the modern
"agouy" seems destined to more general
observance by young ladies blessed with |
good figures. At first sight however you
would scarcely take it as an intended and |
practiced style of walking, but rather as
akin to those involuntary motions of the |
body which the medical profession know
as the Chorea The "Wriggles' as Il style |
is difficult to describe. It's something like |
a shiver, yet resembles quiver, but still Is
neither. At every step there is curling |
or corkscrew- motion of the body, produced
seemingly, either by twist of the ankle or
of the spine, producing something like
suurm. rhe shoulders move to one side |
in sort of half jerky motion, while the
rest of the body as if striving to keep itself |
balanced seems to be wrestling III the OPP |
posite direction. If we could rid the mind /
of the idea that the step was designed We
might reasonably infer one of several things. |
That for instance the freedom of the wearer's |
limb was impeded by skirts too tightly |
drawn That the III ysterious frame work |
which increases the amplitude Of her skirts |
was too pressing i'll its attentions, or that |
her masculine choker was cutting short her |
necessary supply of breath. These or any |
other theory that suggested physical dis
comfort and that the young lady was un- |
comfortable generally, possibly i'll pain /
from the modern contrivances of her toi-
lette might possibly explain it. These
theories acquire additional force from
the fact which is matter of pos
itive observation. that it is only when in |
full dress that "The Wriggles" become not
i:eable In the ordinary morning dress the
fashion seems in obeyance, and its walks de-
votee with a freedom of step indicating that
her limbs are not restrained or impeded by |
any external embarrassment
Another noticeable feature of this fashion
is the fact that it does not seem to prevail |
among he fat girls. 1t is true they NAV be |
like their leaner sister, prone to the fashion |
and SO far as the style of walking is the re-
suit of the modern style of dress, doubtless |
just as much hamperei by the eNactions of
fashion, but the symptoms in their cases
are not as pronounced. Besides the fat girl |
has so many other physical discomtorts to
bear in hot weather, that from hnmani- |
tartan point of view we may congratulate
her that the fashion does not become her.
Mature reflection has convinced us that the
reason why the tat girl has not taken to the
new fashion is because 'she is not built
that way" In order that "Wriggles' may
get in their work properly, the backbone
young lady this is impossible, as i'll her
case her avordupois is a sufficient tax upon
her spine, which has enough to do to sup
port the weight which it carries without in
dulging much wrigg!ing
Now the slim girl is differently situated.
She is nearly all backbone, and not being
overstocked with super-abundant flesh can
wriggle to her hearts content.
Thus it is that nature someti IN - protects
herself against the foilies OF this world.
Interesting to ph ysiologsts as this latest de-
velopment in fashionable calisthencs may
be- we have not the space to pursue it
further. Certain it is that there is a femi-
nine secret underlying "Wriggles," that
the masculine mind may not fathom, and !
of which "Wrigglers" themselves possess
the sole monopoly. We confess ourselves
ignorant of the my sterious movement and
even were we to become the confidential
repository OF it, gallantry would prevent its
divulgence. One lady not herself Informed
of it has assured us that the secret lay in
the heel of the "Wrggler'' which became
the pivot on which hinged this phenominal
motion. Another informs us, that wrig-
CLING is effected by a certain movement of
the ball of the foot Between the two we
are in the dark, where for the present we
are forced to leave our uninitiated readers
But We do know that the fashion or what
ever else it may be called, has reached Elk
ton, as it has other towns like it, and that
doubtless its votaries here, as elsewhere, will
rapidly multiply. For to the feminine
heart Il woman may as well be ont of the
world out of the fashion.
For and Against Prohibition.
RICHMOND, VA, July s.
The results on the question of prohibi-
tion III Virginia thus far are footed up as