Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-11-12
q, and to whom all strict conformities

pain, and to whom all strict conformities
81 the most inexorable social regulations
give feeling of satisfaction. My wife
g uotes them with such cordial familiarity
at table, that I involuntarily look up to
see if they have not lighted on the coffee
urn at her right hand. When |, by re-
morseless cross-examination, discover that
the,romantic "hay ride' to which our girl
Las been invited, is simply wagon Tiled
with straw, into which a lot of grown
young men and women huddle, and sit
ygTone on the bottom, and l announce my
spinion of 1t, am handed over by my wife
20 the Invisible incest people on the coffee
bot, to be rebuked for the coarseness with
Which l talk of such things. When but
ately our girl received formal invitation
10 an "Apple-pie LUNCH" and ventured
10 suggest that my wife had better return
the civility by an invitation to an Apple
Tart Soiree or Sweet Potato Matinee, my
wellmeant but clumsy humor was voted
to be out Of place, and the invisible incest
people were adjured to take me in hand.
To tell the truth I am tired Of the incest
people. 1t Is with them that find ali the
masquerading originates; all the grandi-
loquent names for little things; all the
hollow affectations and all the tinsel and
Varnlsh of society. l want the good old days
back again when molasses stew was a
moiasses stew; when could call Mrs. B.
by her first name before company, when
things were called by their right names,
and when we were more afraid Of VIC
lating the Ten Commandments than Of
offending the incest people.
was much startled at seeing IN your
paper yesterday an advertisement of
"Slippers for the holiday trade" And so
they are here again After all our fears,
after all our hopes, after all our prayers,
they are here again TIE man means
Christmas, why don't he say so? Why
does he conceal the coming calamity under
the name of holiday trade.' And it is
to be slippers again! ] can see The fine
Italian hand of the female sex in this
But nevertheless shall put some enquir
les to this advertiser. Why. say, is it
to be slippers this year Why is it that
it is not congress CATERS, or calf skin
boots, or something that man can wear
out in the snow? Why is it not black
silk hat ? How in the name OF goodness
did the female mind come to originate the
idea Of slippers, anyhow? It is not for
the embroidery; they buy that ready
made. 1t is not for health; for each pair
contains Blk cases Of ready made pneumo-
MIA. How did the slipper trsditlon, for it
ia tradition, come down to US Not
from the summary Garden of Eden; for
Adam wore no slippers, and there Was no
shoe store for Eve to buy them at, if
he had. Though l take it, that wherever
it did originate was warm climate, and
now in similar climate. But what is
the use of my trying to dissecJ the custom
to death? 1t will not die, for the sex have
SO decreed. Whatever else it is, or is not,
the slipper will always be the fashionable
present and when You have said that you
have settled the matter. The clergyman
with his one hundredth pair will receive
his hundred and oneth; the young man
with his half soled boots will have the
thirteenth added to his twelve pair of Slip
pers, and the same old note of IF you
had consulted me III advance you could
not have sent present more acceptable"
will be sealed with a brazan face and
conscience void of offence, and sent to
lnto a bondage from which no habeas cor
pals can rescue him, shod in pair of Slip
pers which purported to have come from
the most disinterested friendship. So
weak is man. and so insidious are slippers.
You have had food of amusements at
the Opera House since I saw you, and
some of them have been admirable. OF
course you were disappointed in the AIDE
laide Randall opera troupe! But you
wouldn't have been if you had seen them
two months before, in another city, as did.
Then they had no chorus and the music of
the chorus was sung by the company and
admirably sung too. They had then
fine tenor, basso, and baritone. But they
aspired to chorus, and suppose took
the money out OF the singers and put it in
tho n charms. IN xuh
had good chorus and orchestra and not
good singer in the troupe except Miss
Randall herself. All my old favorites that
| admired Sc much, were gone, and other
and suppose cheaper artists had been
put in. In the drama we have had two
most excellent companies, which afforded
fine opportunity to contrast melodrama
with tragedy. The Milton and Dolly
MOBILES company was one of the best that
has ever been, here and as good IS is now
playing in any city in this country. 1t
was one of those theatrical organizations
that Is good throughout-frOm the leading
people to the supes-as. far as the latter
can show their good points. The Freder-
lex Warde troupe gave, in "Virginius,"
the opportunity to test the taste OF Staun-
ton for tragedy. Sheridan Knowles never
wrote poor tragedy nor comedy though
he wrote many of both, and If we take
"Virginius," 1.-THE Hunchback" and
''Love Chase" we may say that We have
taken his best specimens of tragedy, mel.
odrama and comedy. "Virginius" is not
entitled to the name of classic. though it
has held the stage longer than many plays
that are, but it is masterpiece of thrill
ing situations and climax. Mr.. Warde is
a fine actor ard something akin to Edwin
Forest in mnscle and lungs. lis he also ia