The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1886-06-11

Cupid Darts About at ii New-Fu>hion
Festival.
Especial Cor. STATE CunoxlcLr.I

Especial Cor. STATE CuEoNICLF
WILLIS GREEN. June 3, 1856 was in
Wilmington few days since and Went 10
a far or a show, called kerncs krmes~.
hermlsS. saw three advertisements and
the spelling of the word was as above
written, eacI differing. On my return |
consulted Webster and failed TO find the
meaning. II vas an establishment 10 raise
funds tor an -irmorN for the Wilmington
llght Infantry, and the scene was a beau
tiful one and the ediblcs would tempt the
most fastldioEs. Admission was only ten
cents We had been to supper and ddr t
feel like eating cake or ice-cream 50 this
WAS the outlay Tie ladies were hand
somcly dressed, and under electric lights,
the scenic display was enchanting, eSpe-
cIally the ce-cake. But | started out 10
ask you to enlighten me AS to the mean
ing of kermes. kermesse, with the ac-
cent on "kcr, Is the proper way 10 spell
the word kermesSe is church festiva!
or out door fete common III EuroDe, es-
pecially in Belgium and Holland They
are scenes of all kinds of amusements like
those of any other kind of village fete or
far The word is derived from "kerk, y
the Dutch for church, and "mesSe,' the
French for mass. The ke. mesSe proba blv
originated in the tact of the priests or pas
tors III promoting the enjoyment Of their
people and making them minister to de
popularity and support of the church, rs
church fairs do now Tenier and other
Flemish artists have pictures that repre-
sent the old time scenes of kermesse
Dancing, carnival professions, and many
of the scenes Of the carnival are among
the amusementS Of these festivals. Ed.
TOR. Nothing attracted me more than
1,Io Ill l..
90 luna thou art the moon,'
with the poets. Rather, O electric light
thou outshinest luna. A gas light com
pared with it looked red and dull One
advantage over gas is that if a country
man blows the light out, he Will not be in
danger of sufocation
With a friend equally curious, we left
klrmesS, or whatever you choose to call it,
in search of the fountain head of all this
wonderful light. Leaving Front Street
into dark alley We plOdded our way till
We reached door leading to a room
wherein an engine was running at full
blast. Knocking heavily, gruff voice said
come in. We asked the engineer to ex-
cuse US for intruding, but we wanted to
see him manufacturing electricity. He
showed US the engine and wheel attach
it as it revolved and explained that it was
friction that did the business. For half
an hour he showed and explained, and
was about as much enlighted as Il student
the first time his teacher rattles off the
solution to the pons asanorem problem in
geometry. We looked wise and said yes
sir and nodded just like above mentioned
student does and quite as often. An in
tensely brilliant light was near the engine
and on emerging into the alley leading US
back to the street, we were as blind as a
bat for while. We could not but think
of the aphorism: ''Man made the town,
and God the country" and by way of
supplement we thought man made electric
light, but God made the moonlight and
take the long run we just as soon have
moonlight in the country as electric light
in town. We rode to the sound on the
turnpike and ate some pig fish at Mannings,
and got back home safe and sound, and
unfolded to our numerous family the
wonders we had seen. CUPID.