The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-19
CLARA BELLIES SUNDAY TALK
The Deliberate and Dignified Style in
Which Evarts Starts for Washington.
Drilling Girls in the Manual of Stage Smiles
New Danger for Immodest Actresses
New York Girls Fail to Impress Duke.
Special to the Indianapolis Journas.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
New YORK, Feb 13-Probably the reader
would hurry around the corner TO William
M. Evarts start for Washington, so interesting
are the small personal characteristics of great
men. Well, sit comfortably in your chair and
view the event through my eyes. On rainy
day this week commotion was visible IN the
usually quiet and solemn household of the Ia
nous statespan at Fourteenth street and Sec
end avenue Persons could be seen hurrying to
and fro behind the windows. thing which was
so astonishing that residents on the opposite side
of the street sat down at their windows to watch
A heavy. old-fashioned carriage, with low step,
drawn by two weil-fed and sleek looking horses,
was driven up to the curb in front of the Sena-
tors house. The old coachman, with his loose
fitting livery and awkward manners. hauled
them MP short. fastened the reins around the
whip-hand le. and slowly cismbered down from
his seat He opened ths door of the vehicle,
and looked into it, apparently to assure himself
that mischievous person had jumped in since
he had left the stables. Then he slowly
walked up to the storm doors of the house and
gave the bell strong pull. Then he went back
again in the same deliberate manner. opened
the carriage door and stood there looking vacant
ly into it. Soon the storm doors opened again,
and q negress put out her head. She made some
remark to the coachman, which induced him to
let go of tho handle of the carriage door and fol-
low her into the house. Five minutes later he
emerged again with two heavy, sole-leather
valises, which he slowed away carefully inside
the carriage. Another FIVE minutes elapsed.
Again the door opened. This time Evarts him.
self came out He looked rather under the
weather. His heavy overcoat was bustoned
tightly around him and his coat collar
turned up so as almost to conceal his ears. The
same old stove-ppe hat that had sheltered his
head for the past ten years was jammed down
until it almost met the coat collar, leaving very
little OF his face to be seen. He also carried two
valises and their weight was too much for HING
as he tottered considerably on his way to the,
carriage. An old lady one of the Senator'S reia-
tives and young lady, of his
daughters-in-law, stood in the doorway
and watched him. AS he reached
the carriage, the coachman relieved him OF his
burdens, and be turned around to wave an adieu
to the ladies. 1t was a very awkward sauta-
ton, and immediately afterward he seemed to
regret it. as compromising his dignity. lie
folded his hands behind his back. and walked up
and down the street pavement in a thoughtful
manner. It took him long it usually does
to get out one of bis complicated sentences be-
fore he made MP his mind to get into the car
riage. All this time the coachman had been
holding on to the carriage door In an occupied
way. which was as near as possible an imitation
had finally deposited himself on a seat between B
his valises. the coachman closed the door and
climbed up to his seat AS the carriage deap-
peared around the corner, handkerchief could
be seen fiuttering from the wlnow nearest the
house. The Senator was waving last adieu
before taking his departure for his seat in the
Senate at Washington.
Funnie- goinss.on were Witnessed 's.y me III
rehearsal for smiles" That was what the
stage manager called it, and such in fact it
proved to be. There is a big spectacular enter
tainment at the Academy of Music, with ballet
and other feminine pleasantries in it. This is
it's seventh week, and the managers noticed that
many Of the performers were becoming stereo-
typed in their manner. They went through
their duties in prefunctory way, aad this was
specially true of their smiling. The ballet
character anyhow at its best; and it couldn't
stanc any deterioration. There is really moth
ing for her to smile at. when you come TO think of
it, and she does it only as part of her business
She may see her own dancing Hs others view it
by means of downward gances. but she couldn't
get look at her own mouth. All the panto-
culiar rehearsal Being assembled on the stage,
the foot lights turned on at full head and
the stage manager took his seat in front.
when say three. grin, he said "One, two.
three"
It was a ludicrous scene The girls were in
their street attire, and they We're prepossess-
mothers and grand mothers which traditional
jests attribute to the ballet New York has of
late rejected overmaturity in ballets, and man
ayers have been compelled to provide youthful
meas. At the word Of command the long row of
faces instantly became smiling. Some OF the
smiles were dimpled. pretty and natural. Others
steadily maintained for about a minute. and
then the boss shouted, ''Stop." He told them
that what he wanted to get rid of was the ''set
sme," by which he meant that unnatural con-
tOrtiOn of the month which looks much like
pain mirth.
We'll try it once more, ladies. il you please"
he said. land all of you who smile right will be |
relieved Now, agaln-one, two, three
There was considerable Improvement. The |
expert fixed his eye on the girl at the right of
the front line, and said: Yours will do; drop
out. The second will remain. Three and four
can 60. Five and six must 10 great deal bet |
ter" And 80 he passed bis comments along.
Fourteen unsatisfactory smilers remained And |
there the show ended. so far as my eyes were |
concerned, for the man marshaled these imper-
feet girls into separate room whore there were |
large mirrors, and where he spent the ensuing |
hour training them how to smile in a manner |
oewitching to a theatrical assemblage.
A new danger has been developed for immod- |
est actresses. One of the bad signs of the times
is the drawing power of the immodest bur |
lesque. An evening spent at one of these pop |
ular entertainments affords amusem ent of the |
ightest character which is forgotten in al |
hour. Possibly more sentiment has been |
wasted in a century upon the unseen heartaches |
behind the footlights than the subject warrant |
ID, but Of the physical pains accompanying per- |
Eormances of this sort to-day there can be no |
ioubt There will come time, and that short |
y. when if decency fails to call halt the doc
tors must. A painful incident in this connec- |
lion came under my notice about fortnight |
ago. certain burlesque, now runnipg in town,
has been setting New Yorks youth by the ears
BY reason. not of its inherent cleverness, but of
is abbreviated attire. In most bur
esQues il is possible for the girls
10 sustain the strain of the |
lights upon the shoulders By means of straps.
The tights, it should be explained, have 10 be
held ND by hard pull to keep them unwrinkled.
In this piece IL Is not possble-at least with the
eadiue eharscters-and this weight, which is
very great, is borne by the waist pressure. the