Wichita eagle., 1888-07-19
WASHERS" PASTIME.
A TEST FOR THE SELF POSSESSION
OF TiMlD FEMiNiMTY.

tain Facial PhenomenOn-An 1mpolfte
Experiment. for Ladies and Their Es-
eorts to Look On. For.
The question whether every woman is
obliged to act in certain and peculiar way
II she is looked at exercises many men In
town Who originated the idea Of putting
the problem to test IS too uncertain 20 make
Il worth while TO name any one Of those who
claim the authorship. The mort likely story
about it is that the idea originated in the
brain of a well known politician, and was
frs. preached in the New Amsterdam club.
The new discovery is quite as much matter
Of contemporaneous human interest as the
FED haired girl and white horse miracle, but
Affects ths fair sex alone 1t Is embodied in
the question: why do women noisten their
lips when they are looked att The subject
Is usually brought forward II the shape Of
positive declaration, some men going so far
as 70 declare that they ard tneIr friends have
been experimenting for over year upon the
unconscious ladies OF the city, and that the
test never fails
.sAu you have 60 do says one OF these, lis
to sit opposite a lady IN car or q bus and
look at ner Intentiy without rudeness, and as
sure as you do SO, out will come her tongue
and she viii moisten both her lips. She
must be some one Jon are not acquainted
with, and when she catches you locking at
her it had better De wl5u a sight expression
of interest OF curiosity Gazing with ad-
mir alton upon her Is not q SIRE way, because
If it is done at all badly she resents it and
will simply look away, but If VOC seem 10 be
curious about her. as If you were studying
something about her hair or eyes or hat, or
as il You wero trying 10 see who she was
ike, she vii be positively certain 70 perform
this queer operation
Apparently thousands, in ever widening
circles. who have heard positive statements
of this sort are devoted TO investigating tho
phenomenon They pursue the subject in
the Streets office elevators, hotel parlors,
churches, and wherever ladies are to be
found Those who have yielded to the inf1u-
ence of the queer study declare it to be very
fascinating. They are mainly young men
They say 1t ia Like form Of hunting or fly
fishing A man singles out a lady Of attract
i've face and figure, dressed to the supreme
notch Of fashion and evidently enjoying
complete Satisfaction with herself as she
arranges her drapery and seats herself in .
horse car.
II any one were to tell her that the man
across the car had made up his mind to bend
her TO his will and obhge her to perform an
undignifled act while she sat there, she would
bail the bare suggestion as preposteFous And
yet, tsn to one, she would project her tongue,
and roll her lips inward to moisten them on
its surface az soon az she looked over to the
stranger to petrify him with an indignant
glance-at least SO these impohts experiment.
ers assert
But she would know nothing about It, and
would get out her pockesbook, find what
change she needed for the conductor, and
once again settle herself as ladies and birds
are accustomed to d. ell Obvious of the fact
that the gaze of the man opposite Is concezl-
trated upon her face with look Of quick,
curious interest. It VIII not be many minutes
before she does perceive this by reason Of
that subtle influence that is said to enable u
to awaken men and women from deep
sleep by fixing our eyes upon them. Then
she will look up ana meet the mans gaze. Il
win starrle her, and, If the rule be true, she
viii indulge in the peculiar performances
credited to her sex
This action OF the lips and tongue is not
mysterious It is merely one Of score Of
ways in which human beings especially ths
muInentary embarrassment and make an In
voluntary mechanical movement IN reaseart-
ing our self possession An equally familiar
and more noticeable unconscious trick of The
same Kind is that which European peasant
men and women have and bring to this
country with thens-a movement Of tho back
Of the hand across the mouth Another
action Of the sort IS the biting of the under
kp
The reports that some have made Of their
experiences divide the ladies' into ciasses
Some men positively assert that no matter
who she may be, any woman win wet her bps
if she is taEen of her guard by stranger
Others say that il a man looks at lady in a
certain way, It does not matter whether she
is friend, a relative. or even wife, she will
follow thls queer rule SGu others say that
high bred, proud woc1en cannot be relied On.
Once in q while one Of these haaghty ladies
viii be taken by surprise and make the
movement they say, end then again . man
may spend hah a day IN the Fourth avenue
cars above ThirtV-fourth street, and never
succeed in producing the action onca One
deep student makes q closer division, and
says that it is only tas married women
among the fashionable Of the c2n who resist
the impulse, but that all single ladies, young
and old, no matter how proud or self pos
seSzed, soccumb to the novel influence
Il is only fair to say that some men declare
as positively against the new craze as any do
for il They say that there Is nothing In it
that no woman ever under any circumstances
performs the alleged operation. There arc
not enough Of these skeptlcs to make any
Roadway against the paslne. They are inst
with the criticism that they are clumsy OK
bald or stupid or undressing to women,
and in other ways are made to regret tha.
they have tried 70 oppose the new caza
There is another class of men, still fewer IN
/ uumbers, who grow angry, and insist that
/ the whole idea is gotten Up as . practical
/ Joke. These ara the fellows Who know 20
little of art and Illusion as to-get into trouble
/ whenever they Try 70 experiment by staring
/ 20 bard and 50 extensively az t0e ladies thas
( there is constant Danger Of their being
called to account By tie otoer gentlemen
/ who happen to lie present.
/ There Is great fun n watching q clever
! ro7,nc feliozy O. IL Es selects lis victim
without seeming 20 look at her. he taxes .
sea. opposise her, opens newspaper, and
p-ztendz 70 read Il Suddenly, perhaps, be
( drurs il. sid with an expression ct surprised
Z and lively interest faseeas his gaze On tho
roots Of the isdy's hair above her brow OF Ga
her eyes or Ger oeck pin She has been hook
! fug IN another direction, but seeing the now
/ uens OK the paper. turns and meets tbs fu0
unexpected saSe Of the uan Then the II
slant cas- arrived II tie e1perinenters
speak truly, she Is certain to fall prey 70
/ hr design She Is most likely &c project tls
dainty I'D Of her coral tongue aud curi IL up
I I'D j,-- ove- 10th ErA But IL de fH{fs TO