Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-08-03
New Style of Evening Parties.

A young man in Boston who is going
abroad soon wished to entertain some
friends before his departure He knew they
were surfeited with the ordinary style Of
evening parties He wanted something orig
inal He invited ten young ladies and nine
young gentlemen As each guest entered the
reception room he or she received a hand
somely engraved card which bore the
mysterious word "Causerie." hint as to
the meaning of what would follow was given
by the quotation from paradise LOST"
with thee conversing, | forget all time"
After his guests had puzzled their brains try
ing to decipher the meaning, the host vol
unteered an explanation. Ten subjects were
presented for discussion, and he had chosen
ten couples to do the work Instead Of
spending the evening in dancing, each gem
tleman was expected to fill out his card with
the names of the young ladies with whom he
desired to talk. In that respect it differed
slightly from the selection of partners for the
dance. There could be no wall flowers. The
conversation must be general
Five minutes were devoted to each topic,
and at signal from the host there was
general swapping of partners and complete
change in the style of conversation. For
instance, the company opened the ball by
telling what they knew about Boston Busy
BIS, Baked Beans, Brown Bread, Baseball,
Big Brains, Blooming Beauties, Blithesome
Bachelors" When the young ladies had
practically foored the gentlemen in regard
to the relative merits Of baked beans and
brown bread as the best method Of producing
bid heads on ball tossers, they turned their
attention to the topic: THE Lady or tho
Tiger hichr' There was strong division
on that as well as on the next topic, 'Should
Mrs Cleveland be re-electedp The others
were: CONSCIOUSNESS" The real affinity
between a red headed girl and white horse"
Boston Fads, "Given a squirrel on a tree
and a man at the foot The man moves
around the tree the squirrel does the same
thing, keeping always on the opposite side.
Can the man 60 around the SQUIRREL "Wil
the opposition to the Andover theology war
rant the heather in adopting protective
tariff, excluding our missionariesT Does
an incubated hen have any maternal in
stinctr and the ladies were familiar with the
last topic for the evening, Leap year The
Argonaut
Military Experiments In France.
The French squadron, now gathering at
Toulon for the regular summer evolutions,
has with it an aerostatic corps charged with
work of a wholly novel kind, Captive bal
looms are to be sent up from the ships to
heights Of 800 meters-about 900 feet-and,
the Weather permitting, still greater attitudes
will be attained. As is customary when such
ascensions ara made from the land, to-
pograpner viii go up with the balloon to
make sketch Of the underlying country,
with special reference to roads and woods or
the position Of supposititious enemy il the
country is hostile one, or if friendly, then
to mark of on a regular field map his posi-
ton with reference to the general topography
Of the country, giving a careful estimate Of
his strength as TO numbers and situation.
When the experiments are made on the
French coasts, severe tests may readily be
applied to the typographical work done in the
sky, for the French have complete charts Of
their country, both coast and interior, with
every cross road and lane accurately de-
termined and laid down, every hill measured,
and indeed the position Of every house re-
corded The topographer in the balloon,
however well he can see, must guess as to the
effect of the light and color in the foreshorten-
ing of the picture beneath him, and at the