The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-04-07

APING THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS
or OTHERS.
ITS ENGLISH, you KNOW, QUITE
ENGLISH.
wADDLE OF THE ALMOSED EYED
BEAIIIEs
The Hero ct Our Most Modern Novel
what - Going on In society--oIne
of the Weddings that VIII
Soon Come or

His Continent which We thought
charming, Notwithstanding the opinion
of one critical reviewer that it was the
first failure Of very clever man and de
cidedv "chestnutty twas either too
anxious To give US some love taps
alone. or with clnse-eyed discretion YER
fled the prudence Of the maxim, None
30 blind A. those who will not see for
be aimed not a single blow or let fall
not one Of his jesis and jibes at that
most pre-eminent of all Americanisms-
imitation
This undeniuble tendency at con
tinual "aping' the manners and customs
Of other people and other countries
might furnish some material for those
builders who even catch AT straws to
support the Darwinian theory. but 10
the more practical mind il simply means
an acknowledgment of our weakness.
our own opinions of the true and the
beautiful are set aside for those oi
others BY being content 10 be copyisl
we confess the superiority OF such that
create. and especially anything which
has been permealed with the damp
ness Of crossing the pond which
separsles M from the other continent is
stamped with value indisputab!e. Bar
rels upon barrels of painted and pos
OnOus candics aIc steWed mp IN orr own
little towns and readily sold because il IS
called French The shape and color
of a bonnet are Of minor and insigniil-
cant importance ii itpOssesses the essen
tial beauty OF having come from Paris;
ia fact, tie most imperative degree OF
beauty that can be applied is expressed
in the word "Frenchy.'
I'm our State, where miles OF highland
and lowland are green with the growth
Of tobacco. where thousands of men
toll a. "bread. winners in the cultiya-
ton and manufacture Of the "hlihy
weed" there is not one Of them who
will not cast aside the work of their own
hands to draw long. supposed 10 be
more delicious. willis from the cigar
imported" This absurd idea that any
thing foreign is better than our own. Is
even carried into personal Identity ana
for business purposes trademark Is
put upon the homemade article, even
when it is name. For instance. MI.
Charles Smith, knowing how T. play the
piano. knows how to do moth
ing else. so determines to "star'
in concert Having procured the
az istance OF Miss Kate Martin, who
sings In the choir al the village church,
he stands his hair on ends, puts on some
gold-rimmed spectacles, healds bis COM
ing through play bills of gigantic letter
ins-"Grand concert. Herr Karl Won
Schmidt, pianist, musician, al the court
OF the late Emperor, ably assisted 10y the
world.renOWned prima donna, Slgnorlna
Katrini iii Martini Do Needless 10 add, that
packed houses greeted these foreign
artists" And Charles Smith and Kate
Martin grew rich through the trick Of
their trade.
The period IN which we were such
frantic imitaiors of every thing English
could have had no more graphic descrip-
ton than that in the popular little street
song
" Oh. the queer things We say, and the queer
things We DO,
It's Eng isn, you know quite English you
know
The craze converted all Of our beauti-
ful horses with their long tails into gen
uinc bob-tailed nags,' made our grace.
full frmly-seated Diana Nernons jump
and Jolt in their saddles with anything
but serenity
1t enabled Us to give trgo aad degmt
entertainments with the cost OF thin
crackers and thinner tea, and 10 be con-
sidered very well for having a five
o'clock English tea IL made us do
up" the show instead Of seeing 10 We
no longer drove in buggies and carriages,
but perched aloft in " dogcarts.
or took hanson OF cab
The English ulster Of narrow proper
tons, and Derby bat, which the girls
wore and puzzled the public as 80 whe-
Their they were efieminate men or mascu-
line girls, while the mimics Of the Lon
don swell were as economical with their
one eye-gIass as nature had been with
their brains, and were careful to roll
their trousers at the bottom in dry wea-
Their a. we'll as wet
Almost as absorbing was the frenzy
for all things japanese, and, while the
customs OF the great MikadO had many
staunch followers, the funny little pac-
ing waddle of the almond-eyed beauties
was, happily, never inflated, but atten-
ton unstnied was layished on fans,
both small and great, which fres-
coed all fashionable halls Nam
moth parachutes kept of the glare
of gas as well as sun, and Mercury
folding screnes emblazOned with gllded
storks and quaint devices did good ser
vice in the japanese fence. Now the
spreading epidemic called Russian IS in
creasng In its temperature and by sum
mer will doubtless be at feayer-heat, espe-
cially if in the course Of fashionable con-
sistency, we garnish, &C., garments with
sable and suffer 10 be beautiful in fur
lined musins. We must read and talk
Russian literature If deficient in the
classic legends of Peter the Great, the
theories of Count Tolstor will pass
muster" for your knowledge that Russian
is the thing.
The'hero of our most modern novel is
namesake of the celebrated Prince
Vladimir, in whose time the Christian
religion was introduced into Russia, and
the wedding customs OF that interesting
country, recently related, will lose no
time in winning converts in the Amer
leans, and who even like to get married in
foreign fashion.
Mrs. Amehe Riyes-0 hanler, Mrs.
Riyes and Mr.. Chandler were the guests
Of Mrs. j. Adair Peasants for few
DAYS last week. This most agreeable
party was entertained on Monday even
ing al dinner by General and Mrs. An
derson, and on Tuesday evening at a
dinner party given by Mrs. Colonel Con
nelly
Miss Glenn Atkinson and Miss Emma
Atkinson, of stanton, are with their
aunt. Mrs James Dooley.
Miss Edith Walker, of Staten Island,
who has been visiting Mrs perciyal ;.
Grant, is now the guest OF Miss sallie
Mayo
All galety and social interest now
gives promise OF being focused in the
prospective marriages which will take
place in our city in the early future. On