San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-06-14
A FEW POPULAR SIGNALS.
CODES FOR ALTERNATING AND
TRANSMITTING MESSAGES.

| How the Englishman Makes His Umbrella
Talk-The Way They Announce an Ora
tors ArriyaI-The theatrical Code, Which
Is Familiar to Us All.
Tho public has recently been entertained by
description of the primitive signals in use
among savage tribes, and of the arrange
ments they make, by the aid of drums, fires.
alarums and other excursions, TO avoid pay
ing for kilograms and special editions. To
| contrast these primitive arrangements with
the marvellous achievements of our modern
civilization sends glow of self satisfaction
through ones veins.
USE OF THE UMBRELLA
We have but few primitive signals left in
this country. Perhaps the most important of
them is the umbrella. For long distance sig
mailing the British umbrella is still extremely
popular and effective 1t is really its use as
a signaling instrument which causes it to be
| carried by the Briton, wet or dry; practice
| at which other impractical nations utter cheap
gibes A whole code of signals has grown up
around the umbrella.
Held rigidly erect in the air before us, it
indicates that we want cab, and as soon as
it is raised all the cabs within sight sweep
down upon the spot, upset the traffic,
and quarrel who shall hook the fish, in q
manner most fattering to our consequence.
When we seize it by the handle and shake it
violently, as though threatening an imagn-
airy enemy, the signal is taken at once by the
intelligent bus conductor, who knows his
own, and stops directly, in the middle of the
mud, for us to get in. When we descry a
friend in the dim distance, we raise it half
mast high to attract his attention, and if he
sees it, and feeling thirsty is disposed to chat
few minutes with us, he hoists his own in
response. We use the umbrella, too, as a
rudder whereby to steer the hanson to its
port, and as battering ram to arrest the
wild career of the omnibus The umbrella as
a signaling instrument is useful to us all,
but more especially to the aged and the feeble
For signaling within earshot the primitive
Hi" otherwise Hay" and sometimes
Hail." is still in great favor with the pub
lie. Common people are always using it, and
persons of culture will also resort to it when
hard pressed and whcs their umbrella has
failed to convey their message 1t is quite
allowable, when you have waved your UNI
brella at an omnibus without effect, for you
to say Hi" and strict etiquette will not
condemn you if you call out Hi to your
friend Green, who has his back turned to you
and cannot see your club exercise. The use
of Hi" as a signal has sSme social advant-
ages over the umbrella. The average UNI
brella during its signaling life gives seven
black eyes, strikes twenty persons full in the
waistcoat and trips over fifteen more, but
HIP hurts no one. On the contrary, its use
varies greatly the monotony of life in the
streets.
= MODERN INTRODUCTION.
C. = .,Ty :
signal Err" naturally suggests itself.
Err" is of course the quintessence of polite
signaling The cultured who could no longer
bring themselves to say Hi" had to invent
something to take its useful place, so they
invented En-" When you want to attract
any ones attention in society that is the &C
cepted signal. Though we are gradually los
ing altogether some OF our primitive signals,
sIch as the wink and the waiste, civilization
is creating new class OF very useful ones, so
useful that our complicated social life could
net go on without them. a separate code of
signals grows up with each new development
of existence.
Take, for example, the modern public meet
ing. 1t has now Il code Of signals of its own.
Before the meeting begins there is a fussy
man sent on to mop about the platform. The
of the fusSy man closely, and wait for his sig
mails, which he gives by tumbling over
chair. This is a preconcerted signal to the
audience that the speakers are coming out of
the ante-room, and that they are to begin
humping their umbrellas and waving their
handkerchiefs. The public understands this
signal perfectly and obeys it with commenda-
BILE discipline.
THEATRICAL SIGNALS
Again, the theatre has a special code of
signals of its own. Thus when the PLAYERS
form a picture" however wooden, it is a
well acknowledged signal that the summit of
art has been reached and the audience is ex-
pected to celebrate the event with enthusi-
asm. When the opera singer, after the last
verse of her song, goes up the stage and picks
blue rose Off the rhododendron bush, it is a
signal to the audience and the band that an
encore is her birthriGht. Tho topical song
ster'S signal, CuriOusly enough, is just the re-
verse of this. He signals to the audience that
he has an encore verse left by quitting the
stage as precipitately as if he were chased by
mad bull, whereupon they have him on
again, and when he has really got to the end
OF his tether he signals the fact by stopping
where he is. Even our great tragedians are
not above making Use of signals
Signals have also been arranged whereby
the experienced playgoar may know that the
piece Is practically over, and may thus get
the advantage of the ignorant in the rush for
outer garments and for the last cabs and
OmnibuSes 1t some theatres it is given by
the heroine kneeling down and saying, Il am
that long lost child" In others it is, Take