The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-03-10
POPULAR CRAZES.
they CONE uNANNoUNcso AND
DISAPPEAR AS SUDDENLY

II A. Impossible To- Account for III" Rapid
sp.rad 81 "a NV Idea ar iAd-s"nie II
the Cn.les which Have Had Recent
Ians ln This Country.
4 careworu philosopher met Tribune re-
oorter aud made him the receptacle 81 MS
,crc, woe. That which hardened the philos-
ophcr's mind wns his inability to trace to its
first cause the unreasonable nature u the
mind. not rs that quality Is found IN individ-
iais. hnt IN mankind collectively. Superior
.treneth OF viii. or natural affinity OF any
one of a dozen other force, will fully explain
The influence 81 one individual over another,
ont viii not arcount for tie manner IN which
errain IDEAS, confined perhaps TO few per
s3ns at first, spread rapidly AMI finally
sway whole communities or nations The
names given 10 these phenomena vary Viii
he character Of the impression. and the Inn
preston Itself may be lasting or II may di5-
appear a. quickly and mysierously as 81
rose 4 profound thinker gives some theory
20 the world. ,ud IL Is dubbed philosophy ia
theolo,inn discovers. or thinks he does, some
new meaning to scripiufai passage, and
..o.nts out a new way Ia salvation, which is
ealled religion: but when general fnpres
sion is made by something that has no con
aection with either philosophy science on
religion it is cont,mptuou-y called a "craze
by those who escape its influence. and made
bat. Gof the r,dicule Of the nheliever.
THE BLUE GLASS CURE ALL.
In the last named class there Is no more
.0nsricuous example than the blue glass craze
which was inflicted upon the world BY Cen.
Please nton la a book printed la blue ink and
bound in blue boards THIS publication pur
ported 70 demonstrate timt the blue or az.
lnlo ray Of the spectrum was the source o.
NE and panacca for all the Ills % which
fhe human flesh, and mind, too, for that
matter. vas heir The new idea caught
On 80 az IL were. and swept the country like
Manitoba zephyr. Blue glass windows, blul
Glass couselvatorics. blue glass speCracies.
and blue glass IN a dozen other shapes ap-.
near,d as though they had been summoned
by witchcrait Every one who had an ache
" pain became his own physician and
bathcd the affected part IA copious streams
Of sunshine filtered through piece Of blue
class Regular practitioners were left 70
nope in their Office Tho medica. prolcs
sion appeared TO be- ou the point Of annihila.
ion The newspapers Of TINT day contained
many accounts Of remarkable cures effected
by this remarkable ageucy--cuIes which O
few skeptics maliciously attributed more a.
the absence of professional treatment than
20 the efficacy Of blue glass The reign OF
the ccrulean school however, was brief, and
The actinic ray was allowed 10 resume it,
legitimate function Of making photographs
Another craze which seized upon the fcmi-
nine mind and ragged with great virulence Tor
a season was tho cray quilt craze, which,
10 must be conceded. was felictOu-ly named.
Women are more prone % lose their heads
over a novel idea or new bonnet than mcu
and hence tho enthusiasm with which they
took up the erratc thing under consideration
called for no extraordinary expression OF
astonishment When the craze struck Do
struck bard, and womankind surrendered un
condhionally Something Of this Kind seems
10 be essentially necessary 10 Tie femaio con
siitu'ion \ natural and irrcprf,-ibio force
that otherwise might lead nobody know
where finds vent in the Harmless occupation
OBJ makiug sckly sentimental Motfoos. paint
nr impossible flowers or sewing ihe od d ends
q eiikrn tnery intoR o0nclumcrate ma.s ani
calling the product a thing Of utility. Tho
/ crazy quilt affords an Opporiunityfo working
up into ornamental lnd useful shape all the
silk satin. plush, velvet and hroadcloth
scraps that have collected 10 the household
daring many years, and as ~ woman was
ever known 60 de,pse the ornamental. $50
matter how she looked upon the useful, TOE
crazy quilt soon became popular II ha,
however. gone ihe way Of all crazes.
RISE AND FALL or TIE ROLLER SKATE
Tho most malignant type OF this peculiar
mental disease that has appeared in recent
years was the roller skating mania, which
placed all the wo-ll ON wheels and .ot the in
habltants thereof 90 chasing one another
around in endless circles, with no other ap.
parent object than an imbocie ambition 10
see who could keep up the nouotonous round
the longest Every village, town and city b.
tho land had it. roller rink or inks, mud
many a shrewd SPECTATOR reaped golden
! harvest while the craze was 40 It's height
Many another SPECTATOR, not .o shreRd. PIT
all bis capital iuto rink just before tho bot
tom dropped out OF tho tad and found him
,elf the owner Of big bar4 Inc structure oi
no earthly use whatever
The world La, 40 reason 20 mourn the fact
that roller skating Is practically dead Fol
lowing hard upon its heels camo the tobOg-
gan which from IA rural point IT view can-
not bs said to bo great Improvement
The spectacle u - young woman seated 90
rhinsio and shooting down uu iry mclhl
with her leet clutcLmg TIE sides Ut IL young
man IN front II her is not an ,diiyus ono for
| cJldblOoded Observer. however pleasant the
/ situation may be for tho young woman and
/ the young man Ia the mad rush for the
| bottom Of tho slide and - tie velocity
/ II the toboggan increases, doubtless tic
weaker vessel finds 10 necessary 70 cling
/ tighter and tighter % her bold cavalier, and
doubtless the bold cavalier fully appreciates
/ that feature OF the performance Added to
/ the above attractions is the spice OF danger
which gives TO tho sport piluancy that J.,
often a i4itie moro pronounced than desirable,
as recent events have shown, bat the probaoil.
/ titles Of fractured limbs. dislocatcd joints and
| broken ueclis viii exercise no restraining III
/ nuence 90 long "a the sl4do Is TIC fashion