Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1889-01-11

seuae coming theatrical attraction stand
out on the polished glass, but how they
came there or by whom they were done
is a mystery to the passer by and the
man who tarries before the bar.
WHO does it?' repeated a cocktail dis
.penser on Madison street to q Mail repre-
sentative, looking up at a huge mirror
which exhibited a foreground of reeds
half concealing a meditative stork, al
lowing the spectator to gaze over a lake
upon which a boat was sailing, and
bringing his eye against a range of noun
tains in the distance. "Well, lots of
fellows around town do the work as a
steady job, and any number of seeds
tramp the country picking up drinks,
grub and occasionally a quarter, because
rather, the soap--in this kind of work.
Its done with soap, you know-pure,
white soap. The man who did this piece
of work was a traveller, and from the
way he looked when he came in the other
morning and struck for the job, / should
judge he entered the city In one of the
side door palace cars. He had a pocket
full of soap, and | told him if he would
apply a little of it to his face and hands,
in conjunction with some water, he could
use the rest on the mirror. That's the
result of his work. Looks like quite a
job, doesn't it? The fellow did it in about
an hour, and thought himself amply
paid with three or four drinks and 25
cents"
Theart of mirror decorating, like every
other speciality of the kind, appears to
require q peculiar knack for just that
kind of business. The drawing is done
with soap, and while the lines must be
boldly marked, there are opportunities
for delicate shading and requirements of
correct perspective which cannot be neg
lected il the sketch is to be a success.
And while the decorating Of a mirror in
a barroom with a piece of white soap
cannot be called very high art, it is still
an art in the sense that many a poor
tramp who is working only for a drink,
can turn out q better piece of work in
quicker time than a way up artist who
has had his picture displayed in the
academy.
The mirror decorations commonly seen
are in only one color-the white--al-
though many of the "soap artists" attain
to higher flights and indulge in colors.
What the mixtures they use are com-
posed Of they consider a trade secret, but
not a few of them can, with their white
soap and their little pots Of tinted paste,
produce really artistic results, Initiating
flowers in their natural colors and OBJ
tanning a perspective, with the aid of the
mirror itself, that is well nigh perfect.
The work is done very quickly by those
who do 1t, at q very low price. The ma
terials used are inexpensive, and the
artist is generally satisfied to make so
cents or 81 an hour for work which
comes SO easy for him.
.Tbara ora fvun nr tbraa of <haca r,ir,.n,.
decorators In the city who make it a
point to spread the merits Of theatrical
companies through the medium of their
soap. The manager pays them for their
work, and the owners OF the mirrors re-
Grafton of allowing a neatly lettered an
nouncement to appear for a few DAYS
upon the glass. And in this connection
a pertinent story has been heard. 1t is
awell known fact that the men who handle
the paint brushes, and especially the sign
writer's, are decidedly reckless in the
matter of photography.
Once, when Hearts of Oak" was to be
given at the Academy, Col. Dan Shelby,
then in charge. concluded to work the
mirror racket and hired a man to do
the job. When the colonel went after
his matutinal cocktail the next morning
he gazed at the barroom mirror and saw
"Hartz Of Oke" inscribed thereon in
large letters. 1t was that way all over
the west side, too. The bartender said
he should have corrected the soap artist
in any reasonable error, but he 80 effec-
tually disguised his words that he sup
posed the play was a new one-some-
thing about my. Hartz, OF Oke."-Chi-
cago Mail.