, 1890-03-02

ing to the stomach of an habitual drunk
ard. he wiped his wide waste of nose.
Then he went in the car and fastened the
door, to indicate that the interview was at
an end.
Since then | have always regarded
Oscar Wilde as a greatly overestimated
man.
But art is not dead even though Oscar
Wilde has had his hair cut by means of
a ~can-opener, and now the great Delsarte
movement or cult is sweeping the country
like a bosom of wrath, | was going to say.
but l hate to use the word bosom at this
time without consulting some authorities
regarding its meaning.
We lave a Delsarte movement on
Vinegar Hill. l had long felt the need
OF such a movement, and so heartily
joined it Early association with Black
feet and Flathead Indians, and a course
OF training aiterward as a farm hand, had
given me a plebelan manner in society
which were sadly out of keeping with my
pregnant mind. The Delsarte school
teaches us to cultivate friendly relations
between the mind and body; that good
breeding is not shown by an artificial cul
tIvatlon. OF course we have only ad-
vanced a little in our Vinegar Hill class,
but we are getting on to the scheme, as
you might say. We are all enthusiasm
and earnestness. We have got some
books, and we can already fall down two
flights of stairs without iniuring them.
We are also enabled to ~analyze motion
and physical displacements and muscular
dislntegratiOns. We can also relax"
Likewise "devitalizs" ourselves, and al
though we "decompose," there are as yet
no flies on us.
Browning says, you know:
What Is he but a brute
Whose flesh has soul TO suit,
Whose spirit works lest arms and legs want
play?
To man propose this test
Thy body at ITS best, how far can that project
thy soul on Its lone way?
We are engaged now in the analysis of
physical motion. All motion of the body
or limbs is eloquent if we will pay atten
ton. Art comes to our aid and lets us in
on the ground floor. The higher educa
ton opens up a mighty vista in this direc
ton. all new and untrodden. 1t shows
us that what we thought. for instance, a
courteous bow, was, after all, a poorly
concealed insult. We see now that it was
a reluctant compliance with an old custom,
Instead of a meaning Il acknowledge
your worth and lower ny colors to your
superiority, y it means that Il comply
with the statutes in such cases made and
provided, and | externally bow to
you while internally biting my
thumb at you. lsimply bow in a way to
convince bystanders that l am a gentle
man. whether you are or not"
That is not true art. That is Elevated
Railroad etiquette-a bow with a string
to it, The higher education is really a
refined and durable style of Christianity
1t Is the kind that teaches us things
which will not only be OF use to us here,
but also aid US in entertaining an angel
unawares.
What would some of our Elevated Rail
road gentlemen do even if only a male
angel dropped in to spend the evening,
or ii one Of them tried to ride down
with him from Harlem to City Hall2
He would step on the wings Of a
seraph and iab his wet umbrella into the
ribs of the heavenly host il they stood in
his way.
We learn here that each organ of the
body has its significance and meaning.
when we come to a~nalyze people and their
conduct toward us from day to day. The
head, we will say, is the mental division.
If bow the head only to you | signify
that | lower M wisdom or mental Jag to
yours. | say, externally at least: You
know more than | do. 1t may be an in
ferior order of knowledge, but we will
let hat go. ] bow to you to signify that
| recognize your wonderful ability, such
as it is"