Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1891-08-19
A paeAM OF GRACE.

A DREAM OF GRACE.
The women have new fad Not all
of the women, but few Of the 400 st
Newport. This Is not universal fad
like the Chautauquan fad, which may be
adopted by any woman anywhere, but an
exclusive and expensive fad which re
quires teacher and an abundance OF
leisure.
Mrs. w. c. Whitney of New York is the
patron saint. but Henrietta Russell OF
no where is the priestess of Delsartism,
for that is the fad, though, OF course,
these devotees do not call it fad; they
eschew slang while practicing worse
craze.
Henrietta came to this country from
England perhaps, with extraordinary
gowns, curious drapery, quaint orna
ments and bang, which is described by
an enthusiastic lady correspondent" as
marvellous She came" says the lady
correspondent, saw and conquered
Came to be not only listened to, but re-
ceiyed socially. Came to be lunched by
Mrs. stuyvesant Fish, TO be petted by
Mrs. Whitney, to be appro led Of by Mrs,
Astor and to be chummy with Sallie
Hargous."
Then Mrs. whitney became interested
in Henrietta's theories, invited a
dozen OF her friends TO hear
these new doctrines OF grace
and conceived the idea Of supplement
tary season OF Delsarte at Newport
That season is now at its apoges and
Henrietta Russell is undergoing an
spotheosis.
The lady correspondent who is assist
ing In THE work Of Disseminating Del
sartism describes Henrietta thus;
She is not big woman. though she
has the gift Of making herself look taller
than she really is. She is well rounded,
but in some mysterious fashion will
make you swear she Is slender, She is
IS 1.-the as a serpent, and Rs capable OF
vibrations as violin string. Her eyes
aud mouth are her beauty. The eyes are
blue gray, with long dark lashes, and
express all sorts Of emotions In swiftly
changing glances Her flexible,
curving lips, parting over glisten
ing teeth, are quite as
suggestive. She is not a handsome
woman, but fascinating and magnetic
Her gown All Well that Is riddle.
One is conscious Of some soft, crepe fab
rio of golden tan hue, falling in the
most graceful lines and statuesgue folds,
and clasped and caught here and there
with bizarre ornaments of carved ivory
Ne L. 10. fs,a Pa "a aah
ion and forms a nimbus over the low
brow, and over It Is set tiny Venetian
cap Of bronze and copper embroidery.
It Is difficult for anyone no. initiated
to comprehend all of that, but no doubt
the women who lil1s that sort of thing,
and who have the time and the mind for
1t will consider Henrietta wonderful
apostle Of grace or Of oddly.
TIL subject matter Of Henrietta's
new teachings Is equally difficult She
explains 1t thus
Delsartism, is the analysis Of human
expression and the science OF art. The
trouble is that his ideas have been pre-
sented to the American public by people
who have only learned tue rudiments of
us lhGoAJs hoOptNlhEtgs bno Atth HAS
gone abroad that 1t means only kind Of
aesthetic gymnastic, or a new method OF
eloeution. But it means much more
than this. 1t Is the theory of all art.
aud its principles are as applicable to
music, painting ana sculpture as TO
acting
This, too, Of course, is not clear to .he
uninihated, and therein perhaps lies its
Strengths possibility Of becoming
fad. Meantime all the women at New
port assemble to wriggle, twist ana bow
and actually get down on the floor and
crawl at the bidding of this new priest
sss Of "the science of art to learn a new
style of physical grace heretofore I'M
known and not to be used now to any ex-
tent except in the intense privacy Of the
bathroom.
The net result Of all this, in the Ian
guage of the charming and winsome
Henrietta herself seems to be that "the
bows of Mrs Whitney and Mrs Astor
are most exquisite Mrs. Whitney s
bow from acarriage is dream, and Mrs
Aston with her stately courtesy expresses
volumes with little movement"
All Of this is very gratifying. and
there is no doubt that the Delsartian
fad of grace will soon capture the
femlninity Of the sountry in a cheaper
form.