Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-05-09


someness-Sitting and Walking.
so you, too, belong to the Delsarte dis
clple class?" heard n man say to a pretty
woman at dinner.
Pray, how do you know?" with a slight
lifting of the eyebrows and a suspicion of
blush.
From the manner in which you sat
down at table, then took that olive and
now nlbble it. You are unconsciously con-
sclous OF a new mannerism in which you
are not perfect, but which you practice
whenever you remember to do so. have
detected a dozen women within the last
two weeks making thesame effort. Come,
own up. Aren't you Delsartean?"
The pretty woman laughed so heartily
as to attract general attention. A conven-
lent luli IN the service gave opportunity
Tor Droadside of questions. The pretty
woman, now thoroughly reused to O spirit
OF repartee, confessed that she did belong
to female class who had been making
study of the Delsartean methods; that all
her set were in it,
Oh, yes, our spirited little informant was
quite willing to give the whole snap
away, with illustrations too.
You all laughed at the manner in which
took an olive. Now I'll show you the
N-AALOhShSC pCuhccIl Uue OIL way anu Une
new. Mary" turning to our hostess, ''just
help yourself out of that dish. -
Mrs. B put her hand straight out to
the dish, captured the olive and drew it
straight back to her mouth, evidently be.
llevIng that the shortest distance between
two points is the straight line that Joins
them
''Oh! but that is too awful" shrieked the
Delsartean. Now watch me-
The little hand was poised, the wrist
moved slowly downward in a gentle curve,
the finger tips dropped on the olive like a
butterfly on rose, the hand returned to
the mouth in an upward curve, the whole
motion describing parabola, and with
the slightest turn of the wrist olive met its
fate.
The movement was so pretty and grace
full that we applauded vigorously and
asked for more.
CONTRASTS IN CoLORs
So she went on:
1T was very funny the first day our class
assembled. We all went in street costumes,
and were drawn up in line feeling rather
ashamed and inclined to giggle as our very
stern and aesthetic looking teacher stalked
IN and eyed US keenly. She wore no stays
The first thing she did after looking US
over was to march up to Mrs. b, who,
You know, has bright color and touch
ing turquois brooch which pinned her
bonnet strings said, severely: Don't you
know that blue and red, being opposite
colors, should never be worn in jIxtaposi-
ton? Your blue pin simply emphasizes
the redness OF your cheeks, which, | pre-
sumo, you wish to subdue.' Mrs B
blushed from red to scarlet, but meekly
took her turquois off and put it in her
pocket.
Turning immediately to Mrs c.,
who is stout and was trying to suppress a
smoker, our teacher remarked coldly: May
ask, madame, why you stand with your
arms hanging against your hips? You sim
ply increase your breadth by the width of
your arms. Clasp you hands thus just be,
low the point of your stays, and you will
materially reduce your appearance OF
BEAM
just then, as a happy diversion, Miss
G., who, you know, is about as graceful
woman as there is in town, came surging
into the room with Hello! girls and her
regular little wriggle of her hand in the
air.
SITTING DOWN.
sour apostle eyed her keenly for mo.
ment and then spoke: Madam, your en-
trance into the room was as graceful n
movement rs have seen since left Eng
and easy carriage was completely married
by that abominable little flourish of the
hand. Never raise your hand above your
head if you can avoid it. But let us revert
to other matters more physical than ies-
thetic. Will you ladies please sit down
and then rise again?'
Gas sce sank into chairs, fauteuils and
divans and then struggled to our feet
again the spasm of pain which shot across
our instructress' severe features told the
tale that we had done something awful
to her at least. Her voice sounded almost
sepulchral as she uttered her dictum:
Not one-no, not one-of you ladies
knows how to sit down or rise again.
Watch mep
''She approached close toa chair, brought
| her heels close together and sat down gent
| ly in a perfectly perpendicular line, with
| out any lurch or swaying backward against
| the cushions. As she arose the heels went
! slightly under the chair and she resumed
| the perpendicular without any other mo-
ton than n Strengthening of the knees
I'VE were all conscious now of having
| made terrible botch of the simple daily
| process of sitting down. Some of us had
| thumped down, others sprawled, and in
rising all of us had leaned forward with a
jerk, while majority had used the hands
on the knees or hips as sort of levers to pry
| us up"
| GOING UP STAIRS.
'We were now asked to go up stairs one
| by one Jolly little Miss N, who is
| full of mischief, grabbed up her skirts,
doubled over forward, and went up with a
rush. We all followed more slowly, sup
| posing we were on precisely the right
track.
again the incisive, steely voice blighted
our hopes
"'You all bend forward humpbacked,
with your shoulders rounded and your
| lungs contracted. You need air in your
lungs in climbing. Keep the body perfectly
erect, as in rising from a chair. The strain
will fall on the calves of your legs and
hips, and that is where it belongs So we
all marched up again. straight as broom