St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-14

signature and become law. "The
Chimes of Normandy" was presented
by the Wilbur Opera company,
and those who in the conventional pro-
ductIon of the dainty little opera would
have been assigned to wear tights, dis
playing the neither limbs above the
knee, had the lower halves of their
anatomy encased in the regulation old
style boomers. The bloomer is a style
of trowsers which is hardly calculated
to become popular.as bifurcated gar
ment. 1t was invented before bicycle
riding came into vogue, and is calculated
to give an exaggerated fullnesS to the
limbs and impart to them the shape and
proportion of the legs of Dutch piano.
AS a disguise of the outlines of the
human form divine, however, the
bloomer is effectual, and as a grotesque
travesty upon the object it is supposed
to accomplish 1t is a success. The
audience which assembled to witness
the innovation proposed by
The GuiIeless Statesman
from Shakopee was a large and
fashionable one, and was on the tip-tOe
of expectancy as the curtain went up.
Pretty soon Conley, the tenor, wan
dered onto the stage. This gentleman
lays claim to great beauty of person.
He bangs his hair, and usually looks
quite sweet. Not the least attractive
feature of his makeup are his we'll
rounded legs, and plump calves. But
tonight he was transformed. He
looked like lightweight who had
joined fat mans base ball club and
was attempting to wear a uniform sew
eral times too large for him. The ma
terial which encaSed his neither limbs
was of a figured pattern,
and was caught at the ankles
with puckering strings. and edged with
lace. He sank on one knee, and with
the flsherman's net began his solo.
which had never before failed to i'm
press his hearers. But the charm was
broken, and the house only roared at
his appearance instead of listening with
the attention that is so fiattering to a
tenor who is used to female praise
and admiration. The next bloom
er that was waited before the
sight of the audience was the
attenuated and fragile Harvey, the COM
edian, who appeared as the notary. He
was expected to look funny, and he did.
His general appearance was that of
small boy wearing his fathers pants. A
little dinky hat topped off the startling
apparition. He announced that he was
just in from Shakopee, the home of Nc
Hale, and was on his way to the Corne-
vile fair. The house was ready to
laugh at any referance to McHale or the
anti-tights bill, and he succeeded in
Winning Applause
much more easily than is usual with
him. 1t was i'll the second act, how
ever. that the blooming bloomers
bloomcd in all their glory. The chorus
girls, twenty-four in number, danced
out in line, and their appearance was
made them look like SO many
animated tops. Their pts, or
were voluptuous in their fullness, but
were saved from the danger of bagging
at the knee by the use of spiral hoops,
it was plain to see, which kept their un-
mentionables properly distended and
lent an air which, if not exactly sylph-
like, might be described as 5uoyant.
The material was calico. such as is used
for window curtains and bed quilts,
and some of the patterns were startling.
The girls marched around in a circle,
and then ran off the stage giggling.
The audience would not let them 90.
PEELED their temperance. So the show
went on, the gags ON the McIIale bill
and references to blooIners always ex-
citing ap5iause. One effect was plain.
The girls who have worn tights without
thought, and always looked the pink
Of decorum, became suddenly con-
scious that they had legs, and
that they were being looked at.
From the way they scurried about the
stage it was evident that they were
abashed, although they had before faced
hundreds of audiences without tre-
NOR.
Seriously, the presentation Of an
opera, except as broad farce, is out of
the question. That much was demon :