The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-04
ON PHYSICAL EXPRESSION
Mrs. Russell Tells Indianapolis Women
How 10 Stand Up and Fall Down,
Az Well as the Proper Method of Walking,
Bowing. Sitting Down and Va
rious Other Motions.

To the energy and influence of q few
women q large number of their friends are
indebted for the appearance of Mrs. Ed
mund Russell. the famous exponent of
Delsartism, for a single talk in this city.
Mrs. Russell came yesterday morning and
was the guest of Mrs. May Wright Sewall.
During the morning Mrs. Russell
met quite n number of lndianapo-
litans informally. The hour announced
for the lecture was O'Clock,
but it was quite twenty minutes before A o'clock
when the lady, escorted by Mrs. sewall. entered
the east parlor of the Propylaum and faced an
audience of about 125 women. Her entrance
/ was quite theatrical. She paused at the door,
smiled and looked about her and then slowly
glided to the platform. There was no percepti-
BILE walking and hor movement exemplified the
expression gliding
Mrs. Russell he's q penchant for Canton crepe
shawls, and her draperies, yesterday, were OF
two handsomely embroidered ones, one fringe
forming a border, touching the floor all around,
and concealing her white kid and very high
heeled slippers, and the other the heading orthe
back breadth and the under arm-hole Tight
fitting lace sleeves, a ladder necklace
of ivory beads tied at the back with several
yards of white ribbon, a gold tissue Queen
Katharine cap, and white kid gloves, and over
utT ldCt WIS u W1lIc Tissue VOL. Cut Jus u
plump figure. almost black hair. which she
wears parted in the center and waved each side
OF her face and caught in q loose knot at the
back. She sat while Mrs. Sewall said, III have
many times presented my friends to friends. but
never has it given me greater pleasure to do so
than now when / introduce you TO Mrs. Edmund
Russell" and followed with a fatterinq descrip-
ton OF Mrs. Russell's personality, characteristics
and work.
When She has finished. Mrs. Russell arose. and,
standing In the center of the platform, viewed
her audience calmly Ger with a "now-take-me-in"
expression. while she deliberately unbuttoned,
removed and earessed her gloves. After a
GREATNESS and anxious period, she finally spoke
in a deep, rich, resonant tone and a rolling OF the
RS. which went oil III waves, like the theory she
breaches, till they collided with the first sound OF
the following word. Mrs. Russell Is all move
ment with her hands ard arms. Each sentence
has an arm accompaniment, no matter whether
they are in harmony or not; but when Mrs. ku~-
sci wishes to express any emotion OF any kind
| and there is not the slightest passing of a single
muscle to mar the beauty of the whole.
Mrs. Russell said in substances: when talk
ing about this subject, i scarcely know where to
begin. There is a physiology of the eye and a
physiology OF the SOUL" though she did not de-
| fine the latter. There is a relation of the inte-
mind, body, the soul of clothes. Well. perhaps
we had better begin with the body. Now gesture
Is necessary to character-mora character.
There is one kind of gesture that can point out
things. Not so love and the passions. 1t Is easy
10 play scales, but not easy to play with the soul.
A man can say it's a fact in many ways. Clergy
men say it all the time, in expounding their
gospel, but they make 1t with a harsh gesture
and pound the truth in as If with an ak.
There are degrees OF expression. The tech
nique OF expression Is different To know this diff
ference Is the first step" Mrs. Russell explained
how we are given notes TO play In this way. We
use the shoulder, the elbow, the wrists, and the
points so that there are eighteen notes for
the one arm. THE nerve center Is at
to the extremity OF hands and feet. We move
the easy parts first, the eyelid before the body,
and so on down.. Those nerves we use the most
are the easiest 10 use. There are laws that must
be obeyed. Arsenic IN the stomach will Kill; II
one steals he is punished; II a man murders he
is hung-though / DO hope that IL not the case
here. We do what 10 useful. Now, If l were in
New York to-day 1 should go to some lady's
| or. fifty other ladies, and We would talk
about walking. Which walk is the most
beautiful, the, fastest walk. the longest. walk"
Then followed a dissertation about walking on
heels, and ON toes or front OF the foot. Mrs.
| Russell said ITO walk on the front Of the foot
would give that unnamable and endless charm OF
| grace. To be q Venus de Milo you have TO be
developed. To be prepared for all uses in life the
body must be developed for all physical fuDc-
tions. To walk you want strength. beauty and
expression. Delsarte once said if he walked be-
hind a man and walked as he did he would feel
as the man felt A sunken chest expresses
physical degeneracy, and as one Is often mis-
taken for the other 1t is well to walk with the
chest up
Mrs. Russell spoke in the same general way
of bows, steps. sitting and falling. OF the latter
there has been considerable talk. Mrs. Russell
Il AlnhN6 a BAhOtAOo " AcAAAlh AVN Ct@AAo Je1t ~
relaxation and exercise. In describing
the bow Mrs. Russell said: 'Many peo-
pie bow from the waist. and. by so do
ing, use only the vulgar, meaty part OF the
body" At the conclusion it was announced that
II there was a sufficient number who wished TO
take a lesson at % each in the evening, she
would give one. No one admitted that she did,
and the class was not formed. Mrs. Russell was
at home with Mrs. sewall in the evening, and
this morning leaves at 3 O'Clock for Pittsburg.
Some who were there were: Mrs. III. II. Allen,
Mrs. Charles Willard, Mrs. S. +. Morss, Mrs.
James VI. Winters, Mrs. John L. Grifiths, Miss
| Cipriani. Mrs. 4. A. Coffin, Miss Roberts. Mrs. j.
L. Ketcham, Mrs. L. G.. Walker. MRS. Howard A.
Dill. Mrs. G.. +. Adams, Mrs. Morris Ross, Mrs.
John G. Dean, Miss Dean. Mrs. ].
K. Wilson, Miss Van Valkenberg, Mrs.
o.. b. jameson. Miss Knippenberg, Miss
Brownie Butler, Mrs. A. NJ Spruance, Miss
Adele Wallick, Mrs. A. b. Mansur, Mrs. ]. b.
Mansur, Mrs. Clarence Wulsin. Mrs. r. q. Oar
| l~ington, Mrs. +. w. Chislett, Miss Julia Moore,
Mrs q. NJ. shepard, Mrs. s. II. Bowen, Mrs. j. A.
Holman, Mrs. w. j. Holiday. Mrs. James 4.
Wright, Miss Allen, Mrs. W.. w.. knight, Miss
knight, Mrs. Ms. Byram, Mrs. G.. Rittenhouse,
| Mrs. H. Bates, jr., Mrs. Jay Voss. Miss Cones,
Miss Adelaide Carman, Miss Ruth Fletcher. Mrs.
L. Il. Hodges, Mrs. Addison Bybee, Mrs. A. Ii.
| Snow. Mrs. J. F. Pratt, Mrs. Henry Jameson,
Mrs. Adams OF Dubuque, Ia, Mrs. Bates of De-
troit. Miss Culbertson of Richmond, Mrs: J.u.
shaner, Miss Bella Sharpe OF Helena. Mont,
Rev. NJ. L. Haines. Mr.. I. L. Sewall and many
others.