The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-07-29
AS IN A LOOKING GLASS.
The Doings, Sayings, Happenings ana
Sights of a Day in the City.

stone, two twin steamers that plyed be-
tween here aud Norfolk and Baltimore, /,
met with the same fate IL Is bit few
years ago that the Mabel l.. Philips. ~
flash" three-masted schooner. was
launched at Taunton. She was the finest
schoo er anoat. In n fsw years others
were built Iar surprising he. she ran
on rock on the coast. She WAS con-
demned. Yesterday u brse with the
same name. Mabel Il. Phillips, was un-
loading coal at the little pier.
down Went McGinty" and "Annie
Rooney" had faded into the dim, forgot
ten past. After the Ball' has reache
the stage al intense weariness Ito the
hetrers) and will soon be relegated to "A
5O-f )ot grave without headstone Co
mark its r sting place. The world stops
breathing, and waits for the first strains
OF new song that wiz
inlet its unmusical caaences sss
upon an unoffending public.
Tney all meet the same fate, but the
publishers WAS fat and wealthy. The
musician today who wants lame. doesn't
want TO write symphonies, nocturnes,
tarantelles or sonatas, he wants To write
so netting that briggs him TO the
verge OF nausea Mt its Jin4ly. sense.
less, meaningless charac er (or lack or
charactcr) ami then after holding his
nose TO spring IL upon the public. Then
will he be famous-then Will he b.
wealti Tue more the tune disgusts
him the more surely eau he count on It's
success.
This is the way that the ulcra-classical
musician talks. But n musician with
wider vision and broader thought will
S y that while these popular airs are not
musically worthy. yet they represent a
passing Iancy, whim OF the people,
which, when looked into. IS
more than mere whim and
appears Co be but the outspoken feeli Z
OF the masses. Take the song "Aunie
X 1oney." that achieved such popularity
L represented type OF humanity pecu-
liar alone 20 this country AMI its customs
that had never been given voice to out
de of newspaper literature. After the
Ball" with its slckly ma wish sentiment
ality is not worthy If half the ons!der-
alton that annie Rooney" was. One
is the product OF and caters TO morbid
imaginary condition OF society. far FRO n
its trend. "Annie Rooney" the
other, is clean, wholesome, and strikes
directly at an existing condition OF work-
ing people and moreover Is good speci-
men oi its class OF music. However, all
these songs maintain but temporary
popularity, AS is consistent with their
shallowness and lack OF merit.
! I !
of "A match or any hing else that is COM
bustinle may seem AN absurd PROPOSE
tion, but IL can be readily done, and in
some houses in two different ways. L
have been in houses when owing TO some
peculiar comb nation the whole
house was charged by electricity.
To walk across the floor rapidly meant to
accumulate enough electricity to give
you quite sensible shock IL you placed
your nauds In contact with metal In
one house L have in mind. when shaking
hands with the host or hostess shock
anu spark would be instantly generated.
As one OF the bright young ladies In the
house remarked even when you KISS "a
person an electric shock would tingle the
lips, in case Of her hancee-pardon the
puma sort OF electric spark took place
when they met. The heavy carpets, the
combination of gas and other pipes
probably generated the electricity. l
nave lighted the gas there aud in num-
Der of other houses bv first turning it on
full force, then scuffling across The car
petted floor rapidly aud placing my finger
tip at the open gas Jet, when the
gas would Immediately Ignite. In the
majority of houses where WOODEN, tapes
try, brussels or velvet carpets are used
electricity will be noticed, and in winter
in sufficient force to light the gas with.
But Tor summer use gas can be lighte in
different way. There must be two gas
Jets In the same room, not more than six
or elgnt feet apart from each other. Only
one OF these jets is lighted, and the other
turned on full. If the burners are of
the regulated kind the glass globes
must be removed. All this, of course,
must be done just before the experi-
ment is made. When everything is
ready. the two hands of the person
operating are formed into hollow
around the lighted jet. bringing them as
close together as possible. A moment
later, and just as rapidly as possible, the
hands, without separating them, are held
over the unlighted jet. enough Of the
fire TO the second Jet, III the first trial
should prove failure the experimenter
need not be discouraged. The hands have
either beea held too far apart or the
pressure of gas was not great enough at
the proper moment. Several Trials Will
invariably result In success.