Birmingham age-herald., 1895-05-12
TREND OF THE TIMES.

Is this a reversible or revolutionary age? Seemingly it is. just now London society is said to be quite busy with darning parties, in which men are the principal participants. Sarah Grand has given us a neat sketch in the form of a recipe for grumbling and restless old men who have not ceased to take an in terest in things around them, but have passed the stage of active life. She says put them to knitting; it works like charm. She has tried it on her own good grandpa and an old friend of his who was visiting him. Their great inter- est in the work took all of the snarls out of their minds.
 And lecturers in skirts are becoming numerous all over the civilized world. l suppose possibly have not been pos sessed with sufficient amount of ambi- tion and discontent to be a worshlpper at the shrine of womans independence. Last week while looking over some of the dailies l saw enumerated the many injusticeS that the different states al- lowed or enforced upon their women. I felt almost like weeping; I didn't know that we had been treated so badly. Upon reflection, though, I came to think that these were only collection of thorns, and the roses had not been mentioned. After all, one can but feel to express InemSelVeS In the words Of Puck:
 What fools we mortalS bel"
 May women wear the conventional boomers? We, from constant usage, grow in grace or sin, either of which is style after its own way. No, the bloom CTS are no sin, but it does seem like sin in very crude form to see lovely women attired in these hideous suits; it has a sayor of wish to be masculine in ap- Dearance, which 1 truly believe all we'll balanced men abhor. When one sees a man who admires a masculine woman they may at once admit that he has more than effeminate weakness. A man or woman with these unnatural tenden- cies is to be pitied by clear-seeing world. Bicycling Is healthful for the average woman, because it brings into proper play all the muscles of the pro- peller. If there is no other use for pent- up energy and strength let our husbands, fathers or brothers build for us a high wall around our homes, so that We may ride in a secluded spot What would our good old grandmothers have said had they have seen pretty girl making herself the observed of wicked eyes by donhing a boomer and mounting a cy- cle? No, 1 didn't mean to summarize, but the trend of the times is said to be primeval. For one to know that a thing is old-fashioned makes 1t doubly valua- ble, and nlodesty must not be forgotten in the rush for admiration.
 "TfilbY" is not even allowed Sundays rest I have come to the conclusion that the leading dailies have their Trilby edi- tors. I have never known a book so thor oughly analysed. It has been studied from every point of view. It is usually thought that an author has leading point in view when he writes a book; it is as a mission among the people so far as it's influence goes. l have failed to find DuMaurier's literary or moral star in the constellation. It is just a simple story, plainly told in an interesting way showing the author to be familiar with the high arts. He handles music with a knowing air and touches up his subjects with pencil and brush. In fact, there is no book which touches the, different phases of life in such a knowing way. It gives us innocence in it's crudest form. The preachers have just peeped into the pages of Trilby, or at least would feel little embarrassed to acknowledge that they had read the book. The pres- ent denunciations are big advertising for the author. Just let an impatient people find they are not expected to do 4 thing and every nerve will be strained to do that very act. The best way to let real or imaginary wrong pass is to never mention it.
 There is a big war just now waged against 10-cent yellow-backed novels. I have just read Black Beauty" to my boys, and think that they as well as myA self are better by the reading I find they are more thoughtful to animals in trusted to their care. I heard little boy say he never knew that his pony loved cake until after he had read "Black Beauty" he gave him a trial one day. Black Beauty" is 10 cents, and is often found in a yellow dress.
 STELLA STONE.