The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-28

| the probable cost of many of the gowns
| worn by the women who were present and
the estimated value of the different jewels.
Even the daughters compared the prices
of their pretty fresh toilettes with those of
| their friends.
| 1T is very curious that Americans do
not seem conscious of this popularity, so
! very apparent to outsiders. 1t is es-
| sentially bad form"
This habit of discussing prices is much
more noticeable in New York than any
where else and has been frequently re-
marked upon by visitors from other cities.
1t seems odd that society so charming
| IN other respects and so up to date should
| commit the solecism of bringing an at
| mosphere of trade into the drawing room.
Klumpke, says the New York Sun, seems
| like very stupid name. Somehow one
! wouldn't expect much of anybody by the
name of Klumpke. That however, would
| be grievouS error, as the facts will show.
AT various times within the last quarter
! of century four American girls, sisters
| one to another, awol1e to the fact that
| they were born to the name of Klumpke.
| Perhaps it was a blow; but it did not
| down them. They snapped their fingers,
| as 1t were, in the face of their name and
proceeded to make it famous. The oldest
| of the sisters, Miss Dorothea Klumpke,
| went in for astronomy. She wanted the
name of Klumpke to ring to the very stars
and she has succeeded. She won her way
| over the heads of half a hundred male
| competitors into the observatory at Paris
where she is in charge of the department
which computes the measurements of the
| stars,
| Miss Klumpke looks about %, although
she may be 80. She is tall and dark and
! slender, with full, wavy hair brushed
| loosely back from a fine forehead She is
hxr fta.nT Of
to live in the observatory, where she has
| an ivy-clad bureau" as they are called,
| of in one corner. There she measures
| stars and serves afternoon tea and darns
| stockings. The darning of stockings is
her dearest fad, and she can make patches
which would almost defy the magnifying
| powers of telescopes and microscopes. AT
| night she mounts to her eyrie in the great
| echoing dome, and the stars peer down
! through the lenses at her and doubles say
| to each other:
Hist! it's that Klumpke woman. Get
| into line, there!"
The 'Klumpke woman" would know in
| minute If they were out of place at all.
| She takes their photographs when they
| don't know it The plates reveal only
! little specks on the glass, and for fear of
installing possible flaw in the glass for
a negative of a star the exposure is pro-
| lonSed. Thus each star having moved
| during the exposure, shows a duplicated
| image. The glass is then diviC d into
! squares to assist in computation. For a
! long time no hair or thread was found
| that was fine enough for use in this pro-
cess. But finally some one made use of
| the spider web, and now there is quite a
colony of spiders in the ivy which covers
Miss Klumpke's bureau, a colony which
! she encourages with much care.
In addition to computing the distances
OF the stars, this extraordinary woman de-
signs her own gowns, is interested in a
| dozen or two poor families, AMI teaches
a free class in astronomy. She seems to
| be queer mixture of science and romance
| Over her bed hangs a horseshoe tied with
! blue ribbon, while behind the bed, con-
cealed by drapery, is a blackboard with
piece of chalk. Here when a problem
! which has refused to come straight during
the day suddenly unwinds itself in the
middle of night, the recreant is caught
and fixed
Miss Klumpkes great ambition is to re-
| turn to America, where she can feel the
warm appreciation and sympathy of her
own people. But she has so many stars
on hand to be measured that she can't get
away. She believes in the astronomical
feature of America, but is afraid that we
will depend too much on fine new instru-
ments. She Is skeptical about the great
telescope which is being constructed in
Paris. She says that it may bring about
|
scarcely bring the moon to within 100 miles
of us, as some people expect. The task Of
making the lenses for this instrument
which is to be exhibited in 1900 has lust
| begun. All of the machinery used has to
be constructed for that one piece of work
The other sisters who give honor to the
name of klumpke are Anna, who Is a sue
cessful portrait painter of Boston; Au-
gusta, who has gained success as a physi-
clan in Paris, and Julia, who, although
only is years old, Is one of the most prom
Using pupils of the -violinist Ysaye in Brus-
sells. So much for the Klumpkes
Notwithstanding the rage for the small
elegant Empire fans, the larger ones made
of gauze and real ostrich and marabout
feathers still maintain their hold on fash
onable favor. The latest styles in the
Viennese feather. following the universal
craze for color effects, show a small, bril-
liant mosaic-like design laid against back
grounds Of black or cream-White mara
bout feathers ostrich feather fans. the
oval shae dotted here and there with flash
ing, semi-precious gems, are in delicate
colors Of pink, cream, yellow and mauve.
and Empire fans of lace, with exquisite
designs delcately hand-painted. and sticks
OF mother of pearl or onyx set with gems
are carried with full-dress toilets. with
some of the lovely art" gowns are seen
some very dainty fans of hand-painted
gauze, with silver sticks covered with
spangles and these hang from the waist
In chatelaine fashion, suspended from
slender silver-linked chains. These often
match the gown, and many young ladies'
this season, with a nice taste for art have
decorated the satin plastron, ceinture.
slippers, mouchoir mum and fan with hand
embroideries, or painting and spangIes. the
formation Of the fine floral or other pat
tern being chosen with special reference TO
each article, but corresponding In design
throughout.
"A sweeping denunciatlon OF American
society says the New York Tribune. like
that OF Mr.. Labouehere's In 'Srhe Lon
don Truth" lately, calling Il vulgar. pro-
vncial and commercial, would. a decade
or so ago. have elected storm Of indig-
nation, and II Is a sign OF the times that