Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-08

Skating has long been termed the
king OF winter sports; and who shall
deny that the celebrating pastime-
the beautiful. swift, gliding motion
over the smooth surface of lake sur
rounded BY trees covered with snow
and frost and the keen. cold wind do
not make up a delightful outdoor
amusement? When TO these delights
is added companion with a strong
arm and skllfulness, surely there are
few girls who will not give skating the
palm over all winter sports and many
summer ones as well.
In these days. when there is no
theme of such vital interest to women
as physical culture in all its forms,
any sport which win give good. health
full exercise Is sure TO have plenty OF
followers. Now. the prettiest and most
graceful exercise in the list. and one
which doesn't in~olve any sacrifices In
the way of corsets. or heroics. in the
line of heelless boots and bifurcated
garments, health waists, or any OF the
other notifications of the flesh. Is
skating. Woman may shine on the Ice
in her usual belongings, provided the
skirt be made a convenient length.
She may glide in single solitude or en-
ter Into dual or triple alliances. All
that is demanded of her is that she De
at home on her skates and have
graceful figure. Then the eyes of every
manage, and OF every woman-in
sight will follow her with admiring
and in the latter case often with envi-
Gus Chances. What more is needed to
make skating popular?
or II Mother Nature has been unkind
and denied that lack of grace of mo-
ton that Is OF greater charm even than
fairness of face. the best possible way
in the world to acquire 1t is fearless
skating by learning to balance when
executing daring and intricate curves
and complicated movements.
The girl who skates knows all about
this. She found out all about 1t first by
taking Just the opposite course and ex-
ecutlng headlong plunges and striking
unexpected and far from graceful at
titudes on her skates. Thus she learned
the true meaning OF the word poise.
The shining steel blades that the man
she likes best-just then-tlghtens on
her snug little feet suddenly seem in
spired with diabolical purpose directly
she attempts to stand on them. She
takes sudden and totally unprepared
for pastures, sitting and otherwise. with
the skates waving in horribly undig-
nified way In the air In manner never
advocated by teachers of Delsarte.
II only she knew whether those skates
were going to slide backward or for
ward. she would manage better. she
thinks. with despair.
Then that same nice fellow comes up
with curve ns graceful as a swallow
takes both her hands in his and glides
backward as she follows. He talks all
the time to her of something or other,
looks into her eyes. laughs makes her
blush with compliment on her color
ing, and all at once, II she be the right
kind OF girl, she Is skating and knows
more about poise than all the big waist
ed physical culturists In the country,
though she couldn't explain II to save
her life. And that's another reason why
girls love skating.
The only scientific way to skate is out
of doors on a frozen river or lake. with
the dazzling winter sunshine above
your head and Just enough of the ele-
ment OF danger to keep some one who
is yer ,olicitous for your safety and
,omf, quite near your side. And in
the evening, when the smaller boys
kindle the big bonfires on the shore, and
smoothest ice has been left lie in shad-
ows like those OF a painting by some
OLD master. what finer place in the
world TO get out of sight OF hard heart.
ed chaperonD and give little pleasure
to the big fellow who has been helping
YOU all the afternoon and now guides
you thither with seeming accident, but
with his heart beating so you can al
most hear It? And what better time to
say the things you know he has been
on the point of saying many time.
but could not get up the courage to
say In conventional drawing room
under the glare OF electric lights3
But perhaps the one thing that will
make skating more popular than it
could otherwise ever become is the
fact that that great and powerful dame
Society, whose magic wand. much ms
we may claim to ignore it, rules US all
has looked on skating with a pleasing
eye and taken II up. The fashionable
girls In New York and other places, in
stead OF spending all the winter months
in the city wishing that Lent We're over
nowadays HE themselves to country
seats belonging TO their parents, taking
along Jolly crowd OF young people o.
both sexes and skating and toboggan
ing and seighng parties occupy thell
time. And as Mrs. Society has smileS
on this form of amusement, why, thu
is the most potent reason OF all VIII.
women must skate.
Those, however who do not care to Q,
to the country for any period of time -
who cannot afford the luxury of a coun
try place have solved the problem o
skating in the city by following the lea,
of Paris. which for many years has has
its Palais de Glace.
The Palais de Giace is simply q cir
Gus where ice replaces the sawdus
floor. and the walls are paneled witt
mirrors and painted with scenes fror
the Mediterranean. Electric light pour