The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1902-10-10
DvA,,c ,crc IA


For Sale. =? =,
WILL sell or trade clear title
" lar1,ls in Dakota and Ka',sas,
and money to loan on zeal estate in
5his county. E. j. Nolven.
FROM OSTRICH TO HAT.
An ostrich plume passes through
nearly as many hands before reach
ing its apotheosis on woman's
head as pair Of shoes in its revolu-
ton from the hide to the completed
product. The crude feather grow
ing on the bird is as unlike its
brilliant: softly waving self of the
retail counter, both in hue aud
texture as an egg in the next is
unlike an omelet aux fines herbes.
The part that woman play in this
evolution ia naturally considerable.
There is nothing more distinctly
feminine than a fluffy, foamy
ostrich tip, except it be a bit of
real lace, and either will warm
the cookies of the average woman g
heart to about an equal extent. Well,
out in California (which seems to
be sort of national headquarters
for the ostrich industry there are
big factories where hunrdeds of
women are employed at dressing
the feathers. Many are French girls,
for a French woman 'sknack at most
things calling for manual dexterity
stands her in good stead in this
occupation They. wash dye, steam,
piece and curl the feathers, and
sometimes they end by wearing
them, too. for many Of the processes
call for considerable skill and expert
ence and a hand gets good wages.
With the raising of the feathers
for the market women are not much
concerned, and any one who has
visited an ostrich farm will readily
see the reason why. A full'grown
bird averages $50 pounds in weight.
Its spindle shanks of legs are
terminated bv wicked, three pronged
feet, and it's kick-it kicks out in
front, instead of behin1-will kill a
man. John T. Millen, who is in
charge of fran on the Jersey
coast, says he has seen an ostrich
kill horse. The ostrich struck the
horse in the side, breaking four Of
it's ribs at one blow, and the
unhappy animal lived only an hour
after the attack.
People who, like MI. Mlelin, enjoy
the acquaintance OF an extensive
circle of ostriches in various parts
of the world, such as South Africa,
California, Arizona, the Riviera and
Abyssinia, claim for them that they
are not SO silly as they look. This
is saying good deal. A troop Of
ostriches has little dignity and less
beauty. The males are black, the
females a dull mouse color, and
both alike are shabby disheveled,
and dissipated looking birds.
Their gait is cross between a
mince and stalk, and altogether
affected. This sense of the affecta-
ton of the ostrich is increased when
it draws itself up to it's full height
and looks at a person. Then only a
camel can look sillier or more
affected or more contemptuous.
The ostrich is of al inquiring
turn of mind. It. seems to be one
Of it's chief aims in life to survey
mankind from China to Peru, and
not only mankind, but all pheno-
mena whether of animate OF inam-
mate nature. To this end it pecks
at the border Of a paraso]; nibbles
the brim Of hat, explors masculine
pockets with buccaneering spirit
and sometimes plucks at a random
nose or ear when the owner thereof
is looking the other way. The fact
is, it is dying Of curiosity. 1t wants
to investigate things worse than
special commissioner ever did, anil
nothing will suffice but a personal
examination.
Besides being inquistive the ostrich
is friendly in disposition. Where it
is used to being handed and petted
it is pre-eminentlly social. When
a big bird confronts one, stretching
up it's squirmlng, shaking neck as