davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14
GETTING THE TOP EYE OPEN

Any observant girl who will notice the
dress of other people for two weeks will
find that she has been as much benefited
as if she had attended class for in
struction in methods Of dress At the
very first she should guard against the
spirit of unfriendly criticism. She Is not
studying in order that she may find fault
or "to pick her neighbor to pieces" but
in order that she may know the difference
between good and bad taste for herself
In talking over what she sees with 9TH
ers, she should be careful to avoid the
use Of names If she saw titled lady on
a journey .attired in a cast-off dinner
dress of pale tint, over which she had
placed a sealskin cloak. and from under
which appeared heavy boots with patent
leather toes, she would be quite right to
object to this costume, but quite wrong
to discuss the person who wore It,
If any one questions the value of this
one little hint with regard to the forma
tion of taste with reference to attire,
let her make brief account Of the most
striking points noticed after she began to
observe. Especially mention what COM
binatton of color you saw, and write out
what seemed wrong to you, and why.
If a vivid purple and flaming red are all
right side by side in a. sunset sky, what is
the matter with them in lady's gown?
A dear Quaker friend, whenever the
young people with whom she associated
began to look little deeper into the
reasons of things, and to get below the
surface of every day matters, said: {:
They. are getting the top eye OPEN
Now this that suggest Is just the be-
ginning Of the opening OF the top eye.
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14

An I've made up my min that the next
thing we buy will be son1ethin that cant be
mislaid or stolen, we decided on farm
There's mortgag ges,' says I. But she'd
set her heart on land an wouldn't hear any
thin body would say against It, Most peo-
pie hear only what they want to. We're all
more or less deaf, seems If. =
The Horizons have been losn' at such a
rate, Mrs. Horton said, they never could have
aought a chicken yard. let alone farm, If
Mrs. Horizons uncle hadn't died an, left EN-
some money. Mrs. Horton went up in Da-
kota visitn' a cousin, real state man, an
Mr.. Horton was down in Iowa on business
when they heard OF the leg'cy. He ran across
what he thought was bargain in Ian, an 50
did she, with the help Of her cousin, an
they were both so 'fraid of losn' a chance
to get more n their moneys worth that they
each bought farm without consultin' the
other They might most as we'll get a di-
vorce now, seems if, for Mr.. Horton says his
farm'll keep him in Iowa, an Mrs, Horton
says everybody meanin her cousin, I s'p-
pose promises her that it'll be a big year
for crops in North Dakota.
There seems to be a boom in real estate
for the Perkins have been buyin' too They
bought their house in the city five years ago.
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14

result or effect that the aim is to repro
duce. And how far short oftentimes the
copyist falls in creating a reproductions
And to what shall her failure be, attrib- :
uted? More often than not to the in
correct foundation upon which is built
the copied gown. There is no necessity,
in these days of excellent corset shapes,
for a woman of average FORM naturally
developed to have really poor figure,
if she gives her form a little more than
ordinary, attention, Attention does not
mean n"that woman must enter into all
sorts of gymnastic exercises to develop
certain figure results or massage her
form. 1t means that she must do more
than simply purchase a. corset. She must
know that she requires a shape to &C
:centuate the good lines and curves or to
conceal the ill figure effects.
. In the last. year or so there has been
much said pro and, con of the corset, and
properly, too, inasmuch as Dahe Fashion
suddenly dictated an entire change in cor
set DRESS upon which there promptly was
a revolution in style. Gay Paris sent us
lot of beautiful corset models exquisite
in form, but departing decidedly from all
former rules for corset dress. The models
were without the cups shaped bust but
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14

bad the appearance Of being too large for
the form. X - 80 3,saf 81 =.
{ ; AS a corset Specialist am asked to
tell the reada 81 ts11iiis paper something
about the correct corset models for sum-
mer wear. AS far: as the material enters
into the question, this, is not a, difficult
subject tos-cover, as this season there is
only one material considered correct for
summer wear. and that is batiste, in it's
various qualities, both plain and fancy,
of soft; beautiful texture lending itself
excellently to corset construction. It is
kid-like in feel and molds into the form
more smoothly, If 1t be possible, than the
glove to the hand. -. 80, . i
But when it comes to models that will
acceptably conform to every class Eof fig
ure, the subject is not SO easy of treat
ment, inasnuch, as every form, to be
properly corseted, ought to be treated in
dividually
- Corset dress is as much study as
gowning or dress accessories. generally.
Since the advent of the Marie, Antoin-
>ette styles, better known as the straight
front models, individual corset treatment
has been a necessity. We hear very
much about artistic effect in dress, and
to the average person 1t is the finished
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14

YHHAT FkTEDA LApSoNSlAg4 q

can't be lost says he. II never heard Of a
child runnin' away from party. You'll
fin him in the barn"
And sure enough we did. fast asleep in a
barrel with empty popcorn bag in his
hand. He comes by his greediness hon nestly.
I've seen his father slip out ON the back
steps to smoke a cigar when his country
cousin was on the front. An as for sleepin,,
there amt but one man I ever heard Of who
could sleep more hours in the twenty four
than Mr.. Morse an his name was Winkle,
Rip Van Winkle. .~s. .- -". "
4 told you he was in the barn. says
Mr.. Morse, when he came home. You came
near spoiln' a big deal for me- to-day, my
dear. -
Mrs. Morse didn't say anythin', but you
don alwys have to talk to be understood.
an there's times when there's things that
are worth moren money to woman, seems
if"
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14

her corset; it is the corset shape that ID
the secret of: good figure. The sooner,
this is s.recognized blythe eroakers against
the corset the better figures will be in
evidence The Venus de Milo form is
beautiful to look upon in cold marble, but
breathe the breath Of life into Venus and
dress her in the clothing of to-day and
she would not only look like a meal bag
but would suffer torments through her
belts cutting; through into her waist.
Since the corset is a necessity, not in
this decade, but this environment, let US
accept the necessary evil and, be corseted
in the best possible style-let US enhance
nature in the human form as we would
beautify a tree by trimming it.. Woman's
mission in life is to be graciously beauti-
full, and the corset is designed to bea utify
woman's figure. It is patterned upon
scientific principles-to fit perfectly q
good figure, to improve a poor figure.
This phrase was coined by the writer
after careful examination of number of
rust-proof corsets that were specially de-
signed to suit this summers fashions. A
dozen different models were selected and
fitted upon as many different figures with
the result as stated-poor forms were i'm
proved and good forms perfectly fitted
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14
MARVEEEO GUS SKILL I'M De CIPHER.
ING .taMPOSSiBLE="' e.. .EsDDRESSES
A POSTAL EAn
,#~.5 CAN MASTER

: One of the most remarkable women in
the government service, whose skill has
done more than that of any one person
probably to make the poaa service of
this country wonder of the world, is
Mrs. Patti Lyle Collins, the expert dead
letter reader. No other word seems quite
as apt, for Mrs. Collins: literally reads at
sight thousands OF actresses, which the
experts Of postofices all over the country
have given up and she does it Just about
as easily, it appears to a layman, as If
she had written the puzzles herself to
some impossible person at some never
before heard Of place.
Many stories have been written about
this work and many examples Of 1t have
been photographed and printed in news
papers and magazines from time to time
in the last twenty years. Without Mrs.
Collins skill the "dead-letter Office
which so many thousands visit every year,
would be nothing more than sorting
room for handling and burning about 1000
misdirected letters daily.
No human machine in the government
service, probably, does the same amount
of routine work, involving SO much tech
meal detail and requiring SO much general
knowledge. It is a task to endeavor to
give some adequate idea Of the multipli-
city of things that Mrs Collins has to
consider when she takes up each letter
OF the thousands placed before her in
bundles every morning, All the wordld is
nisdirecting letters that all the world
will never get If she does not solve cor
rectly problem after problem, each dis
tinct in itself While there are careless
people in the world there will be work
for Mrs. Collins to do, and when she goes
many thousands will look for letter
that never came, for the postof1ice de-
partment has failed to train substitutes
to take her place.
AS a letter is never opened, except as
a last resort, the outside of the envelope
must disclose its destination The post
mark, stamp, writing in any class, style
or language kind Of paper, and all the
circumstances and possibilities, must be
taken into consideration at a glance.
States. counties, cities, towns streets and
their direction. s length, numbers and
whether they are business or residence
at home and abroad, Mrs Collins has
learned, and somehow stored away in
brain that seems to have encyclopaedia
chambers full of things that no one ever
heard of before.
One seems to feel on meeting Mrs Col
| lins and learning OF her work that she
knows more about the world than would
be good for the brain of the average per-
son. She must know of the resources OF
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14

journey Of over 10000 miles. On her re-
turn from this trip. she was elected to
membership in the National Geographical
Society, an honor accorded to few women.
Her most recent trip to Cuba and Por-
to Rico during the months following the
Spanish American war, was undertaken
for the purpose Of Investigating the relief
work, and the social and political condi-
tions in Porto Rico, and her graphic let
ters contained the most accurate and pic
turesque description OF the existing con-
ditions sent out by any correspondent.
This last trip which she has undertaken
into the heart of the dark continent, ;"
promises to be the most important, al
though not the most dangerous in which
she has yet engaged, and the results of
her exploration will be awaited with great
not only by her large circle Of
friends, but by those who are looking for
ward with great expectations to the open
ing up Of the OZARK continent through
the means of the recently completed rail-
way.
wide acquaintance in governmental
circles has made Mrs. Colcleugh's life in
the colonies very much easier than it
would otherwise have been. Everywhere
native kings and princesses have enter
tained her, and she will undoubtedly have
many very interesting tales Of African life
to tell when she returns from her jour
ney to that remote country. =
Mrs. Colcleugh's purpose in this journey
is to study the possibilities of development
in central Africa, noting especially such
phases of the subject as will have a bear
ing upon American commerce. She is
quite well known in Minneapolis and is
the stepmother of Miss Ada Colcleugh, one
of the Minneapolis nurses who went to
the Philippines during the Spanish Amerf-
can war.
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14


with the deep cores and narrow shaped
hip gussets perfectly suited to the petite
figure of the French woman whose con-
tour expresses an absence of hips. But
what should our average American wom-
ans, figure do with such corsets? Should
she compress her well-rounded hips, the
charm of her figure, into the shapeless
outline? Well, she tried it, purely be-
cause the Partisan woman was wearing
these corsets, and she struggled and
struggled. suffering tortures, until an
American manufacturer who knew his
countrywomen's contour a little better
than his brother designer across - the
water created straightfront design
with the same. general characteristics as
the Partisan model, but proportioned to
serve comfortably the average woman's
form. ~,
Now, with the proper corset shape,
poor forms, as heretofore stated can be
improved and oftentimes made really
stunning. 1t is an open secret that every
woman Graves a good, figure. Women are
constantly changing their make of corset
in order to improve their form. FIRE.
quently woman admires the figure of her
friend and deplores her own, when often
times the cause of her poor" figure Is
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14

They came on time. One of EN- rushed in at
quarter O. three. oh, dear, am late?' she
painted, while tied her hair ribbons
Not very much says 1, givin' her a
book to look at till Tom was ready. ~
"They were all out in the yard an -
Kindergarten was showin' 'en1 how to play
games they didn't care for when the monkey
an the organ came. They hadn't been there,
three minutes when the pop corn man an
the movin' soda water fountain drove UP.
Before Mrs. Morse knew it seven of the
younguns had ordered pop corn an four
were takin' soda water an the rest were sit
tin on the curb stone waitin'.
You can't do nothin,' says'I I, when she
asked my advice. but give EN- their sup
per-
"It wasn't much more'n half-past three,
but we marched the children in before they
could run UP any more expense. 1t wasn't
till they were in the dinin'- room lookin' over
the table that we found Tom was missin. .
I mind I'd jes' heard girl. who'd more
ruffles n inches whisper that Mary Allen had
Ave kinds Of ice cream at her party because
she was years old, an I was feelin' sorry
for Mary to have mother who didn't know
better, when Mrs. Morse says, says she:
where's Tom?'
Nobody had seen him since he was shak-
IN hands with the monkey.
4" The monkey mans run away with him,
giggled one of the girls.
Mrs. Morse turned as white as her dress,
an ran up the street. The boys playin' ball
on the corner said some children had fol-
lowed the organ, but they didn't notice
whether one Of EN- had a white linen suit
on or not, an perhaps it was the popcorn
man they tagged, they didn't tes remember.
If you don't know thing for sure I. say
keep still, but, seems if, we're all too anx
tous to tell what we think
Mrs. Morse feels every one of her nerves,
an she's made up her min that Tom had
been kidnapped before she telephoned Mr.
Morse. 1t would be a poor business man
who'd run off with one of the Morse children
for their father don't get but $4,000 year,
an they haven't a rich relation to their
name. But Mrs. Morse always. thinks after
she acts, 30 Mr.. Morse says.
HE wasn't none too sympathetic. He
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14

different parts of the country, whether
agricultural mining or manufacturing,
and what nationalities will most likely be
found there. She must know where to
look for: Poles, Slavs Hungarians, Rus
sian Jews, Germans, Italians, Japanese,
Chinese, and all the others, besides know
ing the peculiarities of each There are
half a million OF this class of letters, an
nually, besides he tens Of thousands mis-
directed here at home.
Mrs. Collins is a native Of Mississippi,
and typical southern woman. She was
left widow with two young children,
and came to Washington twenty one
years ago, when she took competitive ex-
animation for the kind of work she is
now doing. and was placed in charge Of
Impossible letters at once. without a
particle of political influence, and she has
never had occasion to seek any since. She
is enthusiastically proud of the successes
OF the division of the dead letter office,
OF which shesis the head She created her
place, for there was mo! such system until
she organized it, and as long as there are
careless, foolish, ignorant, busy people
IN the world: there will be work like hers
for sonebody,t to do. ~s-..:s s..-,. ...
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14
Copyrighted, 1902, by the Economist

Copyrighted, 1902, by the Economist
e r. ss~ Camera. ? 4. :.
We hear a lot Of talk about the straight
front corset-the latest freak or mania
In dress of .woman-and a whole lot more
prediction about its injurious effect upon
woman and her offspring, and that it
went stay in style; but, mark you, the
general shape will continue in style as
long as the modistes of Paris and dress
makers in this country wish it. And as
the models pictured on this page are
straight front and guaranteed rust proof,
necessary quality for this summers
dainty gowning, and are the very newest
creations for summer wear and really
bespeak the advanced shape for fall, there
is no. likelihood Of the straight front
models being side tracked for. this year.
What has happened, as will be seen in
these most approved designs, is that the
shape has become less extreme To be
sure, there is the low bust and long skirt,
but these models are so patterned; that
the figure is controlled above the waist
that is, the garment touches the form,
whereas in the models of last summer
which are not considered good style this
season, the - corset above the waist
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14

mall girl who shrieked with mingled
fear and delight. Queer little fell
lows, aren't they? Some folks say we're
descended from EN-, hear. Seems if it was
more of climb, though I dunno. We've
men near US that haven't the wit to earn
even the days wages of a monkey.
There organ an monkey at
Norses yesterday. Little Tom had birth
day, an Mrs. Morse gave a party for him.
He hasn't missed havin a party on his birth
day but once since he a year old, an
that was when he had scarlet fever. Even
then his mother had birthday cake an
snapptn' bong bongs an made believe it was
. party until his fever went up degree an
q half. Indulgence brings the doctor oftener
n discipline, seems if.
"TQm was yesterday an Mrs. Morse in
gtted twenty children from to = O'clock
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14

class. She is on a leave of absence from
Stanley hall and will again take up work
there on her return. Several years ago
Miss Burtis studied for an extended
period in New York and last summer she
spent there working with MacDowell.
Not only is Miss Burtis regarded as a
teacher of exceptional ability, but she is
a sympathetic accompanist and a solo per-
former Of fine interpretatiye powers. Per-
haps her finest concert work has been
done in series of Wagner recitals given
at intervals in the past few years in
Minneapolis and other northwestern
nlaceS .----. -. - -
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14
WORK OF DoROTHEA DIX
Maine People Celebrate Centenary
of Her Birth.

Maine People Celebrate Centenary
of Her Birth.
In the little town of Hampden, Me-, the CEN
tenary of the birth of Dorothea Lynde Dix
was celebrated.
How many people in America know any.
thing of her or her work? Her work can bel
summed up in few words, but its influence,
can never be estimated.
First-That for child-saving, which was be-
gun In the Warren Street chapel, Boston, still
the mission center Of the city.
Second-Her hercuean labors to get proper
treatment for the insane in state Institutions,
and she rested not until she saw fine insane
hospitals of her own creation rise In nearly
every state of the union.
Third-Her work as superintendent Of
nurses during the civil war, for which, at it's
close. Secretary Stanton offered her any emol-
un1ent she might ask. The thing she did ask
was the flag of her country. "a stand Of the
colors in silk was accordingly ordered for her.
and officially presented, and these flags were
bequeathed in her will to Harvard college
They hang to-day in Memorial Hall near the
tablets to the memory of sGme OF the very
soldiers she had tenderly nursed.
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14
AN INTREPID TRAVELLER
Mrs. Emma Shaw CoIeleugh Will
Penetrate Darkest Africa

Z
Mrs. Emma Shaw Colcleugh Of Provi-
dence, R. l., prominent member of the
New England Woman's Press association,
left recently on an exploring tour into the
interior Of Africa entirely alone save for
two large trunks and a wardrobe COM
posed largely Of pongee.. She is an in
trepid traveller and hence quite without
misgiving in the face of her great under
taking. Y ..,..''
Mrs. Colcleugh sailed from New York
to Genoa; from thence to Marseilles and to
Zanzibar by way Of Suez canal. From Zan-
zibar she goes to Mombasa, the capital
of the British East Africa~Protectorate
and the coast terminus Of the lately COM
pleted Uganda railway. She will 60 over
the entire length of the railway to Lake
along the line, and will probably take a
caravan trip still further into the heart of
equatorial Africa, where her great ex-
perience as a traveller will doubtless stand
her in good stead.
.'I am no novice in travel,' she said,
but have never been In Africa and I
do not know how far 1 may be able to
penetrate into the wilds Of that equa-
torial region. But am not in the least
afraid Of anything happening to me. For
I have travelled in many countries quite
as distant as Africa and I never have .ex-
perienced any mishap.
II had charming time once with Mrs.
Robert Louis Stevenson at Vailima, and
spent many days driving over her island
and closely observing the life of the ma
tives there, who, by the way, found to
be the most repulsive and least interest
ing of all the South Sea islanders. The
women are bold and the men are curious
and rude
Mrs. Colcleugh is a tall, slim, energetic,
fine appearing woman, with look of
health and endurance. She is clever
writer as well as good talker She be-
gan her literary work while still teach
er in the public schools Of Providence.
Her first long trip was made to Alaska
in 1884, and she visited that country
again in 1885 and in 1885, exploring the
Canadian shores of the great lakes on her
last trip. Through the courtesy of the
Hudson Bay company she visited the
Klondike while interest in that region
was keenest, taking the interior route
over which so many travellers have since
trampedss
There is an island on the Mackenzie
river named Colcleugh island for her and
another body of land up there was
christened Emma island
Il Since that time hardly summer has
passed in which she has not crossed the
continent on some expedition, and in 1899.
by special request of the Canadian Pa
cific Navigation company she went on an
exploring expedition among the islands
along the British Columbian coast and to
the Queen Charlotte Islands. In 1890 she
took her first trip to Hawaii and extend
ed her trip to the South, Sea islands. a
The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14

an las summer they got that place out at
Minnetonka, an this spring they bought a
lot at Lakewood.
Now, says Mrs. Perkins, an you'd a
thought she'd had Ia present of a damon
necklace to hear how satisfied her voice was,
we've got our winter home an our summer
homo an our permanent home.
''She an Mr.. Perkins spent week tryin
to decide what lot they'd take, AN finally
selected a place under the trees, down to-
ward the lake. They've ordered "a monument
an had more differences over the inscriptions
than over anythin' since they were married.
Mrs Perkins is plannin' to plant flowers an
make it real attractive. .@-.->..s ..
"tI always did like a cemet'ry,' she says,
an now I've got a good excuse" -., +.
"There's some people who take 50 much
pleasure thinkin' about tomorrow that they
don't get anythin' out of to day, seems H.
- ;-'' "A. j. Helpper.