The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-29

way IN 1850, made i his memorable sAlly
| Into ths streets Of London, when itpr0ved
dults as usefui III val ding OF detunot ~
lines oyer-rips ssss and assorted ves.-.;
etabies AZ III divsrtinE Che showers which
| IT was opened axalnst. Had HanwAy been
other than I m&n of character the Chris
tian world might havs waited another
h&lf-osntufy Tor tbs priceless boon b
slowed upon II, but q Il VA, hs stack 70
Ills dsrided weather protector Ter more
than thirty years, finally dying "a t7ss
WITH the salts faction Of knowing that the
umbrella Va master OF tho situation "A
small street near the British Museum
bears his name and he was honored With
monument IN Westminster Abbey mot
for his courag In carrying an umbrella
however. but for his philanthropy, he.
being the founder OF the Marine. Dduca-
tionai ana Masdaien societies and the
author OF seventy pamphlets In which ne
outlined as many benevolent schemes.
TIA umbrella of 1Ianways day clumsy.
unwieldy and ,inlovely, has undergone .
marvellous Transformation: and now,
whsf, every dry goods shop throughout
| the land sets forth an array Of these
purveyors 70 mans health and comfort
quite a. a matter OF course. K ID hard to
realize that these Indispensable ad junctss
Of the household are a comparatively
modern feature Of European civilization.
One can buy an umbrella OF almost any
kind and at almost any price 1t can
have q cover Of gypsy cloth. all cotton; Of
helvetia cloth, silk and cotton: Of gloria
CLOTH silk and wool |; union taffeta, silk
ana lisle: or Of any one OF several kinds
OF pure silk. The making Of umbrellas
has reached the point where silk and
frame can be taken almost for granted
quite difteren state OF affairs fr ON the!
early stages Of their history whom they
were con venient. Then the cover soaked
up moisture, and IN drying cracked or
frotted, tho whalebone ribs became BRITTLE
and the stick was q pond rous club. tire
some to the hand and arm. The great test
modern Improvement was the invention
OF the steel frame, which took the place
IgofS whalebon something like fifty years
ago. II up to that period, umbrellas were
yet 50 expensive that the masses did not
carry them We take our most useful
and conf t-lnsur1ngi things In life quite
as 4, matter OF course and we III open
|$onr umbrellas as a shield against the
tickle April showers without q thoughti
that tt represents more than four hundred,
Il patents for parts, b alterations and im-j
provements in manufacturing processes.
s All umbrellas would look pretty much
alike were 1t not for the handles. It
Its the tops that give novelty, variety and
beauty, which Is more true Of umbrellas
this Spring than ever before. & The handle
has come 10 be a most important feature
OF the II, ake-up OF an umbrella, especially
| in the eyes OF the fashionable woman
Recognizing this the,s Representatives. fi
the big shops throughout the country
travel $theSworld over for handles. Eng
land, France, Germany, Switzerland and
Russia are represented In their ! mporta-
tions, and America, OF course. contri butes
largely. 5Rs
2,rhe handles OF, the III umbrellas this
Spring are lin a variety that Is almost
|sbewld ering. As woman could buy an
umbr ella for every d lay In the we ar9Eand;
have no two alike. Silver, gold. the new
royal copper gun metal, many 4 kinds Of
woods. n ivory, mo Their Of pearl &, pellucid
crystal n the deep toned and i beautifully
marked tortoise shell, the fash.onably res
vyed coral the myst Ito jade. the change
able crocidolte, with its apt signiflca
In the language Of gems, y Pro 8patria ct
glorda;'a and many beautifully Ell colored
and marked varieties OF agate and chal-
cedony- eli are used. N "
@5A q whole geological Il garden seems
perched on the handles u Of the ultra
fashionable UNI brellas h. 4 Dog, duc OK, e owl
parrot, eagle. monkey, horse. rabb Bit bull
and bear h heads have been reproduced
with skill trulySart istlc, In sill yer or gold,
beautifully carved from ivory and IA dif-s
ferent kinds OF woods. OF wrought In
rtolao shell. Worthy to be called works
Of art are the handles surmounted with
tiny e animals in bronze on a circular
bronze base tina t Is In turn attached by
mountings Of gold to a partridge stick.
These arc really dlminutiYes examples of
the sculptor's /; art. miniAt,ir reproduc-t
lions, az IT we're, OF the bronze stntuary
that adorns paror pedestal or library
table. fl IF or !nstan oef a tiny mouse Is most
realistically wrought In bronze on the:
centre Of a CIRCULAR bronze base u there Is
a life-like s fox on another, and gain q
young all such skillful examples Of ami
NAL Characterization on 81 a diminutlye
scale that even Il you havenot made an
never the lese 81 the NJ cl eVerness
Of these tiny bronze animals. az
Miniatures after the portraits Of beau
tiful women by the Eng lish4 and French
masters OF painting convert the handles
OF fashionable umbrel elias Into 4, works OF
art. n IDEAL women heads are carved
from ivory, afterwards tinted and flowers
are wrought In tinted metals with arts
tio Bfeeling. Japanese wood and ivory are
carved @ t1r n characte risttcs
Oriental manner. The art OF ceramic s is
represented by ga tsuma, edgewood and
other Of the we'll known gllsh and also
French potter!es.
sAs VI \ to II corroborate the assertion
5.~Things are seldom what they SEEM"
~ they used to sing In the dear old
Gilbert and sullivan opera days. the plain
gold sphere which tops the handle OF ono
~ ire IA shdonable umbrellas opens to dis
slose a small mirror and q powder puff
ike a little bit OF a curled-up feather
Another umbrella Is finished with a gold
knob shaped like a bonbonniere; this
turns out be q coin purse, Silver
handles OF all styles are seen and silver
and mother-o pearl are a combination
OF ornamental possibili ties, H. +