Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1908-03-06
MEASUR|NGO DANCES
Craze Among Society Maidens
Who Use the Pedometer.
ITS MERRY TICK GREAT LURE
Dancing Twenty Miles an Evening Is
Nothing When You Get Used to It,
Say Debutantes--Prize For Girl Who
Dances Most Miles During the Year.

| reached the dancing SETS or all the
large cities Of the United States, and
every one who is 'tin the know" in
Chicago now dances to the merry tick
tick Of pedometer.
| During the last few years these
handy little contrivances have been in
great favor with faddists who like to
know the exact number of miles they
cover In their jaunts. A great number
were sold last summer, for the walking
craze gained many enthusiastic fol-
lowers, but the jewelers. and opticians
could not explain the unprecedented
sale which commenced in the fall and
has continued to grow during the win
ter
| A fluffy young thing" would futter
up to the clerk and ask to see a pc
dometer-she had decided aversion to
accenting the word correctly on the
second syllable-and when he would
bring out an affair looking like one of
those dollar tin watches she became
much embarrassed and asked if they
didn't have any pretty ones" says the
American Jeweler for February. Just
think Of spelling the effect Of pretty
party frock by wearing an old thing
which looked so common and cheap!
After much argument the clerk would
finally convince her that the little in
vention was made for practical use
and had not originally been intended
to wear with evening gowns; then he
would put on sympathetic grin and
assure her that they would try to get
some pretty ones next season. Aft
er looking at all the different styles she
would usually select one which the
clerk assured her would correctly reg
lister the number of miles she danced
during ali evening.
Even men are wearing pedometers,
and they slip the pendant over the top
Of the pocket or any place where it will
be in an upright position necessary to
the proper working of the lever mech
anism. Girls pin them to their waists
or belts and carefully examine them
after each dance to see what man has
been fortunate enough to help them to
break their record.
Many Of the young debutantes have
bought the most attractive little books.
In which they put down an account Of
each dance. The number Of miles
danced during the evening and the
partner who has been lucky enough to
"coyer the most ground with her are
included in the list of interesting notes
jotted down.
If the pedometer is not carried in an
upright position the works will not OPP
crate; it will not register the step.
This wonderful little contrivance can
easily be regulated to the step Of the
wearer. There are figures on the
scale on the back Of the works to rep
resent the inches, and each notch in
terveriog between the numbers repre-
sents one inch. A pedometer can be
regulated to any step between fifteen
inches and forty-one inches. To regu-
late it to the length Of your step meas
ure the distance you take at each step
from heel to heel. If your step meas
ures twenty-seven inches, set the indi-
Gator at figure q. II your step meas
ures twenty-eight, move the indicator
one notch toward fast" II your step
measures twenty-four inches, move the
Indicator back four notches toward
"slow," etc.
The average mans step measures
twenty-seven. and therefore many of
the pedometers on sale at the shops
are set for a twenty-seven inch step,
so that people Of ordinary height and
gait do not have TO change the posi-
tion OF the indicator. The average
girls step is much shorter than that of
man. but while Waiting or dancing
twostep the length of her step in
creases. so that twenty-seyen inches be-
come practical average.
A practical style OF pedometer is 1T
ted with ten mile dial. spaced OF into
quarters, halves, three-quarters and
miles. The hand can be set by remov-
ing the back and turning the hand
backward or forward.
The average dance IS about eight |
minutes, and a mile is easily danced
during that time. An encore ranges
from three to four minutes. and half |
a mile Is usually covered in that time. |
SO the popular girl who never has to !,
"slt against the wall and try to look /
at ease" and has every dance taken on !
a programme Of eighteen dances and |
also dances the encores can proudly |
boast that she has been able to cover
twenty miles In an evening"
At one small dancing party where
all OF the girls wore pedometers a
prize was given TO the girl with the 1
highest card. A tall. willowy bean
pole was the happy winner. and even ]
after twenty-five miles Of the sliding /
and gliding Of the modern dance she
was as fresh and unrufHed as II she
had been resting comfortably in a big
armchair.
The debutantes say that twenty miles
an evening is nothing when you get
used to IT," and they are all striving
to bring their records up to at least
twenty-five miles. There Is great r.
vslry among the girls. and their moth
Frs say that they are really dancing
more than Il good for them" but they
answer; How can We resist the lure
81 the tickerT IL IL Ike music in our
ears. At every step we hear that little
faint tick and know that we are q bit
nearer our FosL
we follow with the same intensifT
md eaerr1esn the ti~k of our ronor,-