The National tribune., 1910-06-02

| terested in those occasional celestial
visitors called comets, whose appear
| ance from time to time have ever
struck terror to the hearts of the
worlds inhabitants. He computed their
orbits, noticed that they reappeared af-
ter an interval of about Is or rs years
and thought 1t was possible they might
| all be the same body with a definite
| period of revolution. He announced
that the comet of 1852 would reappear
in the year 1853, and when. true to his
| preaching, on Christmas day of that
year. it did blaze forth in the heavens,
'Halley's comet" it was called, and has
| been ever since. HALEY was a very
| intimate friend of Sir Isaac Newton,
| who was too poor to publish his book
on the law of gravitation. The astro-
| nomer fully appreciated the value of
this book to mankind, and richer in
this worlds goods than Sir Isaac, paid
for its publication out OF his own purse.
The book sold well and HALEY got his
money back. This great scientist did
not confine himself to astronomy. He
was distinguished navigator as well,
and by his systematic study OF the mag
netic variations of the compass contri-
buted largely in making it possible for
us to sail the seas over in comparative
certainty of reaching our destination
today He filled several positions of
honor in England, among which was
that of royal astronomer, and as late
in life as his Gath year undertook to
observe the moon thru an entire revo-
luton of her nodes. This took no less
than Is years, but he actually carried
out his purpose He died at the age
of IS in full possession Of his .aculties,
which were employed in observation
and study up to almost the last. In
this connection it is quite interesting
to know that in Memorial Hall in Phil
or dol nh ic hn of IN nSf ~
made by the hands of Mathilda, wife of
William the Conqueror. during the year
Of one of the early recorded appear
ances of the comet The clever fingers
of this royal lady wrought with her
colored woods or silks the picture of
a group of kneeling knights, King Ar
thur in their midst, gazing with sup
plicating arms and terror-stricken faces
at the comet with its dreadful, deadly
tail, arrested in its fight by the hands
of the queen at a point in the heavens
just above them.
That brilliant mocker, Bernard Shaw,
has come forward with very sensible
suggestion with regard to the suits of
solemn black which all England is
donning now as a symbol Of grief for
their dead monarch He very truly
remarks that for a father with small
business to be forced to buy black
dresses, hats, etc, for a family of wife
and several daughters is no small hard
ship. King Edward was dearly beloved
by all his subjects, and especially by
the poorer classes, who will make the
most unwise sacrifices now to show
their respect and sorrow by complying
with this custom. This. Mr.. Shaw
thinks, is all wrong. and could be OBJ
Waited II, for instance, a simple knot of
violet ribbon were substituted for the
black dress and hat. That the schools
should be made gloomy and depressing
by the children in their black dresses
just because an honorable public ca
reer has passed thru nature to eternity,
Is not good Christianity. and the custom
should be abandoned. The knot of yio-
let ribbon should take its place, which
would be perfectly correct. inexpensive,
and pretty. 1t is said that the putting
on of black for the late King is even
more general than 1t was at the time of
death. Edward was intensely
with a deep sympathy for the
Weaknesses of the flesh, big-heerted, |
generous. and broad minded. Victoria,
wise, good woman that she was. was
stern and unrelenting when ii came to
This humanity Of Ed
ward brought him very close to the
people, who mourn for him now as they
did not for Victoria. In a country like
where 1t 10 customary for the
whole people to adapt the 'trappings
and suits OF woe" upon the death of
their ruler, It certainly should be so ar
ranged that this would not strain the
slender purses Of the poor too severely.
OF course. In the present instance, it is
not compulsory upon the poorer classes
to put on black, but poor indeed Is the
woman in England who will not man
age some way, somehow, to get her
black dress and hat, even if her chill
dren are obliged to go without bread
he n 90 'tsll
adoption of some simple. inexpensive
symbol OF mourning. like the bow Of
violet ribbon, would do away with all
this. Bernard Shaw's suggestion Is a
good one.
II is well known that wealthy, fash
ionable women seldom wear a dress
more than two or three times. OF
course they do not have them made
over-the extremely rich, fashionable
them has puzzled many a feminine
mind. Such gowns would not be suit
able for poor relations, which every
woman has, and yet they cannot be
kept to take up the room in my lady g
ample closets needed for new, fresh
toilets, so pass into other hands they
into whose? The second
hand clothing mans in many instances,
no doubt, but II seems not always, for
a new vocation has Just been revealed
to us which settles this mystery. A
certain very expensive and up-to-date
dressmaker in New York says that she
and others like her purchase from their
wealthy customers the gowns, hats,
wraps, etc, of which they have grown
tired, for a comparatively small sum.
These they sell to a class of women OF
other cities generally who are in a GER
tain sense fashionable and well of,
but not able to AFFORD such gowns at
their first price. These dressmakers
keep a book with the measurements of
such customers, and whenever a gown
of this kind comes in they notify the
fortunate women whom II will fit. Fre-
quently the modiste. instead of selling
these creations" rent them, which of
course, is much less expensive, and ena
bles a woman of rather limited means
to appear I'm several such dresses dur
ing season. She rents one for a GER
tain time, not long enough to have the
dress defaced then when returned il is
sent to some other woman in another
city, perhaps, and in this way may be
donned by several well-dressed mem
bers of society before IL is finally sold
to a second-class clothing man. If the
gown has hat IL goes the rounds and
can easily see that such a business
shares the same fate, of course. One
would be profitable for the dressmaker
or for anyone engaged in 1t. and reg
ular bonanza for this class OF her GUS
toners. The inexorable laws of society,
so-called fashionable society. demand
that no woman shall appear in the
same gown many times. To keep his
pretty wife with social aspirations in
l.to hoe