The Washington herald., 1917-01-07
Seen and Heard
By GEORGE MINER.

New York, Jan. 6.-Many of the
ice rinks in the big European cities,
where skating has long been an art
and pastime, have closed as re-
suit of the war. On that account the
instructors have drifted over to
America, where ice skating is just
beginning to be considered as some
thing more than the ability to keep
ipright on pair of metal blades.
In consequence ice skating is BOOM
ing. Everybody's doing it.
Mr.. Irving Brokaw, who Is not
only one of the social leaders in New
York, but one of the best skaters in
the world, tells me that never before
were there so many excellent skaters
and instructors here as there are
now. He is enthusiastic over the
way that men and women of all
classes have taken up the sport.
There is much more attention to
for~ now than ever before" he ex-
planned. "In the past most persons
have been satisfied with track skat-
ing and not doing that extraor-
dinarily we'll, but now they consider
form. They want to know how to
skate properly, how to hold the body,
how to balance the feet and the cor
rect position of the arms, head and
even the hands. 1t is the attention
to the skating position that makes
the sport graceful and even attrac-
tive. 1t is becoming an art here now,
when it used to be nothing more than
sport.
The only way to have form in
skating is to begin properly. Take
lessons of a good instructor, not
simply some one who can manage to
keep his balance, but a person who
understands the art of skating. The
man who puts on pair of skates and
then thinks he has accomplished
something because he manages to
glide around and around. the rink
without sprawling, is not, generally
speaking, learning to skate. He is
just going along on the ice.
with a few lessons any one can
learn the art of skating and then with
practice he will be able to develop
a graceful sweep and swing, with
figure work coming later. The young
er you are the easier it is to learn,
for the difficulty to overcome is to
let yourself go. Still, l have known
a number of people past 40 who
have learned to skate very well. They
should do it frequently, however.
The exercise keeps the body supple
and strengthens the ankles.
Some beginners make the mis-
take of buying hockey skates and
then try figure skating. Hockey
skates are suitable only for track
work, either forward or backward.
For the figures you have to have a
specially modelled skate, one which
almost every beginner is buying now.
1t has teeth in the curved front and
an extension in the heel.
"These points are important if you
are going to learn to waltz. As
everybody who skates at all is either
beginning the waltz steps or getting
firm enough on his feet to try them
the demand for figure skates is al
most in excess of the supply. In
fact the price of skates has scored
considerably since last year on ac-
count of the scarcity of material and
the increased demand"
The Ritz-Carlton has gone one
step in advance of the other hotels
in New York. 1t has opened a
smoking room for women.
OF course, women were allowed to
smoke all over the hotel before, in
any of the restaurants or tea rooms,
the same as they are in all the hotels
here, but in this smoking room they
can go up to the counter and buy
their own cigarettes without having
to send waiter to the cafe for them
The room is called "The Humidor." :"
That means a contrivancc to manu-
facture moisture.