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c 3C [nil " 111 ~ j~ 3C~p E =!r aC /\F”li'"
cil r. Dlr n!-ll - - r- - ~lr —. -tr . a
of Extreme
Direc;toire /T\odes
U/fyief? is startli9^
U/orld of pasl?io9.
* Lm
WIIAT nn excitement! What a fuaa !
Legions of bauds uplifto(l Eyes,
too. In irtotia horror, lost they
should view the awful sight. A million
voices chanting disapproval and disgust.
In French. In English, In good down right
American And all bcenuse of what?
Just because woman, dear capricious
woman, has dared to eliminate a few un
necessary Tarda of swathing material
from her skirt and. worse still, has dared
to spilt up that same skirt for half a
yard or so at the side. In the slung of
to-dsy, "Ain’t It awful. MabelT*
Horrible! Shocking! I quite agree with
you (with a smile behind my hand). Tint,
after nil. what could the poor girl dot
Like the woman of Dti Maurtor’a story
who tearfully said she’d like atrfij/Iy te
sit down, but her dressmsker said she
couldn't, without the spilt In the sheath
skirt its wearer would be condemned to
eternal standing. And that standing In
definitely becomes a trifle monotonous one's
friends who live In New York’s llurlem
and travel In a f perpendlealar position
each day. via the Subwar. can testify.
So do not fudge too harshly.
That ths Direetoire modes the sheath
skirt and the slashed skirt worn over a
petticoat less form are the most startling
things In the wav of fashions fbxt have
been launched In mativ moons, there's no
denying But have thev been launched?
Isn’t It rather a case of flags flvlng. bands
playing, the champagne bottle smashed
on the bow- and the ship stuck fast on
the ways? One swallow doesn't make a
Hummer, nor do three dressmaker's models
parading at a French race course create a
fashion.
Seventy-Five Highly Accomplished Polar Bears Coming Here.
SPVKNTY FIVE) polai h**r» tn one
group I
Thl* Is without qu**tl*n th* worn*
of nnitral training It U th»* gn»st«**t "*g
grogntlon" > f performing wild l»«'a*ts any
on# hss oror got togothor. Thl* giant of
group*, too. mill l»o » n In A morion In tho
near futuro. Th#lr ownor, Mr William
llaionbook. a brothor of tho fsmout Mr
Carl Hagonbeok. tho colohratod animal
doalor of Hamburg. I* now In negotiation
for an oiton*lvo Amortgan tour. and. a* ho
modootly declared, "It will T*e a anrprlao to
America not only a* regards /lumber, but
what the animals can do.**
Only those who hare aeon Mr Hagen
berk's wonderful group of performing polar
bears can gra*p what It mean* a* a *pec
tacla and also appreciate something of th#
difficult lea Oipertsncad In gettltig such a
collection together. All naturalists are
agreed that one of the most difficult heaats
to train and one of the roost unreliable It
tbs polar hear By nature they are sus
picious. tnd although fairly alert as cap
tive anlmall are none too willing to etcr»
ctee themselves at the bidding of man.
IV train a single specimen of th*** beauti
ful snowy white creature* of the Far forth
a no light task. Imagine, then, what It
means to train a whole company of ecvea
■j ova. U la U*e greatest fcal am under
Hut of one thing I'm certain—tt’s go
ing to be a grand thing for the comlo
opera choruses.
For some time we have heard and rend
of fnshloDtiblo French women daring much
In dress Of wonderful brocades tlghtlv
wound around chiffon clad forms, of limp,
supple satin caressing and outlining the
whole figure, of scarfs of gauge forming
the costume —decadent dress, it linn been
called, and who will say It Is misnamed?
Lately. we learn with surprise. of
dresses being made to lift at one side, dis
closing a foot and ankle clad In satin.
Jewel studded slipper and flesh-colored
stocking. After all. Its only one more
snip of the scissors and behold, the
slashed skirt! Oh. no. It wouldn’t he at
all surprising, viewing the recent trend
of fashion, to sec smart Pur la lon no* going
to the limit of the Direetoire style. But
If they elect to do It, how wcl !t will be
done In picturesque, luxurious surround
ings. with softened lights ami appropriate
background will the startling costumes ha
worn. Their .jovements will be the re
suit of long and careful study before ft
mirror In the solitude of their boudoirs.
Their poses. too, will be carefully thought
out. for gowns modeled on those extreme
styles require most delicate wearing.
But here! Imagine a figure in a robe
Dlrectolre rushing across In front of a
trolley or sprinting down a subway p!i»V
form. The only possible setting would be
the marble palace cottages” and velvet
lawns of Newport. Who knows? Perhaps
we may see them there before the season
Is over.
In the meantime Just the ordinary,
everyday woman U taking several reefs lu
taken and accomplished In the whole his
tory of animal training.
Th* animals perform In a specially
erected arena surrounded by Polar scen
ery. Indeed, the whole display Is an ei
hthltton In Itself The bears form pyra
mids and groups, climb ladder*, drive
about In carriage* drawn by ponies with
monkey* n« outrider*, draw sledges con
tain tug their companions, drink out of bot
tle*. and a host of other tricks.
Mr. llsgcnbeck'ii most docile animal Is
Whit* Haven, the somewhat Incongruous
appellation which has been bestowed upon
the clown of the company, a vary clever
brown bear He follows his master about
the arena and generally acts the comic a*
sll good clowns do Many of the bajtra
have been taught to drink out of bottle*
by holding them to their mouths with their
fore feet It I* most amusing and comical
te watch an enormous white hear, measur
ing seven feet In length, suddenly sit nt& 4
a seat, grasp a stone bottle In hla great
paws, lift It to his mouth and dratn Its
contents, while the hand play* a popular
song, entitled “Have Another Drink.** One
of tha bears, Palsy. Is very fond of lying
down on her back while drinking. The
bears' drink* consist of sweetened water,
milk or cod liver oil. All the animals are
foud vm Uic Comer, auU few ot ihe.ni ob
I Si l== == ===L___=^
VS
A—The Split Direetoire Skirt Which C—The Slashed Skirt Is Often Laced E—Beautiful Fabrics Are Wound
Is Shocking the Conservative Peo- Across with Cords, Which Are Around the Figure. Supported on
i , t vtr ij Sometimes Caught with Beautiful the Shoulders by Slender Straps,
pie of Two Worlds. Button,. F—Oil Soaked Corset Bone, and
B—Petticoat* Are Banished from the D—Evening Dresses Grow More Au- Skimpy “Knickers” Help to Con-
New Gowns. daciously Clinging. struct the Figure of the Moment.
her skirts. If she makes any pretence of
keeping up with the fashions, nnd she Is
Impressing upon her home dressmaker that
she can save enough from the skirt to rut
out a sleeveless coat She reads with awe
of the bride who had nlneteeu pairs of
‘ knickers.” iks. satins and pongees. In
her tflnussenn and not a single solitary
frilly feminine petticoat. What a pity!
But nt the first opportunity she sneaks off
sud Invests In a pair of tights to wear
under her new satin evening dress. When
ject to taking the latter. Indeed, some of
them show a preference for It. A couple
of g: lions of cod liver oil is consumed
by tho bears every week.
It Is a wonderful sight to watch th*
bears enter the arena. It la almost one
entiles* procession of strolling white mon
sters A spectacle that always evokes
much applause l* Monk'-a wrestling boat
with his trainer. Monk Is undoubtedly
the most Intelligent of th* whole troupe
Standing on his hind legs he wrestles with
hla master lu quite the approved fashion
Taking up his position In the centre of the
mat. he greets hi* human competitor with
a lick of hla tongue, as Monk cannot mas
ter the knack of shaking bands. Then the
contest starts In real earnest, the bear do
Ing his utmost to put the man on hla
back, while the trainer endeavors to pre
vent the throw.
Th* whole performance Is verr life
i like. Monk appearing to put hla heart into
it. every now and again giving an ominous
growl a* b* endeavor* to get a good grip
on hi* companion with hla huge paws. To
and fro the strange combatant* sway until
on* manages to break away. In an In
stant they are at It again. This time Monk
has got his companion n round th* watst.
the trainer* arm being thrown around the
bear a uevi Mwuk on as bis great mouth
Copyright, 1008, by A-merlcan-Examiner. Great Britain Rights Reserred.
the bill comes In nnd her husband raises
his eyebrows at the Item ''tights.” she
murmurs "bathing!” and he doesn’t know
that the fateful words “flesh-colored” pre
ceded It.
Now Is the day of triumphs for the lean
woman As I’ve said before. It’s really
vulgar to have what Is commonly called a
"good figure.” The slimmer, the more
straight up and-down you are the better.
Clothes abroad suggest the uncorseted fig
ure. If corsets are worn they are of the
and snarls, and to the onlooker things be
gin to look dangerous. But Monk knows
the rules, and never bites. At the sam#
time he has a knack of digging his claws
rather deeply Into one's clothes, aud to
prevent scratches Mr. Ilsgenbeck wears a
very thick leather waistcoat. Even with
thl* stout garment on he gets an occasional
scratch. Monk turns the scnle at 1.500
pounds, and. as weight frequently tells in
wrestling, the bear often gets the first
throw But a throw is not a victory, and
on the mat the combatants push and shore
uutll the shoulder* of one touch the ground.
But the most interesting and amusing
I't-atr and one that never falls to call for
much applause, is the manner tn which
un* heat* hare been taught to “shoot the
chute." The animals climb up an Inclined
plane until they reach a platform some
sixty feet above the ground. Immediately
In front of them Is the chute, and, to tell
the truth, the bears do not care much
about venturing onto It. Once on the chute
tliere 1* no coming back, and It 1* cer
tainly very comical to watch them fly
down Into the tank of water below. Some
grasp the aide of the chut* and endeavor
to cling there, only to lose their hold when
a companion thnnd*-r* un against them
irocu aoove borne reach the water by
eliding down backward*, elben go head
c a\ic *c _JI Eghfl |j \ c BjwL cL?C« —3
flow tlpe 5K lr(: °f
Ipto Split
JRirt of tlft ((
Summer. uA^^hMbXsJh
most pliable description, with the front
bone omitted, for the figure drooping
languidly, either sitting or standing, Is
now the fashionable pose. As a matter of
foot, only a small percentage of women
cau afford to appear without their "stay*,"
as the Kngllsh call them.
In America corsotlcres are modifying the
armor plate in which they have insisted on
encasing the female form devine for some
time. While corsets are still built ex
tremely long over the hips and below the
waist both back and front the bones stop
short, an extension of coutll, or of whatever
material the corset Is made, confining the
flesh below. One corset boned with whale
bone which has been given successive baths
of oil to render It pliable Is having a
vogue Just now, as It gives a supple out
line, while at the same time apparently re
ducing the wearer’s slue.
With the sheath skirt Its wearer may
have all the will In the world to wear petti
coats, but she hasn’t the room ! Positively,
these skirts are so glove-fitting that the
presence of a petticoat would be instantly
detected In little unpreventable wrinkles
that would 6how through the tightly
stretched outer fabric. So It's tights for
her.
These she wears over her corsets to voil
the ending of the corset. Sometimes she
wears a single under garment of chiffon,
made princess fashion, so that there may be
no line of ending at the waist. French
women have, with their usual Ingenuity re-
gnrding clothes. Invented tights having
woven silts Just below’ the turn of the hips,
through which a ribbon Is threaded, at
taching n petticoat of plaited monssellne
de sole. This underskirt appears In the
slit of the Direetoire skirt, veiling the ankle
and limb.
The Illustrations on this page give a verv
good Idea of this much talked of style of
dress The accessories of the period have
been tentatlvelj put forward for some time.
The tall Direetoire walking Btlck, so Die-
first. others sideways, and. Indeed. In every
conceivable position and attitude. It takes
nearly twenty minutes for the whole of th*
bears to reach their destination, one or
more animals being on the chute the whole
of this time. Some go down quickly,
whil* others spread themselves right across
the course, and only reach the bottom after
a more or less lengthy period. Once in
the water, however, the animals are In
stantly at home.
In the Shadow.
"You look pale and thin. What’i got
you?"
’ • Work! From morning till night, and
onlr a one-hour rest."
•‘How long have yon Peon at It?
•*I begin to-morrow.” —Ulk.
The Art of Illustrating.
•'We received the droning* safely," sold
the publisher.
"Good," responded the eminent Illus
trator. "I wl»h ven d make your author
look at 'em ov nslomtllv a* ue »rites th.
boon."—Lout, villa Courier-Journal.
Uie, of Magic.
A well-known Japanese ranglclan. Ten-
Ichv. nho Is noted for hla skill in mesmer
ism. was mesmerised by Sudachl, a young
member of his company.
9 attach) stole 20 yen from his master's
nurse and absconded. —South China Tost*
_y\ V
tnresque an object when properly carried,
has been seen. Now the Direetoire hat Is
belli* exploited by fashlcfaable milliners. It
is the shape with which -.re are familiar
from illustrations of the dress worn during
the time of Napoleon.
These hats are quaint things, of the poke
bonnet family, adorned with three nodding
plumes or stiff little bunches of posies and
Heroes That Save Lives
Shall Those Who Risk Death to Rescue Others
Be Left to Bear Poverty in Their Old Age?
By ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.
Copyright, 1908, by American-Journal Examiner.
THIS spring season has been remark
able for high winds. Those who live
on seacoasts realize the fact more
keenly than city denizens.
Whenever the combination of wind and
waves makes splendid pictures for the eye
and orchestral music for the ear, one with
any Imagination must think of the peril
which attends the lives of thousands of
men whose occupation is with the sea.
There is comparatively little danger con
nected with our great ocean liners; no more
than with our railroad aud not as
much as is to be encountered in any auto
mobile drive with the average mechanic at
the wheel.
But the sea Is traversed continually by
small vessels, craft which bring and carry
merchandise; sailing vessels do an active
business on the sea, and whaling ships still
go forth to dangerous battle with the mon
sters of the deep.
Besides these men. whose work it Is to
live upon the ocean at all times of year and
face all kinds *>f weatbfr, there Is the large
organization of life savers composed of the
bravest, most daring aud self-sacrificing
men of the world, for there is no other ele
ment so terrible to eucouuler as an angry
tea.
It Is only now and then we rend of what
these men do; hut where one great occa
sion makes public their splendid courage
in Raving the Utta UnptfilUKl by some no
table situation bt danger, there are hun
dreds of occasion* arising every week
where these heroes run the risk of death,
because of seeming danger to oue unknown
individual, or the possible peril of u srnail
craft.
The continual strain nnder which the
life naver* live breaks down their consti
tutions. ofttlaies before middle life, and
renders them unfit for other vocations.
Therefore, any eToft to benefit thes*
brave and noble men 1* of Interest to
every thinking citizen, And deserves uni
versal attention and co-operation.
An effort Is being made by Charles A.
Meyland, No. 062 Winnebago street, Mil
waukee. secretary of the Life Bavers’ Na
tional Benefit Association, to mNo tuoney
for a fund to rare f* t* men disabled lu the
l tilted States life saving service, and for
the widows and orphan-* of men who have
lost their Uvea in the work of reseat.
always with long satin ribbons, which tie
under one ear, or, more demurely, under
the chin. These hats are already being
worn by the younger members of the New
port smart set, and very charming they
look with garden party frocks.
Parasols show enormously tall sticks,
whltfi la but another evidence of Directors
influence.
The object of the association, which 1*
formed of di*abled men formerly In the
service, Is stated in the subscription paper
as follows:
“To obtain the mean* of a modest living
for ourselves and the dependent* of our
members, to save them from the poorhousa
and thereby maintain our honorable stand
ing among our friends and in our com
munity.
"We think we ought to he entitled to
that much consideration after faithfully
and honorably serving the nation tbrougo
a long series of years, and we hope to have
the as*ialance of every true American to
accomplish it.
"We nope to raise a pension fund through
public donation* anil contribution, Tiie
r.reincn'a pcu.lon fund of this and other
(treat cities was raised lu this way \vu
ulso want to put up contribution box«« In
every ureat city In the Union in such place,
as hotel.., railroad stations, stores etc
"The lifesaving service < n the coast of
the German empire is maintained in this
way. and we should be aide through this
contribution box system to raise enouxu
money to take care of the 2ou crippled
members of our association and the r.oo
Widows and orphans of our dead comrades
"Sumner T. Kimball, general superin
tendent of lifesaving service at Washing
ton, li. C . lias been asked to aid in tha
Just distribution of the fund.
"Our association has been organised
without any capital, nnd in order to pro
duce about I .non contribution boxes w*
need about ll.nOO. After we cat etarted
with the 1.000 contribution boxes wa
hope to 1.0 able to take care of ourselves."
Those men reoclie no pension from tha
Government, save that provision I, made
that If disabled iher receive their pay for
two year* thereafter, and that tn rase of
denth ihe payment of the salary la con
tinued to a dependent mother.
effort* have been made for rears to
se< are pension legislation for th* Ilf*,
savers, tut It has been defeated, th,
opponent* "f th* movement contending
tint to take thl" anion would he the first
step toward establishing a civil pension
list.
I.et everv man or woman with a penny
to spare take pride and pleasure In help
ing to Dll these boxes. Every
nickel or dl •• or matter given to sii'li
t purpose will retura la dollar, to tu,
elver In time.