Evening Star Newspaper, August 23, 1890, Page 9

al fe THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D.C.; SATURDAY, IN THE SIDE SADDLE. An Equestrienne Tells How to Learn to Ride Properly. IN THE RIDING ACADEMIES. The Right Position and How to Ac- quire §t—-Singte Footers and Pacers for Delicate Ladiew—The Level Trot the Rest—Saddles and Habits, ‘Written for Tne EvextNe Stam. O OWN a steam yacht or private car or to drive Swiveller, Maud 8. or Axtell is doubt- less agreeable, but “im each of these there are unpleas- ant elements of re- sponsibility and of helplessness which are not found in that happy con-j cours? of circum- stances which brings together the horse and his rider. Tu town riding is a luxury, bat it is a luxury that each day is more widely shgred. Riding schools increase in number and the system of | teaching is now carried to high perfection. No} one would contend that people cannot learn to ride without being taught —the west and south | answer that. At the same time riding becomes | a simpler, easier accomplishment when begun aright instead of waiting for time and experi- ence te overcome faults. for there are inevitably wrong and right ways oPridiag. To this end it may be well to explain something of the system of teaching followed at the riding academies. THE FIRST LESSON. The first thing a novice is taught is to mount, which we will dismiss ina tew words, as the process must be familiar to most readers, She Stands ont on the ground or on a stage; with her right hand she clasps the pommel: her left foot she places im the left hand of her escort or teacher. whose right arm is placed about her waist or under her left arm. She rests on her right foot. At one, two, she rises on the ball of her foot, at three gives a spring which, if it is successful, lands her in the saddle. In the saddle the reins are put into both of ber . hands, and her horse, which has only a snafile, is led with a leading strap aronnd the ring until the rider ac- quires her seat. She must sit lightly and erect. shoulders square, and leaning neither too far front or back. The reasons are obvious. | If she rides too far for- | ward an unlucky stam- bie would send her on CORRECT SPAT. her head; if she leans too tar back she loses something in control of her horse. Both ele- gance and perfect balance demand an upright seat. Her right legis thrown around the upright pommel, and by lightly pressing the horse be- neath the pommel as- sists her seat.” The left leg falls at an angle, the knee projecting. and the ball of the left foot resses the stirrup. be length of the stir- rup depends on her length of leg and4s ad- justed as seems easiest, 4 which is. of course. best TCORRECT seat. for the rider. The length of the bridle rein, which should beneither too long nor too short. is regulated also by the length of arm Having gaiwed her seat. she is no’ jiven a full bridle, that is to say. a curb is added to the snaffle. and she holds the reins in one hand. The other is occupied by her whip—usually a cross in which there is no actual service be- yond that of giving of her hand something to do. She isnow taught to guide. Horses in riding schools are trained to guide by the neck, but as they are used by so many different riders they are, in fact, more difficult to guide than the horse of which the rider is the fortunate possessor. To the horse well trained the slight- est pressure on the reins is sufficient. and he 1s spared that torture of the mouth which care- less riders are apt to inflict, keeping their horses thereby restive and irritated. The novice who is delicate or susceptible to fatigue may begin with # single foot or pacer. In the south. where women are in the saddle from childhood to old age, pacers are usually chosen for riding horses, the gait being much more agreeable. in fact. than that of the t proverbial cradle. But it will satisfy our mod- ru giri’s ambition to ride a pacing horse, and, | in fact, notuing approaches a fine level trot for the body im vigorous, wholesome condition. THE TROT. To ride a trotting horse satisfactorily to one’s self training is necessary. As in swimmmg, there is a knack which, once caught, makes | easy an otherwise ancomfortable performance. This knack is embodied m keeping the rise in | the saddle in perfect unison with the horse's | forward movement. And it is done by pressing the ball of the foot against the stirrups, which | ives the required rise, and at the same tume | higbtly pressing the pommel leg against the horse to keep the body straight. The amount | ofrise is adjusted by the curved pommel, | which retrains by 1t8 curve the stirrup leg be- yond 4 certain diste. ice. ASAD LE TO FIT. For this reason every rider should have her | own saddle made according to measurements of | her body. These measurements should be taken | from the knee to the end of | the seat, leaving a slight pro- | jection. This, if too long, looks | awkward and leaves room for | wobbling; but, if too short, is | apt to bruise. The second | measurement is across the leg where it is thrown across tl F\pommel, and to adjust the ength and curvature of the un- ‘* der pommel. The curveshould allow for two fingers’ length distance between the leg and the pommel. This | ander-curved pommel is to prevent the rider | from beimg thrown backward, and it also de- termines the amount of rise in the saddle. Its importance will at once be understood b- serving the exaggerated rise in saddles, which | looks like Anglomaniac affectation, but ‘which, | as likely as not, is simply bad riding. The | length of the curve is important, as, if too short or too inclined. the point may strike the Jeg. It is heavily padded ‘underneath to pre- vent bruising. Saddles are usually made of pig skin, with doe-skin seats, and the prices Fange from £40 to €120. When the knack of the trot young rider is taken to jon the gay cavaleade the park, where her traiuing is carried fur- ther. At the same time she is pursuing her etudies in guiding in the music rides. as they are called in riding schools. ‘These consist of a series of military evolutions to the inspiring strains of @ brass band. These are very pretty and attract spectators. But they are something far more im- portant than a pastime, & spectacle or a polite eireus performance. In this way riders are taught to tarn, wheel, © doubie. to execute a va- Tiety of movements at oe word of command. ‘umping is part of the Fiding “school course, To know how to clear ditches and fences is important to rider is caught, the | placed on a Canadian pony. joy the free freedom which s good horse and good seat tozether can bring. To ride crows country in the English sense, or to ride to hounds. does not offer to many women in this country, except in the fox hunting regions in the south. where it is accepted like any other opportunity for being inthe saddle. Still every woman should learn to jump, as the fearlessness which it engenders may serve ber in many emergencies, JUMPING. ‘The first thing in learning is to have a horso that will not refuse the leap. bar A low wooden placed across the track. She is instructed easily, balance well in the seat, and. he horse is ready to bend forward. hold ins high, press the leg against the horse and go with him. When over immediately set- tle back in the seat and draw in the curb. This assists the horse, which otherwise might stum- bie, in which case the rider, profiting by the impetus of the leap, would be likely to attempt an independent career over the horse’s head. As ia learning to trot, there is in jumping a knack, which needs only to be accompanied by a watchful eye, a steady hand and the requi- site self-confidence. As these are acqnired ad- ditional bars are added until the limit need be defined only by the horse’s ability to jump. THE CONVENTIONAL HABIT is derived from the English. It 1s made of firm, stout cloth. with a short, pointed body, terminating inthe.back in two narrow tails. The skirt, trom the left side in front around to the right side in the back, just clears the ground when the rider is standing erect. The rest of the distance, which includes the part over the pommel knee, the skirt is longer. The guide to the length is the rider seated, when the skirt should make a straight line across the horse's body. In the old-fashioned skirt this line is diagonal. When walking this surplus length is looped up. The skirt has no gathers. It is fitted across the back just as are & man’s trousers. There is great rivalry among the fashionable tailors in riding skirts. Each has his own de- sign and this is usually legally protected. One of these is now patenting a new skirt im Wash- ington, of which nothing more can be now said than that itis the same length all the way round and is designed to prevent the habit catching on the pommel in case a rider is thrown, which, it is alleged, is the difficulty with the English skirt. Underneath the habit are worn trousers strapped down over the gar- peat boot. The: ments, however, yielding before knicker- bockers and riding boots and one of the riding teachers is authority for the statement that tights worn with riding boots are far preferable to trousers. The season has introduced novelties in riding bodies. The latest are jacket shaped and are cut away to dis- close waistcoats that are made exactly as those of men. Women who can afford the luxury haved \ different waistcoats for) the same habit. The summer allows wider latitude in habits, which are made of lighter cloth. Norfolk jackets are thoroughly en regle for country wear. Cor- INCORRECT. duroy skirts with Norfolk jackets defy mud and weather. Straw hats, black and white, with a gold band around them, replace the conven- tional silk hat and the popular derby. CROSS SADDLE. Let no one be at all exercised about chang- ing their habit in order to ride cross saddle. There is not the slightest danger that the ne- cessity will arise. About 2 dozen years ago the agitation was agitated. and with the usual re- sult. Nature is pretty apt to look after her own, and the fact that women in civilized life ride as they do and persist in it in the teeth of all the dreadful consequences predicted by the reformers is pretty sure proof that it is not done without a reason. That women in South America and Japan ride cross saddle is of but little consequence; they do so unconsciously; the girl in the park is self-conscious, and that makes all the difference in the world. A REFRESHING LEMONADE. As to the physical consequences one may be pardoned for drawing somewhut on personal experiences. At eight years old I was taught to ride as ducks are taught to swim, by being From that time until sixteen I rode usually twice a day, and there were few methods of riding, except standing on bare back, of which I have not had some experience. Asa child I frequently rode twenty miles # day, and there are those who will remember, without any loss of activity afterward and without ever having suffered from any of the ills threatened those who ride as women do. The experienced rider knows how, by change of gait, to give rest to both herself aud horse. After a long level trot the break into a canter is as resting as would be abso- lute repose, Moreover the esthetic sense of American women is sufficiently alert to keep them from riding cross saddle. ‘The English costume designed for these daring equestriennes consists in trousers and a species of newmarket. When mounted the coat divides and covers each leg. To keep in place are straps around the leg. On dis- mounting the coat is buttoned down the front, and a flap conceals the division in the back. The effect is not attractive. The accordion divided skirt is too frivolous and no more tempting to the eve. The only really pretty sort of cross-saddie costume is one designed for hunting. with boots. tights and a jaunty coat, a costume which looks as if it might have been borrowed from the Grand Duchess at the Casino. Mary Gay Humpuneys. ——— Written for Taz Evevixo Star. Bob White’s Warnin; ‘Thrust in the sickle—gather in the hay, Yonder in the flelds hear the partridges calling; What if the sun has dried the drops away? Ali the summer night has the rain been a fall- ing— Dripping through the bean vines trailing to the ground, Soaking in the mosses and the mignonette; Now the call arises with « warning sound, Yonder in the meadows— “More wet—more wet.” Reddened by the sunshine, ripened by the rain, Drop the plums into the grass, bright as burning embers; Flash the shining sickles in amidst the grain— So we must prepare in summer for the grim Decembers, Winter days are far away, far beyond the frost, ‘Yet that they are coming let us not forget; ‘Though the sun is shining, in the clouds it may be lost, Hear the cry of warning— “More wet—more wet.” Now the sky is blue, see it stretching left and right, Every drop of moisture dried from thickest hedges: Ab, but see yon cloud bank, its center pearly white, With a line of dusky purple all around the edges. Low on the hills the blue is falling deep; In @ ridge of angry crimson, see the sun has set; Little sighing winds through the dusky forest sweep— ‘Timely came the warning— “More wet—more wet.” —Harrig Waitysy. St. Louis, Mo. Z Atliietiipinsieat Woman may be a trusting creature, and all that, but she isn’t apt to be deceived into giv- ing too much credit to another woman,—Elmira THE ANDEAN PLATEAU Pen Pictures of South American In- dian Tribes, CUSTOMS OF THE NATIVES. 'y Crops—Frozen Potatoes Fried Mutton—PrimitiveMarriage Customs—The Sling Their Weapon, — From Tax Stan's Traveling Commissioner, La Paz, Bourvia, July 1. ANY of the Indians of Peru and Bolivia are independent farmers im asmall way, 2 tolerably clean lot of people, as In- ldians go, peaceable, industrious and contented. Their besetting sin, how- ever, 1s a weakness for more alcohol and coca than their means a!low, whereby they involve themselves deeper and deeper into debt with the white race, which in the long run means but one thing to the debtor—loss of all he pos- sesses, even personal liberty, and peonism, amounting to slavery, ‘The great Andean plateau, which stretches between Sorrato and Iilimani, at an elevation of 13,000 feet, several hundred miles long and level as a board floor, is like a vast but strag- gling Indian village, covered with their adobe huts and poor little farms, The only crops that will growat this height are barley and potatoes, and the former never comes to ahead, but is left till dry and yellow and then cut, stalks and all, for fodder. A good many sheep also find a living among the rocks and ilamas abound. The wonder 18 that anything can be raised on this cold and breezy plateau, not only on ac- count of its elevation, but because of the deep layer of small, round stones that li lly cover the face of the earth and must be removed be- fore soi! is visible, As stone walls are not in fashion her? there is no way of disposing of this debris of nature but to pile it up in heaps, and so about half of the bestcnitivated portion of the plateau is occupied by huge mounds of stones, CHARACTER OF THE INDIANS. The Indians up here have a different look from those who inhabit the lower valleys, these being even more silont and reserved, generally at work and never convivial. Their emotionless faces bear a striking resemblance to those on the ancient huacos, or water jars, ax we see them patiently tilling the fields, driving their lamas or stopping to rest undgr the shel arock, with sad eyes fixed upon vacancy, and not a glance to bestow upon the passer-by, ‘The women engage in the same pursuits as the men, pianting. plowing, reaping and digging, or trotting barefooted over the stones, keeping pace all day Jong with their Hamas and mules, Seed time and harvest occur here whenever it suits the convenience of the cultivator, and one sees in the same field women doubled over like jack knives scratching up potatoes with hoes that have handles hardly a foot long, followed by others who scatter seed in the furrows thus made. PURPOSFLY FROZEN. In this part of the world potatoes are not considered fit to eat until after they have been frozen. This is purposely done during the coldest months, May. June, July and August, when they are spread out on the ground in the higher altitudes till well frosted. Potatoes hb bout seldom attain more than the size of ahickory nut, but if any have grown larger they are cut in two. After one night's freezing they are soaked in water fof twenty-four hours, then spread again on the ground, soft stamped by bare fect to squeeze out the sur- n another night or two. is completed they are ” forever. plus moisture and froz When this performan hard as bones and will “keep der to cook them properly notions of the people. they must first be soaked ip warm water and then ground or beaten be- tween the stones. Shey are seldom used ex- cept in combination, that is put into the ehupe or soup, or stewed with bits of dried sheep. If first ground fine and then cooked solus they make a poultice-lke mess similar to the “mashed potato” of more civilized lands, but infinitely nastier. THE INDIAN’S DRIED MUTTON. About the only meat the Indian indulges in is chalona or dried mutton, which is prepared in this way: When a sheep has been killed it is laid out flat, frozen, soaked in water and frozen again; after which it 1s hung up and dried and is then so bard and tough that decay is impos- sible and no vermin will molest it. “To render chalona edib! must be cut into small bits and boiled a ve ug time; and in its best es- tate is about as tend Bolivian Indians rarely eat fresh of kind and have no fondness for the picanter a peppers so prized by the Spaniards and Cholos, Their greatest delicacy in the line of food is frozen llama flesh; while coca is considered the first essential of lite, and alcohol or its equivalent far more necessary than water. THE PROSPEROUS INDIAN FARMER owns a few llamas and perhaps a mule or two, worth about $10 apiece, while he is a very na- bob who possesses also a cow or flock of sheep. Besides potatoes and barley he has generally a Inttle pateh of racacha, a vegetable resembling a parsnip, but sweeter, and a field of some- thing that grows up in beautiful reddish-yeliuw flowers. whose tall feathery spikes bear small seeds which taste like roiled oats when cooked. His one-room casa of unplastered adobe has no windows, no floor but the bar rth and very scanty furnishings; but its thatched roof is sure to be topped by a cross and inside is some figure or picture of a saint or angel which answers for devotional purposes and is the much cherished lares and penates of the home. ‘The family may be too poor to afford candles for their own use one is burned before the shrine on all firsta days amid votive offerings of fruit and flowers. Chairs are luxuries for which the inmates have no use, all preterring to sit on the floor, The bed is a pile of dried grass in the corner; the entire wardrobe of the family is carried on their ba ooking is done over a handful of sticks outside, and if a table is used (but rarely) it is a big flat stone, the stump of a tree, or at best a few boards nuiled together. In or- it THEIR ONLY WEAPON, Whenever a man, woman or child of Indian blood starts out to drive a llama, sheep or other animal, he or she does not look for a stick, but carries a smail sling of woven wool, which, among these singular people. is the sole weapon of offense und defense. Jogging along ata slow trot behind the flock or herd an Indian will keep every member of it straight in the path and up to time without uttering a sound or changing his pace. If one of the animals loiters by the wayside or shows a dis- position to go astray, a small stdne, shied from the sling with unerring accuracy, hits him a clip on the off ear and reminds him that bus ness must be attended to. It sometimes hap pens that the Aymaras and Quichuas have ri pitched battles between one another and 's tae only weapons used ure stones pro- pelled by slings, Such a row occurred in La Paz during the last carnival time. ‘The rival tribes repaired to the outskirts of the city, where they occupied two adjacent hill tops and waged war so fiercely that a number were killed on both sides. Yo this day none of the white race know what was the cause of the dis- turbance, At last the government sent out a company of soldiers to disperse them, but with blank cartridges only. Learning this, the In- dians surrounded the soldiers and held them prisoners until a second body of troops came to their rescue with powder and ball, PROFICIENCY WITH THE SLING, When « Bolivian Indian commits a murder he does not give himself away by the report of a ritle or pistol or goto the expense of buying a knife, he merely lies in wait behind some rock or bush until his victim comes within range, when, by a simple turn of the wrist, swish goe: a stone irum his sling, hitting squarely be- tween the eyes, on the temple or at the base of the brain, and down goes the man promptly as if shot through the heart. It seems that slings have been used by these people away back in earliest times, for in the graves of the Incas every boy mummy is found with one bound around bis arm or across his forehead. How- ever Valiant the ancients may have been, their descendants of today are so cowardly that a stern word or threatening gesture froma white man will generally frighten them into abject submission. SIMPLE MARRIAGE customs, When a mate Indian reaches the age of seven- teen or eighteen he marries, or rather he takes awoman to live with him, asa rule selecting one much older than himself. In the rural districts the marriage ceremony fs rarely per- formed, except when a cure comes along once in & year or two and marries in a batch all those living in the conjugal relation, or desiring to do so, who can afford to pay the fee, either in money, potatoes or other products; but the vast majority, being so wrete! ly poor, do not avail themselves of the opportunity. Like all other Indians, they are virtuous according to their lights, a man living with the one woman , only, in tolerable faithfulness through lite. | Whether legally married or not, the women are fearfully jealous of their consorts, and are ready to ‘tear limb from limb any dusk belle who evinces a desire to ener apon their preserves. Whatever may ha been the habits of an unmarried female she is uniformly faithful in the matrimonial relatio1 and not one of them, married or single, tolerate the slightest advance from a white man. In some sections when an Indian girl is about to take a companero for life custom obliges her to go and live for eight or ten days beforehand with the priest, the ulcaldi, or the man who is looked upon as the highest local authority, as his servant, it is said Ile gitimate children receive more love and atten- tion than the fruits of wedlock, and a woman is not “locked down upon” if she happens to have had two or three before settling with a life companion, ‘WOMAN'S WORK, Asarule the women are superior to their lords in intelligence and earn the larger share of their mutnal support. Being the older of the two sho is naturally the head of the house, and is more likely to thrash her dutiful spouse than he isto misuse her. In the markets, where farm products are disposed of, she can drive a better bargain than he; she can carry asheavy burdens, endure as much manual jabor, chew as much coca and drink as much cohol. The Indians have little or no money, their mediums of exchange being whatever they may raise, or the iabor of their hands. They will eat when not hungry, drink when not thirsty, sleep when not’ sleepy, anywhere and at any time when opportunity offers, “against the time of need,” as they say. The majority are in a state of semi-iutoxica- tion from babyhood to the grave, alcohol being used on every pretext, freely as their means will ailo a occasions of births, deaths and feast days, the latter occurring nearly every day in the year. ‘fhey are social creatures and not at all inclined to live alone; hence their houses are always in groups, and a community of them, though numbering not more than another village until the authorities f have looked mto his private history, f the record is not satisfactory, he is or- dered to move on. But that seldom happens, for they are like cats in their attachment to pice and will cultivate the same bit of poor end from generation to generation, though barely able to keep body and soul together, THE TRAVELING DOCTORS, Just off the great sierra between Bolivia and Peru and bordering on the section known as the montana is a tribe of Indians known as the Charisonis, whose principal business is that of medicos or traveling doctors. Apparently their kuowledge of the healing art is inherent or transmitted from father to son, as, of co they have no schools or instructors. These “medicine men,” who are greatly venerated by all the other tribes and implicitly believed in even by many white people, go off into the deep forests of the montana for all their reme- dies, They are well acquainted with the med: cinal virtues of certain roots, herbs, barks, leav: and blossoms, and kuow how to apply them in the cure of various diseases. They also collect resinous gums and berries, which they sell to the churches to be burned for incense, A FAVORITE REMEDY < among them for all manner of ills is the dried root and leaves of the huaco, a low plant whose velvety green foliage is slightly purple on the under side. It is, in truth, a marvelous cure for snake bites and the stings of the most ven- omous reptiles and insects, the wound being first cut open and alcohol poured in, and then some chewed huaco leaves or a strong decoction of the root applied. They work charms for the sick, too, by rubbing their feet with pebbles from the nearest river, assisted by incanta- tions. One may always know a Charisoni medicine man by his many-colored woolen sack, called a tue His poncho, also, is of the brightest hues that dyes can produce, and is own skin is of areddish tnt, much more ruddy than that of other Indians of this sec- tion, A RED-HEADED TRIBE. At Corabay there is another tribe with brown, blonde and even red hair among its members— whether from some freak of nature or on ac- count of the sociability of lighter colored neighbors, nobody seems to know. They, to’ have medicos, who practice with equal succe: as the Charisonis, When one of them comes to visit a patient he first looks all around to see what article strikes his fancy, that he may levy on for payment. Having settled that question and secured his fee in advance, he shakes the sick man by cach foot, repeats a solemn incantation while having his hands in the air. and then departs with such a knowing air that the faith cure immediately takes effect. I know a woman who declares that her hus- band’s life was saved by one of these doctors, his heart having somehow slipped over to the wrong side and being charmed back into place by the incantation. WHITE INDIANS. There is a tradition of some white Indians, with flowing beards and fair hair. who are sail to inhabit a portion of the almost unknown montana, and hunters may be found who de- clure that they have caught glimpses of these mysterious people, men apd women, entirely naked, in the depths of the forest, There ate other Indians living in the sierras sround La Paz who have remarkably smooth and delicate skins, which they keep well oiled and shining like satin, The men pride themselves on having no more beards than the women, and every superfluous hair is carefully removed. As ail wear their coiffures alike, in long braids at the back of the head aud a heavy lock hang- ing 0} the forehead, it is impossible to dis- tinguish the sexes when their figures are en- veloped in ponchos, AMONG MANY SUPERSTITIONS of the Indians is one which corresponds to the biblical advice about custing bread upon the waters, for they believe that if one throws away anything he highly prizes, as an offering to some unseen power, it will be retnrued to him iu due time, increased in value. Hence it is that they squander so much coca, dashing it against the rocks ‘for Juck,” tossing it into the rivers and strewing it along the wayside when ous journey, There are certain Indians who claim to be prophets, and those who desire to avail themselves of the supernatural powers of these rascals bring them coca and alcohol. ‘The prophet first drinks the latter, then chews the former slowly, leaf by leaf, and foretells events by the shape the cud assumes. It is ex- tremely difficult to persuade or compel an In- dian to work ina mine that has not first been consecrated by the following ceremony: Each Indian gives alcohol and coca from’ his own store to the prophet, who at once swailows the liquor, prays, chews a part of the coca and scatters the rest in every direction. Then he scts fire to a piece of the dried flesh of a baby vicuna (the rest of the animal having been secretly buried) and waves it two and fro to call forth the gold, Itis considered even better ifastill-born llama can be secured for the latter part of the ceremony, and hundreds of abortions are caused among these animals for that purpose. ‘This is doue to placate the devi who 1s believed to have charge of all precious metals hidden in the earth, God having noth- ing todo with them. For the same reason they prefer to open a mine on ‘Tuesday— “Devil’s Day,” though they will not start ona journey or begin work of any kind for them- selves on that unlucky day of the week, ELECTRIC LIGHT AND THE ECLIPSE. The city of La Paz is lighted by electricity and the Indians hereabout, not understanding the phenomenon, have been greatly troubled thereby. A few weeks ago they we thrown into a state of wild confusion by a partial eclipse of the moon, and the next day’s local paper contained the following item: “The In- dians residing in the outskirts of the city were smitten with terror last night at the spectacle of the eclipse, believing the electric light to be directly responsible for it, and that the moon, becoming ashamed of its inferiur light and therefore jealous and angry, was trying to hide herself, aud what would they do it Luma should put out her light altogether? The thought was humble, but need surprise no one considering their ignorance, It was the duty of the sub- prefect to have explained to them beforehand the workings of the electrical machine and that ‘the eclipse of last night was but the looked-for result of patural causes. The panic became so great that the poor creatures huddled together lu groups, crying like children, and some fled to the caves and mountains. Others showed fight and got out the reed trumpets that are med in calling together @ couneil Of war and began tooting with all their might. At this juncture the police interfered, fearing trouble to the electric light company and their works, aud two companies of soidiers were called out to preserve order.” VARIOUS KINDS OF HATS. As mentioned in @ previous letter, the In- dians who wear hats make them a distinctiv8 feature of the tribe or pueblo to which they belong, so that one accustomed to their pecu- liarities can place the wearer ata glance. In the villages between Arequipa ani less than eight different s1 are worn, each being the distin; ot a community. rarest amon; m is of maroon-colored wool, bordered with black, shaped like a helmet and coming down over the ears. Men and women wear the same. Another is avery broad-brimmed affair, with high, square crown, brown outside, lined with id fusely ornamented Braid. “Others have flat crowns with sides ex- half « dozen, is called an estancia, In the inte- } rior of Bolivia if an Indian desires to change his place of residence he is not allowed to settle in AUGUST 23, 1890— IXTEEN PAGES. heme | away out like butterfly wings. The Cuzco Indians = largest I have yet seen, | shaped exactly like a star with four points and covered with tinsel, Not long ago the govern- ment ordered that none of these tribal monte- ras, or hate. be worn in market. It also com- pels the Indians who are employed on the rail- road or other government works to have their long hair cut off. THE WOMEN'S PRIDE. No matter how ragged and dirty an Indian woman may be, she takes great pride in the topa or pin that holds her shawl together. It is of silver, brass or copper, five or six inches long, the head always shaped like @ spoon, and she uses it for feeding her child and some- times herseif, In the inca drys the head of the topa was round to represent the sun, which they worshiped, but the Spaniards, desiring to do away entirely with that religion, passed s law forbidding their use unless the head were shaped like aspoon. In making long journeys the women spin as they walk, with revolving bobbins called mismacs, pniling the fleece as ni, brea from their llamas. In this way they make ropes, slings, sacks and the material for ali their clothing.’ They weave by planting four short sticke inthe ground for a frame, the warp over cross pieces and throw- ing the shuttles in and out by hand. RELIGION, Though outwardly Roman Catholic, the re- ligion of these people is strangely mixed with many dark superstitions of their aucestors, which they never reveal and nobody of the white race understands. There has never becna Protestant missionary among them and the Ri are few for the vast extent of country. he church, however, is very rich, its income being chiefly derived from the large farms in form of rent, because the Spanish crown dur- the clergy, who still retain s hold upon them, through the religious sentiments of the people. if no longer by Sometimes a single parish extends over many miles and is divided intto anb-parishes, each with its chapel and cure, the priest who has charge of all not get- ting around himself oftener than once or twice ayear. lam sorry to say that the local depu- ties (generally hal{-breeds) are sometimes a disgrace to the church and community. Being revered by the simple Indians, they live upon the fat of the landand have things ail their | own way. They ievy baptismal, funeral and marriage fees to suit themselves and will not even bury the dead without pay im advance, taking wool, potatoes, coca or whatever the poor creatures have to offer where there is no money to be had. PATRON SAINTS AND FEAST DAYS. Each city has its patron saint and feast days, the latter gencrally degenerating into drunken orgies; and it is a positive fact that most of the Indians pray to the image itself, believing it to possess ‘supernatural powers, although they ave just seen a nail driven into its head to fasten a crown on. In Callamarea, Bolivia, there are two graveyards, one ona hill, the other ina dark ravine. It’ is popularly’ be- lieved that the good lie on the bill top and will go to heaven, while those who are buried in the ravine remain in purgatory. It ismaid that the local priest carefully inculcates in the minds of his people a doctrine something like ‘All flesh is grass and you are liable to die at any moment. By ‘all means make preparation for eternity. Pay me now, before- hand, the price of a mass (from $60 to 3600), even dollar by dollar as you can save it, aud I will bury youon the bili top, whence you will go to eternal glory. If you don't do it, I will bury you in the ravine and you muy shift for yourself.” Faxsiz B, Warp, ———+o- Lesson in Politeness. The late Prof. Morren related once in our hearing a rebuke which he gave to a high- strung Beacon Hill damsel, which is worth re- peating for the moral it carries, says the Bos- ton Courier. The young lady was one of his pupils and made herself particularly obnoxious by her haughty and even insolent bearing, dis- playmg her contempt for all about her so markedly that it became at last unbearable, “I knew her mother in France,” said the pro- fessor, whose broken English there is no need of producing here, “and she wasa most ex- quisitely modest and unassuming woman. But the daughter was so insolent that she had to have a lesson; so i said to her: Will you be so good as to remain after the lesson? I have something to tell you. he stayed, and in her hanghtiest manner she sai ‘ou wish to speak to me?” Yes. You are Miss So-and-so7 ‘Yes. “And you live at No. — Beacon street? Aad your father is Mr, So-and-So?” Een your mother is the lovely and sweet Mrs, So-and-So [ have met in France?’ “ “Ob ‘said, ‘you are sure there 18 no mis- tal ‘No mistake! What do you mean? Tam exceedingly surprised that you come of such a family and 80 weil born.’ “Tam much surprised. I have been sure you came of a new rich family, some par- venue’— * ‘Sirt, ‘on think, mademoisell said, softening my manner, ‘that haughtiness is aristocratic? Now. you will pardon an old man if I remind you tat the contrary istrue, I have known your mother so long that I dare to be frank with you, You have been very insolent in the class.” ‘Insolent, monsieur? ‘Yes, mademoiselle. You have mistaken this for a markof aristocracy. You would much better copy your mother, your gentle, lady mother.’ “And { made her my best bow, and left her to think about it. And she was a good girl afterward; a very good girl.” cee aise A Ladies’ Dining Club. From the New York World. London hasadinner club of literary ladies who meet every fortnight for a course dinuer, and the exchange of “advanced” ideas. Every member is a gourmet; uearly all are spinsters, but each is somebody. Miss Morton and Miss n_are authors of charming short Vera Karsiand is a sort of English Libbey; Miss Mabel Smith is a coming artist; Mrs. Pennel has published a number of books of travel in partuership with her husband; Mra, De Maitro's literary work appears in the “thoughtful magazines” only; Mra. L. 8. Meade has writteu a number of pop: ular books for giris; Mrs. Freiligrath Drocker, who has an interest with Miss Semple in the Woman's Penny Paper, illustrates by her dress that a woman can be neat, pretty and modern im shilling stuffs and penny trimmings; Miss Mabel Collins is a verse maker, and such ap accomplished theosophist that she can project her astral body almost as far as the great Blavatsky. A Well-Known Resort, From the Epoch, “Is your family going to Newport, Bobbit?” “Yes,” ere are you going?” ‘I don’t know yet. Into bankruptcy, very likely.” ———__ o@e____ Betting by Foreign Women, From the Jeweler’s Weekly, When ladies bet here, as Iam assured they do sometimes, it is never for dozens of gloves. Their wagers are settied in hardcash. In Italy when they win they are paid in trinkets. King Humbert had a bet the other day with Madame Frizerio, which he lost, and before twenty- four hours he had sent his fair creditress a beautiful bracelet in diamonds, Where the ‘Trouble Lies. From the Boston Home Journal A young man was heard to say on a hotel piazza this week: “‘A fellow is all right for fun until he begins to get spooney, and then ‘good- bye.’ Itissuch nonsense to get spooney on a girlatasummer hotel. It is such uncertain fon, There is always a new fellow coming and cutting you out or else you are in the much worse position of realizing what a certain Frenchman discovered—that if it was hard to make her like you it is likely to be a great deal harder to make her stop. In either case a f Jow is uncomfortable; in the first he hates him- self and in the second he hates her. Scariet at Brazilian Funerals. From the Chicago Herald. ‘They have a curious custom at the burial of unmarried women in Brazil. The coffin, hearse and the livery of the driver must be bright scarlet; the four white horses drawing the hearse must be covered with scarlet nets, and scarlet plumes must deck the horses’ ————~+e-—____ Didn’t Want to Go. From the New York Herald. Revivalist (to old Kaintuck)—“Don’t you want to go to heaven, my dear friend?” “No, sab.” “What! Don't you want to go to heaven? Tell me why.” ter die ‘fore he could g0, an’, by gosh, I don’t want to die.” No Umbrella. Ethel—“My dear girl, how did you get your Ee ‘ “I got caught in » shower,” ing its dominion gave nearly all the lands to | THE ART OF LIVING LONG. Advice That May Assist You to Attain an Old Age. USE OF ALCOHOLIC LIQUORS BY ELDERLY PEOPLE —SLEEP IN CONNECTION WITH DIET—WaRMTE AND 4 CLEAN SKIN—s8 TO EXERCISE, FOOD, ETC., ETO. Dr. Robson Roose in the Fortnightly Review. a A capability of attaining old age 18 very often banded down from one generation to another, and heredity is probably the most powerful factor ia connection with longevity. A neces- sary condition of reaching advanced age is the possession of sound bodily organs, and such an endowment is eminently capable of trausmis- sion. Instances of longevity characterizing sev. eral generations are frequently brought to Rotice. A recent and most interesting example of transmitted longevity is that of the veteran guardian of the public health, Sir Edwin Chad- wick, whe was entertained at a public dinner a few weeks ago on the occasion of his reaching his ninetieth year. He informed his enter tainers that his father died at the age of eighty- four, his grandfather at ninety-tive and that two more remote ancestors were centenarians. It is difficult to estimate the influence of other contingencies which affect longevity. With regard to sex Hufeland s opinion was that | women were more likely than men to become | old, but the instances of extreme longevity were more frequent among men. This opinion is to some extent borne oat by Dr. Humphrey's statistics —ot his fifty-two centenarians thirty- | six were women, Marriage would appear to be | conducive to longevity, A well-known Fre savant, Dr. Bertillon, states that a bachelor of twenty-five man of forty-five, and he attributes the differ- ence in favor of married people to the fact that they take more care of themselves and lead more regular lives than those who have no such tie. It must, however, be remembered that the mere fact of marrying indicates superior vitality and vigor, and the ranks of the unmarried are largely filled by the physically wntit, In considering ocupations as they are likely to affect longevity those which o' ely tend to shorten life need not be cons: respect to the lew professions pear that among the clergy the a beyond that of any similar class, al t this average will b the future; the dutics aud anxieties imposed upon the clergy of the present generation place | them in a very different position from that of their predecessors. Among lawyers ther: been several eminent judges who atta great age, and the rank and file of the protes- sion are also characterized by a decided tend- ency to longevity, BETTER WEAR OUT THAN RUST ovr. In order to prolong life and at the same time to enjoy it occupation of eome kind is abso- | lutely necessary; itis & great mistake to sup pose that idleness is conducive to longevity. t is at all times better to wear out chan to rust | out, and the latter process is apt to be speedily accomplished. Every one must have met with | individuals who, while fully occupied tli sixty or even seventy years of age, remained hale and strong, but aged with marvelous rapidity after relinquishing work, a chan m their mental condition becoming expecially prominent. There 1s an obvious lesson to be learned from sucii instances, but certain qu fications are necessary in order to uppiy it properly. With regard to mental activity, | there is abundant evidence that the more the | intellectual faculties are exercised the greater | the probability of their lasting. They often become stronger after the vital force passed its culminating point; and this reten- tion of the mental power is the true tion for the decline im bodily strength. Did space permit, many illustrations could be ad- duced to show that the power of the mind can be preserved almost unimpaired to the most | advanced age. Whatever be the sphere of mental activity no kind of strain must be put upon the mind by a person who has reached sixty-five or seventy years, ‘The feeling that mental power is less than it once was not infrequently stimu- lates a man to increased exertions which may provoke structual changes in the will certamly accelerate the progress of any that may exist in that organ. Whena man finds that a great effort is required to accom- plish any mental task that was once casy be should from the attempt and ate his work according to his power. With this limitation it may be taken for granted that the mental faculties will be far betver preserved by their exercise than by their disuse, AS TO EXERCISE AND Foop. No fixed rule can be laid down as to the kind f exercise most suitable for advanced age. ‘Much must depend upon individual cireum- stances and peculiarities; but walking in the open air should always be kept up aud practiced | daily, except in untavoravie weather. Walking isanatural form of exercise and subserves many important purposes; not a few old people owe the maintenance ot their heaith and vigor to their daily “constitutional,” Riding is by a few; the habit, if acquired in early should be kept up as long as possible, subject to the caution already given as to violent exer: cise. Old persons of both sexes fond of garden- | t they may gratify their | d. Body and aod ing and so situated t tastes are muc ised by what Lord Bacon justly ‘the purest of human pleasures.* Dr. Parkes goes so far as to say that light garden | or agricultural work 1s a very good exercise | for men past seventy: “It calls into play the muscles of the abdomen and back, which in old | men are often but little used, and the work is so varied that no muscle is kept long in action.” | A few remarks must be made, in conclusion, with regard to: new form of exercise some times induiged in by eiderly men. Lal- lude to so-called * ehng.” Exbi ng and pleasant as it may be to glide over the ground with comparatively iittle effort, the ex- ercise is fraught with dafiger for men who have | passed the grand climacteric, The temptation to make a spurt must be often irresistib ilies must be encountered, some perhaps so smooth and gradual as to require no special exertion, none, at least, that is noticed im the triumph of surmounting them. Now, if the heart and lungs be perfectly sound, such exercises. may be practiced for sume time with apparent im- | punity; but if (as as very likely to be the ease) these organs be not quite structurally perte even the slightest changes will, under such citement, rapidly progress and lead to very serious resuits, Exercise unsuited to the sta of the system will assuredly not tend to the prolongation of lite, With regard to tood we find from Dr. Ham- phrey’s report that 9 per cent of the aged persons were either “moderate” or “smail” eaters, and such moderation 1s quite in accord- ance with the teachings of physiology. In old age the chenges in the bodily tissues gradu- ally become less and less active and leas tood required to make up for the daily waste. ‘The appetite and the power of digestion are correspondingly diminished aud, although for | the attainment of a great age a consid: amount of digestive power is absolutely ne: sary, its perfection, when exercised upon proper articles of diet, is the most important characteristic, Indulgence in the pleasures of the table is one of the common errors of advanced life and is pot infrequent in persous who, up to that period, were moderate or even small eaters, Luxuries in the way of food are apt to be regarded as rewards that have been fully earned by a life of labor,and may, therefore, be lawfully en- joyed, Hence arise many of the evils and troubles of old age. and notably indigestion and gouty symptoms in various forms, besides mental discomfort. No hard and fast rules can + be laid down, but strict moderation shouid be | the guiding maxim. ‘The diet suitable for most aged persons is that which contains much nu- | tritive material in # small bulk, and its quantity | should be im proportion to the appetite and | power of digestion, Animal food, well cooked, | should be taken sparingly and not more often | than twice a day, except under special circum- stances. Dr. Parkes advocates rice as @ partial | substitute for meat when the latter is found to | disagree with old persons. “Its starch grains | are very digestible and it supplies nitrogen in moderate amount, weil fitted to the worn and | slowly repaired tissucs of the aged.” Its bulk, | however, 1s sometimes a disadvantage; in small quantities it is a valuable addition to milk and to stewed fruits. : The amount of food taken should be divided between three or four meals at fairly regular intervals. A sense of fuliness or oppression after eating ought not to be disregarded. It | indicates that food taken has been either too abundant or of improper quality. For many elderly people the most suitable time tor it sosel io betwen 2 ond Spm As the vances digestive powers become Jess, and even a moderately tantial meal taken in the eveniag may seriously overtask them. Undigested food is a potent cause of to old people, one which ought to be care+ fully guarded against. ‘ALCOHOLIC It ig an easier task to lay down rules with re- gard to the use of aicoholic liquors by elderly | utmost conseq eb | \ i nota better life than a matried has | , brain, and | » 54 excellent form of exercise, but available only | shortening being roughiy proportional to the degree of induigen ptal abstinence and habitual temperance augment considerably the chance of death from old age or natural decay, without special pathological lesiou.” subject, howe: xceptions, it is not advis- Kty-tive or seventy years of has taken 2 ion ail abstaimer. ot roa odate iteclf to changes of any kind, and to many old peop “| ie good wine with their meals isa source mafort, Sleep is closely connected with the question of diet; “good sleeping” was a noticeable feature in the large majority of Dr, Hume phry’s cases, Ss freshing sleep is of the health of the body, adfor it asa re= plessness is, bow- gTeat trouble to elderl ha not easily rei generally mischievoung asant, but the habit r Ridls «rows until :. When thie stag Tisin afar worse cases the endeavor whether the removable caus t of exercise and the In regard to sleeping in the day time to be said both for and orty winks” i people te and no substica storer of vital energy ever, often a source of people, and o1 Narcotic reme.ties their first effects may be of depending upon then they become andiny has been reac plight than be like. there is something against that p in thi day in comfort, wheres ak when de- ther rest well n to the esx be coms hiscontinued ad that a ree 1 legs raised, sition for the eds with more iS ox sly avoideds iy most to be feared ai ¥ provoked. Many old or less cough during m may ro= unheeded, exposure to @ lungs, cok r from months, « i this avr i be almo chaps a few minut increases the itrita : minates: shin should e carefully protec outdoor therm: and wi he nose as much as pos- a Light w wth, nutter temperatare of sitting and nother point h requires at me old people eo th ves ou never requirin fire im their bed rooms, It is, how a risky prace lice to exchange a temperature of 65 or 70 de~ «for oue 15 or 20 degrees lower, Asa Keueral rule, for persons sixty-five years of temperature of the bed vuld below 60 degrees, and when there are symptoms of t should be raised from 6 to 10 degrees higher. Carefa z of the skin is the last point which needs to be mentioned in an a resent, Attents conducive congratulate ourselves on th ment in var hi this re Washing with warm water is very advantageous for oid people, m whom the skin is on! to become hard and dry, and the bem be increased if the ablitions be succeeded by friction with coarse flannel or linen gloves or with a flesh brush, Every part of the skin should be thus washed and rubbed daily, Tho friction removes worn-out particles of the skin reise promotes warmth and excites spiration, Too much attention can hardly be paid to the state of the skin; the comfort of the aged is greatiy dependent upon the proper discharge ot ite functions, se Horse Men Criticize the Picture. From the St. Paul Pi There was ou eor Press. thing to critisize about the at. tistic keene that was used by the Jockey Club to advertise their r mecting. The lithograph referred to represents a field of d race horses making a close finish, dis taken trom a painting in which these horses have be i. The little black or arg most prominently, although be is not in the lead, is Mr. Loriliard’s hero of two hemispheres, Pa It is am ex~ but by some se reins in the ad_ the whip in his left, a cent race nu oversight the art jockey * right band has plac style of riding that no horseman would adops for a minute. In Washington there is an equestrian statuo on the reason, prob= that shows the same | part of its designer. abiy because the ree for hand considered in the left hai | reins in his righ horsemen and can to criticise the otherwise admirabie Ulu. auion, Another instance of the mistake of an artist is told about of Nelsouin Trafalgar square, London, It was co! od remarkably accurate in det til one day a jolly Jack tar | hove in sight, caretully inspected the work and remarked in a sty a! imuitne tors: “Weil, shiver my “usn’s coiled the r the wrong way. so ng the Wrong Party. queer eversight for ® t beew t thing to hold the reins arider holding the y peculiar to Blan | From the Buffalo Express, A traveler who took atrain at the Central station the other day bad with him a parrot im a cage which he placed under one of the seats near the door through which people ~ to the trains Presently three or dressed young women came along 1 to pase through the train entranoe, did so the parrot under the sent called out ina femiliar and somewhat in “Goo'-by.” The girls turned round, the direction of the ¥ but saw r 01 rot. Instead they sow @ masher man, He was looking at them and they looked. at him—looked dagg a them turned indignantly looked sheepish, softly to itself. 4 man the parrot chuckled but onmecubbibied Lord Dunlo’s Sydney Haunts. From the Pall Mall Gazett: The affectionately gushing letter addressed by Lord Dunlo to “my own darling wite” the day atter he had signed the petition for divorcee was beaded “Warrigal Club, Sydney.” Thie club is an antipodean institution ke our own Pelican, A “warrigal” meant a wild Llackfellow. It was, in fact, name of a fier tribe of blacks that inba the deuse forests of what is now the Gipps Land By an easy and natural bas now come to signify th who goes the pace and things hum when he gets out of his ‘There are a good many white “warri« gal.” in the colonies and Lord Dunlo doubtless, felt quite at home among them, — to tee randdaughter, George Sand’s | From the Londou Daily News, Mile. Gabrielle Dudevant Sand, who wag married on Monday to Signor Romeo Polazai of Rome, refused, our Paris correspondent says. cither to abjure her Protestantism or to make promises in order to obtain the benedio= tion of the Catholic Church at ber nuptials, Her husband's family did not wish either a purely civil marriage or civil marriage fole Reed by a Protestant ceremony. The matter was laid before the pope. who granted a dis- pensatioa. The bride was attended to the altar by ber illustrious grandmother's friends, M. Paul Meurice and M. Plachut of the Tenps, who were her witnesses, and by two brides- maids. The witnesses for tie bridegroom were Count Montalban. attache to the Italian em- bassy, and Count Feza. The bride is dark and hasa rather striking physiognomy. She is am accomplisbed musician The Conductor Did Not Understan& From the Seattle Press. It isa custom on some street railways to give annual passes, which are numbered. These passes are not necessarily shown each times man rides on the care of that line, but each ‘one bears a number and when asked for his fare the holder of the pass calls the number of his pass. Not long since the holder of pass No. 13 om of the Seattle lines got on a car, accompanied by two ladies, for whom he must, of course, pay fare. It ued that the conductor was 4 new man not acquainted With the pass system, ‘The conductor entered the car in of fares, and the first person he approached was the bolder of the ‘Here, here,” broke in the thunder are you trying to in . “Dide't that wanted to pay for you say you pay i” “No, you double-breasted lunkhead! I hol pass No, 13 and want to pay for two ladies!” “Ob,” exclaimed the conductor mildiy, “why