The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 16, 1898, Page 23

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, JANUARY 16, 1898. : 23 FASHIONABLE COIFRURES FOR 98, O longer need the round faced young woman puff her hair well out at the sides and adapt a coif- fure that makes her countenance assume the proportions of a full moon just because it is the prevailing fashion. For many seasons past this was what she was expected to do. Now a change has taken place. There are coff- fures this season of 158 for almost every type of wom: And each one bears the stamp of the latest fashion. Of course, they all have a few characteristics in common, but never before In the history of hairdressing has there been so many wvaried styles In vogue at the same time. Just when the pompadour was at the height of its dignified glory Cleo Merode came to town and ears were suddenly hidden from the vulgar view. For a time the Merode coiffure was the rage. But now the fashionable girl is threatened with a greater calamity. It is rumored that the old-fashioned waterfall is com- ing back. Daguerreotypes are being stud- Aed and false hair has suddenly gone up in price. In London the waterfall of forty Jears ago is the acknowledged coiffure of the season. It is here, too, in New York, but so far In & somewhat idealized fash- fon. In the new waterfall there is an ab- sence of the straight, severe parting. The entire head is covered with a mass of un- fdulating waves. They rippie over the ? forenead and fall carelessly over the ears. The chignon at the back is not so large as it was when the fashionable girl's grandmother wore it. But it's just the same shape and it's covered with a net, and there are curls to add to its quaintness. Years ago the waterfall was slways accompanied by two rather long romantic looking curls. They were worn at the left side, or one was allowed to fall over each shoulder, according to the caprice of the falr wearer. The new curls are shorter. They are bobbing, ap- parently energetic, curis and do not sug- gest the sentimental curl of the fashioned waterfall in the least. They are worn tucked under the new chignon, Just at the left side. With this new wat- erfall the hair s either brushed back In pompadour fashion or it is parted at the left side and a curl or two is allowed to fall over the forehead. This parting the hair on the left side is one of the chief novelties in the coiffures for 1598. It looks particularly well when worn with the fashionable hats of the season, which have invariably a flaring brim at the left side. The best hairdressers say that women with low foreheads will wear the halr a la pompadour throughout the win- ter. The pompadour is made high or low, waved or plain, according to the way it 1s most becoming to the individual wear- er. On the other hand, the fashionable girl whose forehead is broad and high may feel she is equally up to date if she allows a curl or two to rest upon her in- tellectual brow. But here are a few im- portant facts they must both bear in mind: Plain straight locks are out of fashion. No matter the arrangement of the colffure every hair must be waved. Ears at least must be partially hidden. Broad effects are greatly in vogue and puffs and curls are everywhere. The hair is arranged very low on the neck for street wear, and the chignon is the pronounced fashion. Nets are much worn. For evening wear all the coiffures are extremely high. Puffs are used in great profusion, and the hair is twisted and colled in many curious up- standing loops. The simple coiffure for either street or evening wear has gone entirely out of fash'on. Not only are the coiffures themselves elaborate, but the ‘D ornaments which decorates them are many and wondrous to behold. So many ornaments are worn in the newest even- ing coiffures that there s danger of this hairdressing becoming a rival of the much-talked-of theater hat. Aigrettes are all the fashion. Some of them match in color the costume with which they are worn; others are combined with a tiny REAT are the Roentgen rays, but greater, say those who know her, is a-certain Frenchwoman of Narbonne. The Roentgen rays enable us to see through wood and flesh, but they are powerless against metals. Yet this wo- man of Narbonne, we are told, can not only read a letter wrapped in a metallic wrapper, but can read it when it is at @ great distance away from her. Dr. Ferroul discovered this marvelous woman. The doctor, who was some years ago a sociaiist Deputy in Paris, Tecently settled down at Narbonne and determined to devote all his leisure to the study of occultism. So‘he tried his hand at turning tables and, like 80 anany others, strove to obtain messages @rom the dead by means of Planchette and spirit rapping. His success was not marked in any tion until one day he became acquainted with a woman ,who possessed the stranrge faculty of ‘“reading letters through opaque bodies.” The doctor was amazed. He tested 4the woman several times, and in no in- stance did she fail to read the letter correctly. Then he sat down and sent word of his wonderful discovery to a friend of his, Dr. Grasset, professor of medicine at the University of Montpellier. The latter, who is well known in Paris as a savant of great merit, was at first wholly incredulous, but finally prom- ised to test the woman’s power in his own way. First, however, he went to Narbonne and had a long conference with Ferroul, nfter which he returned ‘to Montpelller and wrote the folowing ‘ words on a half sheet of paper: “The deep sky reflects our tears in its stars, for we weep this evening at . feeling that we live too much.” Over these words he wrote in one line three words, one in Russian, another in German and the third 1n the Greek lan- LR R R guage, and then he added a final line containing the word ‘“Montpelller” and the date of the month. This paper he folded in two, with the writing on the inside, and then he covered it entirely with a sheet of tinfoil, such as is used for chocolate. This he turned down at the edges and he then slipped the whole Into an ordinary envelope, which he tightly fastened with gum. Finally, as Dr. Ferroul had warned him that string sometimes interfered with his subject’s reading powers, he fastened the envelope with a safety pin, which plerced in such a manner that it formed a sort of padlock, and, this being done, the pin was embedded in a mass of black sealing wax, which was stamped with Dr. Grasset's coat of arms. To this sealed envelope Dr. Grasset attached his card, with a few words, and then he placed the document in a Jarge envelope and sent it by mail to Dr. Ferroul at Narbonne. 'wo days later he received the following letter from Dr. Ferroul: “Mon cher maitre:— “When your letter reached me this morning my subject was not at hand. 1 opened the first cover containing the envelope and found your card. Hav- ing some visits to make, I decided to bring my subject to my house at about 4 o'clock and I called at her house to leave word. “When I told her what I wanted her to do she expressed a desire to make the reading at once. sealed with black wax, had been placed inside its big envelope on my desk, and Your envelope, | 300 meters from mine. “As we leaned against a table I out having seen your envelope: “‘You have torn the envelope. “ ‘Yes, but the letter to be read s in- side in another closed envelope.’ ““The one with the large black seal?" ‘Yes; read.” | ‘There is some silver paper. * ¢ | Here is what there is: ‘The deep sky weep at feeling that we live too much.’ ‘‘Then there are letters like this.’ ‘;:ShlekShowed me with her finger tips D. . K.) ““Then there is a short name that I don’t know.” (In what sense are we to take this?) “Then she read the word Montpellier and the date on your letter. “There, cher maitre, is the report of the experiment, which lasted at most a minute and a half. I am returning you your envelope with my letter. Yours, DR. FERROUL. Dr. Grasset was exceedingly sur- prised when he received this letter. To him, indeed, the story savored of the supernatural. The sealed envelope was once more in his possession; there was not the slightest evidence that it had been tampered with, and yet this strange woman had read the entire | contents with the exception of the few words in Greek, Russian and German. Are we to conclude from this experi- | reflects our tears In its stars, for we | my subject's house is distant at least |fes belongs to the domain of possibility? ‘Wonderful, if true, and yet not as won- derful as the fact that the reading In passed my hands over my subject’s | this instance was done at a considera- |'eyes and this s what she told me with- | ble distance. The subject not merely |read the words that were inside the | closed and sealed envelope, but she did S0 at a time when the envelope was 300 meters away from her and when there were between her and it such solid ob- Jects as her own house and Dr.Ferroul’s house. Clear, however, as the facts were, Dr. Grasset was still half afraid of being mystified and therefore he submitted the sealed envelope to the members of the Academy of Sclences and Letters of Montpellier, and, by opening it in their | presence, satisfled them that the en- velope had not been tampered with. The members were as puzzled as Dr. Grasset, and at once decided to make a new experiment, committee was appointed for this pur- pose, and it was agreed that the 'mem- bers thereof should not know the con- tents of the envelope and, while on their way to Narbonne should not let it for a moment out of their possession. AS to the result of this last experiment, nothing has yet been made public. —_———————— ICELAND EIDER DUCKS. Good Words: All accounts I have read about eider ducks say that nests are robbed of their down twice, the ment that reading through opaque bod- | duck suprlying it each time from her Consequently a | B R R L NN LN SN NN S S R S NN NS S S NN NN NN NN NN RENEUNNARRARRRERRRRRRRERER HERE IS A WOMAN WITH EYES LIKE X RAYS & $! P L e LR R L R L L R R R R R R L e R L e T L E R LR LR LR L own body, and the third time drake gives his white down, and this is allowed to remain; but I was told by farmers in Iceland that now they never take the down until the little ones are hatched. It has been found that the birds thrive better and in- crease faster when they are allowed to live as nature meant them to do. So now the poor mothers are no long- er obliged to strip themselves of all thelr down to refurnish their de- spoiled nests.” Some times if the quantity is very great a little may be taken, but enough must be left to cover the eggs when the duck leaves her nest foor food. A writer upon Iceland, in speaking of a visit to one of the Isafjord farms, write: . “On the coast was a wall, built. of large stones just above high-water level, about three feet high and of considerable thickness at the bottom. On both sides of it alternate stones had been left out, so as to form a series of square compartments for the ducks to make their nests in. Al- most every compartment was occu- pied, and as we walked along the shore a line of ducks flew out, one after another. The house was a mar- vel. The earthen walls that surround it and the window embrasures were occupied with ducks. On the ground the ostrich tip, and then there are the very costly hair ornaments of aigrette and diamond pin together. One of these lat- ter ornaments seen recently showed a small gold comb gleaming with dlamonds, while towering above the glistening gems was a feathery black algrette, powdered with bits of rhinestones, which looked like dewdrops In the sun. But the aigrette is by no means the only orna- ment of the hour. My lady of fashion strings her hair with jewels if she can afford it. Jeweled chains encircle her groups of dainty puffs. Jeweled pins hold her willful locks of hair at the back in place and jeweled combs of all sizes add to the beauty of her coiffure. For hair decoration mock jewels produce just as pleasing an effect as gems of the first water. Some of the latest coiffures, when ready for the dance or the opera, are decorated with four side combs, a string of jewels, a jeweled pin and a jeweled pompadour comb. The alry gauze butter- fly is enother favorite ornament for the hair, and Mercury wings are still in fashion. Pert litle bows of accordion- pleated ribbon may now be bought at the shops with & hairpin attached. They give a pretty touch to a girlish coiffure. Tiaras of velvet are another fad of the hour. They are generally studded with mock gems, and to a tall, regal-looking girl they are apt to be most becoming. The coquettish girl always finds room to tuck a rose in her hair, and she does not need to be told how to do it. Both coarse and fine nets are worn with the new chignon, and a few which are sell- ing at an exorbitantly high price have bits of jewels caught here and there in their meshes. The woman whose crown- ing glory Is not as thick and luxuriant as she might wish need not be discouraged ‘when she reads of these elaborate coif- fures, for she may buy a chignon ready made which no one could possibly detect from her own, and in these days of mod- ern civilization there are even bargain days in puffs and curls. It behooves every woman to give spe- clal attention to the care of her hair in these davs of waved and decorated coif- fures. If the hair is to be kept strong and healthy the effect of the curling- iron must be counteracted. A daily mas sage of the scalp will do much toward strengthening and beautifying the ap- pearance of the hair. Brushing every night and morning is a good stimulant. As many as a hundred strokes a day should be given. In case the hair is fall- ing out, rub the scalp twice a week with a solution of brandy and salt; once every three weeks at least the hair should be shampooed, For this purpose nothing is better than an egg shampoo, using both velk and white. This will strengthen the growth of the hair and, if used faithfully, free the scalp of dandruff. The egg shampoo is to be highly recommend- ed. The yelk of the egg acts like a tonie to the scalp. It supplies it with the necessary iron and sulphur to keep it in & healthy condition. The white of the egg furnishes an alkali, and this, com- blned with the ofl of the hair, makes a soapy substance better for cleaning pur- poses than any soap in the market. After the shampoo special care must be given to the drying of the hair if neuralgia is to be avoided. The hair should be rubbed thoroughly. with a warm towel and then given a sun bath if possible. 8 e F 8 2 b4 % e the house was fringed with ducks. On the turf slopes of the roof we could see ducks, and ducks sat on the scraper.” About 10,000 pounds of elder down are gathered annually in Iceland, 7000 pounds being exported to foreign countries. Formerly the peasants used to receive over 21 shillings a pound, but the price has now fallen to half that amount. The peasants seldom receive money, and are obliged to barter their down for merchandise, at the little settlements at the fjords. A pound and a half of down is enough to fill an ordinary bed puff. These very comfortable articles are found in the guest room of every Icelandic farm, however poor and small it may be. After a long, hard day in the sad- dle the traveler longs for warmth and shelter. ‘These little guest rooms have never had a fire in them, and, built as they are on the ground, there is a dreadful chill in them. Once tucked away in bed, however, and well cov- ered with the down puff, a delightful sense of comfort follows, and tired bones lose their pains and stiffness. e ——— HER MEMORY SYSTEM. “Talking of memory sytems,” said the suburbanite on the accommodation train, “I can't for the life of me see how a man who is unable to remem- ber one thing is helped by having to remember two. If I tie a string around my finger I must recall the purpose of wearing it—which I never can do. If I must always think of rain when I want to carry an umbrella, I have dou- ble work. Now, my wife wanted me to remember something to-day and she gave me a word to say over to myself. And I've forgotten the word.” “Pooh. TIt's easy enough to remem- ber things if you give your mind to it,” said another suburbanite. “My wife told me to be sure to order some—now what the mischief was it? Soap? Blueing? Well, that’s funny. I thought I would be sure to remember!” He plunged his hands into his over- coat pockets to cover his chagrin, and pulled out of one a rough bit of scant- ling, with a memorandum in lead pen- cil attached. “Well, I vow! My wife must have stuck that thing in there. Oh yes, I see. It was a load of kindling she wanted me to order. But one could hardly be expected to remember a thing like that.” “I wish I could find a reminder of what I am to get as easy as you did, but my wife doesn’t believe in giving a sample to help out a poor memory. Hello, old fellow, how’s that?” He had pulled a little rubber shoe out of his pocket and was regarding it with loving eyes. “Sammy’s overshoe, by all that's queer! And here is something inside. ‘Length, five inches.” Bless her little heart, I'd have forgotten all about them if it hadn’t been for this mem- ory lesson. There's something in the system after all.””