The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 16, 1902, Page 4

THE SUNPAY CAL. oo N\ NEDDING TRousSEACIEN or 1 Tc= AN 3 b)) v o / / cHoTe A LEGHORN | CARTWHEEL MORE THAN o0 YEARS oLD) Days of Washington. UBTLE sweet as the fragrance of lavender and rosemary are the thoughts th r hese gowns ¢ Colonial 4 We scent a ro- mance in every fold and every stain of the rare old treasures. Simple some of them are; but Colonial es and the hters were not all els of simplicity. Gowns there were at the wane of the eighteenth century that give the lie to the boasted frugality of the sons and daughters of pilgrim fath- d their sons and daughters. They, too, were patrons of the looms that wove for fair ladies of the gay court of France when that court was the gayest the world has known. And so when we go back and rummage some forgotten chest in the old New Englanrd attic or in York State or Vir- nia, pressing close to a homespun frock is 2 gown of brocade so rich and stiff hat involuntarily we feel of it as if by our firger tips to learn the secret of ite g8 value, And the young girl of to-day, with her muslins and simple silks, looks wise as ehe says “Amen” when sour economists sigh for the good old times. She thinks of the brocades in the old chest; he of the homespun. Silks, satins and beautiful laces grown soft and yellow as they lay hidden from the light have been dragged forth since bistorical socletles and Daughters of the Revolution and Colonial Dames aroused interest in old-time things so long left to moths and dust. Some of them have found their way to San Francisco, and here, so far from the cradle of America, with all the historic associations of the country’s struggling youth, they gain a new iInterest and value. Among the oldest of these quaint heir- looms is that owned by Mrs. John H. Jewett. It is an elaborate affair, ex- quisite in coloring and rich in texture. The bedice is of a wonderful shade of dark sage green, and the skirt of bro- cade in pink and sage green, with panels of reve lace that once belonged to Marle Antoinette. Caught in the folds of lace, the full'length of the front panel is out- lined by full blown, old-fashioned cabbage roses. Worn with the gown is a beautiful medallion containing the portrait of Mrs. Jewett's greataunt. The gown belonged to her father's grandmother; and aside from its Colonial interest there is a pos- sibility that the costume may have graced some function of King George's court, for Mrs. Jewett's paternal ances- tors: were of the family holding the duke- dom of Montrose. ' In contrast to this feminine splendor, but treasured none the less, i a gown owned by Mrs. George E. McPherson, which was a part of her grandmother’s trousseau. The marriage took place in Boston in 1803, the bride being a Miss Cushing and the groom Henry Higginson, an uncle of Thomas Wentworth Higgin- son. The Higginsons as factors in New England life date back to 1628, when they were among the settlers of Salem. Seyere in its implicity is this gown, the walstline high under the arms and the skirt scant and plain but for its edge of CENTUR Y Teiley & rom® Frovo hand embroldery and lace. The bodice, too, which is barely more than a yoke, has the same beautiful embroidery and fine lace. Every stitch of the few seams is finger work, and the cloth is sheerest muslin, fine as a web. Another wedding gown of the early nineteenth century is in possession of Mrs, Irving F. Moulton, secretary of the Sequoia Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It was her grand- mother’s, and is of white silk, stiff and shimmery, with posies in pink and laven- der scattered over the snowy ground. The fashion of the dress as worn by Miss Moulton is slightly changed by a flounce of chiffon on the skirt, and a guimpe of lace, where the bride of long ago showed bare white shoulders. Yet another style of this period is shown in a dress that belonged to Mrs. Thomas B. Bishop's grandmother. This is of taf- feta in large plaid of different shades of brown, with a light stripe brocaded in pink and white rosebuds. The full round skirt is guiltless of gores, and a bertha of old lace and flowing sleeves are fea- tures of the snug-fitting walst. This is but one of many heirlooms which Mrs. Bishop found by rummaging in .0ld chests and éabinets when visiting her home in Albany, N. Y. There are buckles and combs and brooches and fans that set one's fancy to work—and envy, too. And there are hats of many sizes. and fashions, hats that may have hidden eyes that cast shy glances at George Washington himself. They were fine for flirting, these pictur- esque hats with thelr flapping brims and scuttle sides. A face away back in the depths of them could look so prim and then again so teasing and coquettish. | WEPDING GOWN OF EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY .o Pose @Y MSs MOOVLTON s And a little toss or turn of the head could shut the face away in a manner good for piquing curiosity. Nor can the strawméker of to-day boast of progress in his art except as It makes for cheapness. The great cart- wheel with its big tall crown is of leg- horn so fine and soft that it seems like braided silk. And the fancy braid of the /// ND LACE YFARS oLl MRS JoHN H JEWETT N Sien 15C cenTrHe’ Pro T pokes show that there was no lack of variety. With this glimpse of the fashions of ‘Washington's day what say you of those of the twentieth century’'s dawn? + Spontaneous Combustion of Trees. PONTANEOUS combustion is a mysterious thing at all times, but as long as it confines its attention to inanimate cbjects there is noth- ing very uncanny about it. But when trees become subject to it there is no tell- ing where it will stop. The banks of the River Cam, In Cam- bridgeshire, England, have recently ex- hibited an unusual number of such cases, and young growing wiliows have been the victims In nearly every case. Cambridge used to pride itself upon its beautiful wil- lows, and it was therefore with sorrow that the people discovered one morning the charred remains of what had once been a really beautiful specimen of the willow tree. The fate of the tree naturally attracted attention to the phencmenon, and there- after ‘but too much opportunity was af- forded for the study of it. At one point on the river in particalar the process was seen. Green trees covered with rich masses of follage suddenly burst forth into conflagration and burned to their very cores. Fine willows in full vigor poured forth clouds of smoke from their half-burned stems. An examination of the charred remains SWEET INNOCENCE A HUNDRED YEARS A ProTo By THoR® of the trees revealed nothing In the way of explanation, but as the trees which met their fates were for the most part young there could hard:y have been any putrescence or fermeuiation. Just why the willows should meet such sudden ends is not apparent, but the pe- culiar formation of tuhe tree, its pliant boughs and the droopiug of its leaves and flower may have hal something to do ‘with it. = = Odd Tales From Tlonkey Land. HE Entellus monkey is the most sa- red of all in India. It is gray above and nutty brown below, long-legged and active, a thief and an impudent robber. In one of the Indian cities they became such, a nuisance that the faithful determined to catch and send away some hundreds. This was done, and the holy monkeys were deported in covered carts and released many miles off. But the monkeys were too clever. Havl thor- oughly enjoyed thelr ride they all refused to part with the carts, grimacing came leaping all the way back beside them to the city, grateful for their outing. One city obtained leave to kill the monkeys; but the next city them sued them for “killing thelr deceased ances- tors.” In these monkey infested cities if one man wishes to spite another he throws a few handfuls of rice on the roof of his house about the rainy season. The monkeys come, find the rice and quietly lift off many tiles and throw them away, seeking more rice in the inter- stices. The only mammals which thoroughly understand combination for defense as well as attack are the baboons, but Brehm, the German traveler, gives a charming story of genuine courage and self-sacrifice shown by one. His hunting dogs gave chase to a troop which was re- treating to some cliffr, and cut off a very young one, which ran up on a rock, only just out of reach of the dogs. An old male baboon saw this and came alone to the rescue. Slowly and deliberately he descended, crossed the open space and, stamping his hands on the ground, show- ing his teeth, and backed by the furious Dbarks of the rest 6f the baboons, he dis- concerted and cowed these savage dogs, climbed on the rock, picked up the baby and carried him back safely. If the dogs had attacked the old patriarch his tribe would probably have helped him. Burch- ell, the naturalist, after whom Burchell’s zebra is named, let his dogs chase a troop. The baboons turned on them, killed one on the spot by biting through the great blood vessels of the neck and laid bare the ribs of another. The, Cape Dutch in the old colony would rather let their dogs bait a lion than a troop of baboons. The rescue of the infant chacma which Brehm saw himself is a remarkable and, indeed, the most incontestable in. stance of the exhibition of courage and self-sacrifice by a male animal. Any account of chimpanzees would be incomplete without a reference to Sally, the most educated of her order. Sally, who lived in the Zoo for over six years, learned to count perfectly up to six, and less perfectly to ten; she could also dis- tinguish white from any ecolor, but if other colors were presented her she falled, apparently from color-blindness. Of this ape the late Dr. G. J. Romanes wrote with something more than the en- thusiasm of a clever man pursuing a fa- vorite theme: “Her intelligence was conspicuously displayed by the remarkable degree in which she was able to understand the hopping and » TR meaning of spoken language—a degree fully equal y an in- fant a few g from infancy, and that which is presen T so hr. at le s I ! ce to show She was taugh picking up when the correct numl been given, rarely made mi but above With the Police Dogs of Ghent. )ST a part Belgium poor man twos, by t s may be seen dra’ & the vegetables washing—doing -anyth y n in t, that falls in other countries to the lot of horse or donkey. What is more tor the dog even takes his owne ing, and t little donk chapel, drawn by a team of dogs w seem willing, happy and wi But the Belg He n dog has ambitious s T to do naught t He has, ct, aspired to the law such good effect that he has b of its limbs and now plays the policeman, and with such good the force. It is at Ghent that the dog has become a recognized member of stabulary. His introduction outcome of a pa y happy of Monsieur Van Wesema missioner of Police th his dogs to a v The dog my figures mad: to repres was thought character: to meet. How mu by him whepy undertakes this particular f. uca- tion only those who animals will . jog must be taught to seek, ‘to to seize o hold, but wi ut hurting serious The first step is to place the dummy in such a’ pesition that it shall represent a man endeavoring to conceal himself. The dog soon understands that it is an enemy whom he must hunt, and enters into this part of his lesson con amore, but it is not so easy to teach him not to injure it. The teacher lowers the figure to the ground and the dog learns that though he may not worry his prey, he must not allow his fallen foe to stir 80 much as a finger until the order is given. After the dummy.a living model is used, and as this process is obvious- ly not entirely without danger, the per- son chosen for this purpose is usually he who ministers to the pupil’s creature com- forts, and for whom the cahine detective is sure to entertain a grateful affection. Nevertheless he is prevented at first, by means of a muzzle, from an exhibition of too much zeal. Afterward the experiment is tried on other members of the force and in four months the dog's education as a policeman is considered complete and he takes his place with the rest. The animals are also taught to swim and tg seize their prey in the water; to save L. from drowning: to scale steel walls, and to overcome all obstacles, so that any en- terprising burglar who goes “a-burgling” in Ghent has a lively time of it if he 1meets with one of these four-footed ‘“bob- ble The dogs work so well and so con- scientiously that their number {s to be in- creased and there is every probabllity that the plan will be adopted In other centers. Their keep comes to about three pence a day and they cost the town altogether about £60 a year, including their doctor's and their taflor's bills.—Modern Culture. —_—— Chocolate Crullers REAM two tablespoofuls of butter and one-half a cupful of sugar; gradually add the beaten yolks of three eggs and one and one-half cuptuls of sugar, one cupful of sour milk, one teaspoonful of vanilla, two ounces of chocolate, grated and meited over hot ‘water, one-third of a teaspoonful of soda dissolved In one-hall of a teaspoonful of bolling water, the whites of the eggs whipped to a stiff broth and sufficient sifted flour to make a soft dough. Roll out, cut into oblongs; divide each into three strips, leaving the dough united at one end. Braid loosely, pinch the ends to- gether and cook until golden brown in smoking hot fat.—Table Talk.