Part 94

The intercourse of the families of officials is regulated by the rules which govern the officials themselves.

Besides the public levees of the President, the ladies of the White House hold receptions at stated periods, to which invitations are regularly issued. The President sometimes appears upon these occasions, but is under no obligation to do so.

It has long been the custom for the President to give a series of State Dinners during the session of Congress, to which the various members of that body, the higher Government officials and the Diplomatic Corps are successively invited. In order to show attention to all, and offend none, it is necessary to give quite a number of these dinners during the session.

DELSARTEAN DISCIPLINE

"The end and aim of all our work should be the harmonious growth of our whole being," says Fröebel. "Know thyself," quoth Epictetus, the Stoic, and, knowing thyself, grow strong of mind, self-centered and self-possessed. "Know thyself," reiterates the modern disciple of Delsarte, since only by knowledge of self can be developed the real personality of the individual.

Grace and self-possession are the aim of Delsarte; it therefore fairly falls within the province of a work on etiquette to look somewhat into the subject. If one would control others he must first control himself, possess himself. Delsarte looked upon the nature of man as a trinity, and believed that the mental, moral and physical should be educated at the same time. Modern education tends to develop man in special directions to the neglect of others. Either the overstrained mental faculties revenge themselves by giving us the nervous, broken-down, mental type so common; or else we have the crude physical type wherein ordinary labor has exercised but a few muscles and joints.

The Three Languages.

Again, says Delsarte, "Man has for the expression of his triune nature three languages, the word, the tone, the gesture. Tones express bodily conditions, pleasure or pain. Words are symbols to interpret thought. Gestures relate to other beings and express our emotions. Of these three, the first receives undue cultivation, since we study all the words that have been said or written, while singers and actors alone cultivate tone or gesture."

Thus it comes that "the soul struggles to speak through an imperfect instrument; sometimes it ceases to struggle and finally has nothing to say."

In labor the man moves, special muscles do special work, but when a man is moved, an undulating "wave of feeling passes over him and his whole body becomes eloquent." A bow may be so careless and jerky as to be almost an insult, or it may be so gracious as to seem a caress. Again, the real self, gracious and beautiful, may strive to express itself through a set of faculties that are hardened and narrowed by decades of self-constraint on the part of himself and his ancestors.

"Physical habits have a way of making themselves felt by a reflex action on the inner nature," and with this axiom in view we feel that cultivation of the Delsartean Art of Expression becomes a vital part of our education to the end that all our emotions and all our tones may become "the outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual nature." This principle may be called the keynote of Delsarteanism, and Edmond Russell, that modern exponent thereof, claims that as these beautiful, expressive gymnastics are for the purpose of correcting individual deviations from grace, no regular set of rules should be printed for the use of all, but that each special angularity of person or harshness of tone must be corrected by special exercises.

Harmonious Development of the Body.

Nevertheless, there are many set forms of movements by the practice of which none can fail to derive benefit both for the inner and the outer man. Other physical gymnastics seek to give strength to certain sets of muscles to the neglect of others. The rythmical movements of the Delsarte system bring into action each muscle of the body without wearying any, to the harmonious developing of all, since in all, save exceptional cases, it will be found, upon beginning this treatment, that more than half the muscles of the body are unused, while the other, and overworked half, move in stiff and angular fashion.

All students will discover it is first requisite that an "undoing process" shall precede the "upbuilding process." Stiffness of joint, or tension of muscles, whether recognized or not, must first be done away with before "the body can be molded to the expression of high thought." For this purpose the "decomposing," "relaxing" or "devitalizing" motions are given. The old gymnast doubled up the fist and, with great tension, gave a blow which jarred the whole nervous system. The "freeing" motions of Delsarte give harmonious, restful, wave movements to all portions of the anatomy.

Graceful motions are never in the nature of a blow struck straight from the shoulder, but curves and spirals constitute the lines of beauty. Nature shows us this in the free untrammelled motions of a child, or again in man, when his whole nature is so stirred to its best and sweetest depths that he is carried out of his usual tense, conscious self into unconscious rythmic expression of his feeling. What nature does for us in times of great excitement Delsarte will do for us at all times by means of his exercises, practiced until the conscious mechanical motion becomes unconscious, automatic, and the body grows responsive to all high emotions and impulses.

Relaxing the Muscles.

In relaxing movements, the whole arm and hand, shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers, are shaken until the joints are completely relaxed and a warm, tingling sensation passes through the entire arm. It is then dropped at the side in perfect passivity. The result is twofold--a feeling of repose and controlling power, and an absence of that nervous tendency to "fidget," or handle something, glove buttons, or watch chain, without which a morning call can scarcely be accomplished by either hostess or guest. This alone will give us a sense of perfect rest which we have never before experienced. Similar exercises are given for other portions of the body--legs and feet--a revolving of the head to limber the neck; a revolution of the shoulders and the body to gain that flexibility which is the secret of grace.

Delsartean exercises break up constrained awkward physical habits, establish in their stead restful, graceful, natural ones. Of these there are many classes.

The Delsarte relaxing exercises precede and prepare the way for all others. In their restful removal of nerve-tension they appeal especially to the overworked, nervous class.

The Delsarte sleep exercises are useful in overcoming insomnia. The Delsarte laws of expression give us a key to character, study, and the laws that underlie all art. The Delsarte work develops self-possession. The Delsarte rythmical exercises enable one not only to appear better and feel better, but, by a reflex action, to be better.

In this physical work the first object is an entire, absolute letting go of all unnecessary tension, all tension that has overstrained the muscles through an excess of effort in our daily life, though many times this effort is purely unconscious on the part of the individual. "How many a patient, trusting soul do we see with the muscles of the forehead strained and elevated until the eyebrows never fall to their normal height," or the brows are contracted until the hard lines graven between the eyes ever bespeak either pain or care.

The founders of the Benedictine nuns caught some echo of this truth when, by a rule of their order, no sister among them is permitted to wear a frown upon her brow. And the placid-faced sisterhood evidence in their sweet expressions the close relation between the exoteric and esoteric of our natures; the reflex action between the physical and the spiritual entities of our being.

Art of Breathing.

There are a few general points that may be given here to the improvement of many little habits that unconsciously enslave us and to the "letting go" of the "officious personal endeavor" that we make, as it were, to hold ourselves together--never believing that nature is more capable of the task. After the decomposing exercises comes the practice of one of the first Delsartean axioms: "Control at the center, freedom at the extremities." Without this control the newly acquired flexibility will be weak and affected.

To obtain this control the art of breathing must first be acquired. To do this properly the chest should be inflated and thrown forward by the action of the diaphragm and held as the most prominent part of the body; a position too often usurped by the inferior abdomen. The same motion which throws out the chest should draw in the lower part of the trunk, hanging it from the curve of the spine. In the proper attitude for good breathing the hips turn slightly inward and the chin goes back, but not up. There should be no effort to throw back the shoulders. Take care of the chest, and the shoulders will take care of themselves.

Position of the Shoulders.

Mrs. Edmond Russell says she would "like to make a call that would reach every man and woman in the country. 'Lift up your shoulders.' When one says this nine-tenths of them stiffen at the neck, throw themselves backward and project the body below the waist, the whole figure out of line. No, you should get the poise of a Greek goddess." Lift the chest, with the shoulders down, until it is on a line with the toes. This throws the extension on the center of the body where it should be. The heart and lungs now have full play. Close the lips; draw in the air through the nostrils, using the muscles below the diaphragm as a bellows, until the pressure against the ribs has a bursting sensation. Keep this tension firmly and steadily as long as you can; then slowly and gradually let the breath out through the lips. If you wish to sing, or recite, or even to talk, see what power is at your command.

"Try this breathing, inspiration, retention, expiration--these three movements--at night before you go to bed, when the body is free; in the morning before you dress. When you walk take in great, glorious lungsful of air until full, or deep breathing becomes a habit. Believe me, breathing properly is a certain cure for nervousness, shyness and embarrassment."