Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-03-23

spared no pains to make it the Concert of the
son. Give them and the orphans a crowded house.
Don't forget TO be there
TIE Masonic FEsTWAL-It is no news to our city
readers to be told that the Free Masons gave
grand house warming in their new Temple on
Thursday night 1t was one of the NEST princely
efforts Of hospitality we ever witnessed in short
it may be designated as an entertainment given to
the city Of Nashville. Everybody was there, to be
absent was to acknowledge yourself nobOdy-and
nowhere. The whole building from bottom to top
was thrown open and brilliantly Illuminated and in
every apartment were to be found throngs of gay
and happy guests. The great Concert Hall was be-
fore supper used for promenade, occasionally in
terspersed with some well selected and well exc
cutea vocal and instrumental music, while the va
rious secondary apartments used for the meetings
of the Masons and Sons of Temperance were fitted
up with pianos, mirrors, &cy saloons drawing
rooms for conversation, m usic, Irritation, &c. &c
This had most agreeable effect in breaking I'D the
formal character of the entertainment as a grand
assembly and investing it with the social character
of private reunion. About eleven or half-past il
was announced in the various rooms that suuper
was ready, but that the arrangements had not
contemplated IS large assemblage as was present
ladies only would be admitted to the first table
gentlemen being allowed only to escort them as far
as the door, and then relnquish their attendance On
them till after supper.
This announcement was at first received with dis
may by the masculine portion of the company,
young Nashville grumblng at the loss of those nice
opportunities for delicate attentions which are fur
nished by the exigencies of the supper table and
old Nashville entertaining serious misgiVings lest
the comestibles should give out. Both were con-
soled-the younger gentlemen by the tuning of i'd
dies in the orchestra premontory Of the sfter-sup
per dance, and the old gentlemen by finding that |
the limited arrangements referred not to the guam
tity Of eatables which was superabundant but |
simply the dimensions of the supper room. II must
be admitted that the geres of the evening suffered
eclipse while the crinoline engaged in the |
process of refection-all missing the ladies and |
sceptical to their supper. In good time the
conclusion of the ladies refreshments was announc
ed, and the grand staircase of the hall presented
for half an hour one of the most amusing scenes /
ever witnessed by this editor First, there was the
descent of the crinolne. Eight hundred ladies de-
scending through two stories Of staircase in stone
and irou 1--WE speak of the staircase the ladies
though it is supposed there iron in their fabric
aso) eight hundred beautiful ladies' flor all Nash
vile ladies beautifully radiant with the nspira-
Of oyster soup and chicken salad and ice cream
and of the JOY which they knew that their return
would confer upon the gentlemen. Never was such
g descent, unless it were that of the angels who
travelled down the ladder from heaven to brighten
the dreams of the patriarch in the wilderness
Around the foots of the staircase a dense crowd
of the broad-cloth gender, divided by a pathway
through their midst for the ladies' passage to the
ball room. All with eyes fixed in admiration on the
descending stream of loneliness.
But, the descent Of the crinolne completed and
who shall describe the ascent of the broad-cloth
ThIs did not follow immediately Some twenty
minutes were occupied in replenishing the supper
tables, during which the now ravenous masculinity
crowded and murmured around the base of the
staircase like the host of pandemonium, meditating
their assault upon the vaults of heaven. and when
the word was given, you would have thought those
vaults were being scaled in earnest. Such was the
rush that the of the column was literally lifted
into the supperroom by the crowd pressing in from
below.
Then it became evident that the failure of comest-
bles false alarm. Two long tables groaned
beneath Viands substantial as baronical feast in
the old Saxon times, and two more were covered
with q profusion of daintes such as only SARAH
EsTTLL Queen of the caterers, could have collected
and az one end of the room sat SARAH herself dis
pensing oyster soup from vast steaming cauldroa
The editorial heart warns to thee, oh SARAH, the
juicy moluscs floating in their savoury juice and
seasoned with the most delicate commixture of all
the spices Of Arabia were dispensed with no mig
gardly hand the editorial vest buttons yielded one
by one to the expansive influence of the vlands
Il. /
crowds pressing as those which are now beseig-
ing the PRESIDENTIAL Hobbies for offices. 1t was
wonderful plates and saucers arriving in perpet-
ual stream, and when they gave out men presented
coffee cups tumblers custard glasses and all were
filed fast as presented; gentleman
frantcaly hold out his hat and get it filed twas it
the respected Bricks of the Patriot excited by the
splendour of the scene and little of Robertson
county's besty and all that came departed more
than satisfied.
Well all things must come TO an end, and the de-
scent to the ballroom commenced There, by ma
gic chairs and otamans and sofas had been cleared
away, and the floor occupied only by blushing (
maidens, and lovely widows looking (the lovely
hypocrites) as if they had not the slightest idea
that any one was going to ask them to dance.
PrxGUELY, prince of violinists and supreme as
aditre de danSe had marshalled his forces in the
chestra and then, though it already past one,
was found that the serious business of the occa
sion had only just commenced. II
How long the dancing lasted we cannot say, hav-
ing left at something after two in virtuous ndigua
ton at finding particular widow appropriated
by Bricks;-it Isashe who figured in the soup bust
ness, and who will shortly glut our vengeance. But
never miEd at present all other feelings must give
way to the duty Of acknowledging, in our most
glowing terms, the princely hospitality of the Ma
sons. Geutlemen! may you prosper, and may your
splendid Temple stand thousand years, asI we
don't doubt it will alas, that another Masonic Hall
cannot be inaugurated IL Nashville in our lifetime.
We call special attention to the dental Card of