The New York herald., 1865-03-15
Splendid Display at the Academy
Of Music,
Ae., &c, Aes

own unsustaned private opinions guide, In opposi
tion to the plain teachings Of Holy Writ
The people Of New York are evidently advocates Of
literal construction Of the Sacred writings They 60 In
Sor the ball. and Ego II with vengeance" During the
winter just past and the spring just begun, there
have been more bals-and Of the most select
and respectable character-than have taken
place in this city before within the recollection
of oldest sporve inhabitants The Fremen's ball;
the Arion ball. the Lcderkranz ball and the magnificent
Charity ball, succeeded each other in rapid and
brilliant succession and last night tho season very
Handsomely brought to close by the splendid masquer
ade Of Purm In beauty and variety Of costume in ad
irabe management and in respectabity Of attendance
he last almost equal to the best Of those previously
enumerated. We write almost, because II would not
bc stating the fact that any OF the other balls
mentioned up TO the standard Of the grand display
witnessed at the Academy OF Music the evening set
apart for the benefit Of the Nursery and Childs Hospital
That the select and brilliant affair Of the kind
ever gotten up In the metropolis In the humble opinion
But leaving the Charity ball out Of the question: that
Of the Purim association last night was fully equal
70 any Of the Others.
HISTORY OF PuRIH.
Purim 10 essentially Israelitish. It 10 peculiarly
Jewish institution Young Israel and old Israel and
doing SO, as viii be seen further on.
The origin OF the Pnrm festival to bc found in the
foIows-In tie days Of Ahasuerus or Grtnxerxes who
regned hundred and twenty provinces,
from India to Ethiopia there lived willy Macedonian
named Haman who next to the king In power and
glory and found great favor in the royal All bent
the knee to Haman exc pit stubborn old son Of Israel
only be paid to the Almighty Haman twas exceedingly
angry when he heard Of this and resolved TO destroy
Ahasuerus in revenge Cor the slight cast upon him by
Nordecai. Artaxerxes was easily persuaded by his
to him that The jews his ordnsnces
and observed laws and ceremonies unrecog-
zeal species Of draft which consisted in cast
lng lots into an urn 70 decide as TO what dny and
what month the should take place. The thir
tccnth day OF the twelfth month out OF the un
and orders accordingly sent 70 every part Of the
iii;le children and women" on that day Il happened
shat Esther the queen Of Araxerxes Of the jewish
nation and that Mordeca was her uncle; but the king
trouble on thc subject But net Esther and Morde-
csi The latter put on sackcloh and strewed his head
with ashes and went crying through the streets OF the
city Of Shushan, 'showing the anguish OF his mind
Queen Esther took the matter oven harder Casting
fns covered her head with ashes and dung "humbled
her body with fasts and all the places In which before
hair" All Isral very naturally in despair, seeing
its almost inevitable hilaton in prospect In those
@ m op % s
0rcptre in token OF clemency. Q een Esther knew
4hs but resolved 70 hazard everything for her people
At the end Of three days. according TO the Scriptures
Sltterng in royal robes she went before the King,
"who st upon his throne in the hall Of the palace over
against the door Of the house" And when the King
Esther she pleased his eyes, and he held out toward
nor the golden sceptre which he held In his hand and
she drew near and kissed the top of his sceptrs.n
To avoid many Scriptural quotations. il is sufficient
10 add that Esther, after skpfu feminine
vrlng, got the better Of Haman who was hanged on
boarn ity cubts high, which had been Intended as the
scafod Of Mordeca. Thus virtue triumphed and vice
met its deserts Further, the King ordained that oil the
enemies Of tho Jews should be put to death the
day that Haman appointed the slaughter OF the Israel
sites. The royal mandate was strictly carried out,
Haman's wickedness amounted TO scventy-6ve thou
sand. The next day-thc 14th Of the month
joyed splendid holiday, with feisting, joy and
banquets From that time TO the present the h of the
month Adar Corresponding % the isth OF March has
In comnemoraton OF their dcv rance by cen Esther.
Tho day given TO JOY and social festivities Presents
are among euds surprise parties taxi place
old quantances visit each other the scattered branches
OF families together and tho occasion many
spects is kept up much in the spirit New Years
day. One OF the most audablc features Of the ceebra-
ton consists In the dtrib ton Of aims to such members
Of the faith as may stand in need Of assistance Only
about four years ago however tho idea OF having
grand masquerade ball in honor Of the festival put into
practical shep by a few en,crprising young men.
From all this 1t will be that the ball Is In a
urc OF scrptural origin and this Is our apology for
quoting so copously from the sacred writings, both in
support Of the proprety Of balls and also in relation to
the history Of Purm. II will be noticed also that the
modern representatives Of the house OF Israel have
vastly improved upon the manners Of their ancestors
Instead Of slaughtering thousands they did in the
time OF Esther they extend helping hand TO those In
distress and cultivate the heavenly virtue OF charity
Instead OF dancing with savage joy the blood OF
their foes they content themselves with masquerad ng
and become worshppers OF the divine Terpsichore The
change stnkinaly illustrates the progress Of mod IN
civilization.
But let return to the ball Tho Academy was
crowded the dresses and decorations were all that
could be expected the OCCASION we will first glance
At the decorations.
THE DECORATIONS.
Maxmlian the artis-not he Of Mexico, bat he OF
Gotham The parquet balcony, tiers and stage were
most appropriately ornamentcd but much In the same
style as at the Arion and Lederkranz balls There
some novelties however that deserve mention On the
front OF the proscenium neat aegorcal representation
ful folds, was to be From the dome hung sus-
pended fantastic military tent, resting OF
aowers The balcony and tiers were crowded with comic
carnival scenes painted In oil colors piec Of
Many capital political hits we're thus conveyed to the
spectator Let us give few samples In one place you
Illustration OF the Monroe doctrine In the person Of
Maxmi running OF from Mexico with his Venetian
brea and the parrot he brought with him from Austria
In another place you picture Of Old Abe reconnoit
orng Richmond through a spygass and contemplating
JET Davis standing In an empty glass, disconsolate
place you bohold the novel exhibition OF the "ka des
GrenaiHes or frog dance. In another you repro
sened the efficiency Of police in sting frolickers
To run away. In another you behold John Bull seeing
the elephant In Paris and, In another, free fight In
the order Of dancing painted immense pieces Of can.
vass and surrounded with variety Of monkeys and
crocodes The number Of comic representations was
Too humorous TO admit Of special notice in every In
stance Tho above will suffice for our purpose.
THE puRIn GAZETTE.
THIS was only one part Of the comicaty. Contcm.
pating the crowd you found there many things
TO admire and laugh at that IL was hard 10 decide
which was best The Purim Gasede came in for good
snare Of encomum The Gdsdte was a sprighuy little
paper for the occasion containing Jokes on ali subects
Jewish puns and poetic enusons. As a specimen We
may extract the following lively versicaton OF the P-
s-a story
Esther was pretty maiden,
As all maids named Esther be:
Eyes like jet and hair of raven.
But no water fall wore she.
Hamsn n wretchcd villain,
And his heart was full of guile;
whiakcy drank he by the gallon,
Till his liver turned TO bile.
The King he was jolly fellow,
And he loved wine women, song;
Dut his skin, II was 30 yellow,
And his name very long
y5aman 10 the King said one day,
Let us hang up all the Jews;
And wish you'd do II Monday,
For then the clothes lines we could use.