The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-02-07
THE HEBREW SOCIETY BALL.
brilliant AGnfr nc the Aendemx ~ nY..,c--
EnshiOn in Rnx nnd 49,.

nriiiant AGnfr nc the Academy OF Music
Fashion in Rox aud Salop
me Hebrew Relief Society ball, which took
place last evening at the Academy OF Music yeri
hed al anticipations Of its friends and proved to
De ono OF the affars of the season. No pains had
been spared to render the occasion attractive and
brllliant--a sort OF magnet which should compel
fashion to dole out dollars in behalf OF beneyo.
lence for the sheer pleasure Of so doing; sort
OF sugar-coating o. the pill OF benevolence
that fashion might swallow with q liberal fee for
the privilege Of so swallowing. The decorations,
IN as far "a there were any. were simply the an
nual and customary ones and consisted in spelling
IN letters Of multtudnous gas jets the one word
'or winch the affair had been projected and carried
OUT. This device was located directly in front Of
the stage scene. which represented some Oriental
sceSe. aud was the sole device Of decoration
which bespoke aught Of the purpose Of the festi-
val and this. in conjunction with numerous Jets
naring from box and balcony, and the great
oasket of brilliants with its triple bands OF fro
winch depended from the centre OF the CELL
g served TO battle the dance with an uneasy and
nuctuating atmosphere Of glare and glitter which
were reiracted In jets from diamonds and dresses
OF silken sheen and bands Of tinsel for the hair
ana rom al the paraphernslia of fashion which
was caryied 10 and fro within and beneath it. The
guests dropped in sporadically from eight to ten
oc,ock-came in couples and trios and knots, Just
~ ~ happened. keeping up steadily intermittent
current 81 arrivals until they numbered from eight
moderately packed.
;. The bands had already taken their places, one
division with brass instruments intended espe-
cia'iy for promenade purposes and . second with
general Instruments Of all sorts intended espe-
cially for dance and waltz. These kept up an
intermitted dialogue of bass and barc and whang
OF brass for at least an hour before the dancing
began, until at last IS il evoked into being by the
music, at haifpast ten o'clock, the nazes Of the
dance were woven rapidly by dancers who seemed
to have been called into existence by notes Of
quadrille and waltz.
Then, too. there was an unusual commotion OF
the uneasy flare Of gas which seemed to shake and
shudder with every gust Of melody as if not only
the dancers but even the spectrum of coIors amid
which they moved had been set to the gamut Of
sounds which filled the Academy. 1t was scene
mlMing of its components as fairy as il fairy Nab
had conjured il on midsummer's night.
The feast OF music was opened with grand over
ture from the "Semiramide'' Of Rossni and was |
followed by special composition for the OCCASION,
and these answered simply as the gibiet of the |
menu OF music which succeeded--a bill of fare |
in the way of dance and promenade which has |
seldom been equalled in artistic construction even
sound.
Some few pieces had been supplied from the
creations of that Puck of the opera the author Of
.Gerolstcin,' and Of the twenty-five pieces in all
the remainder had been made up from pieces OF
the order of souvenir de Sharon" Souvenir
de Carnival" ''In Saus ind Braus," "Fire
and Flame" "Jerome Park" LA yoens
d Amour," Sound Of Bells" and the "Berner
Kinder" disposed in waltz quadre, polka,
redowa, lanciers and gallon. or promenades
a somewhat romantic selection had been |
made. There was the "Cortege Nuptial," a |
morsel from duo Foscari," a second morsel from
L htrf from To nj has
tho fourth from "Robert lie Dable," and a |
fifth from III Furioso." and then broke in the |
Sound of Bells and ''Happv be thy Dreams" |
and the "Back Crook and '.Beautiful Tale of the |
Sea- in alIusion no doubt to the island of Man
haitian upon which such fantastic tricks Of fairy
dance arc played as would make the angels weep |
for envy il they wept at all The promerades |
we're twenty two in number, disposed with the |
dprOpOs e. the menu OF music, the Of the |
palate mu.t no be forgotten, nor the menu Of
Ruinart pere ct fl Vergenay and Piper Heidsieck,
and IsudesheImer and P0ntet canet, which taken
make ones football fairer than usual.
and which taken immoderately create a general
fall both of feet and owners thereof Moraaa.
tons at feast are out Of place. however, and
should be INDUCED in either before or after
though post-prandal moralizations are generally
of small value.
Az might be inferred from the extent OF the
programme. the dance was kept up until a late
hour OF the night, for II is not often that fashion
takes kindly to benev0lence, and when 10 so hap
pens the most must be made Of the occasion. But |
gradually the dancers grew weary. and the dance,
which had waxed rapid to begin with, began to |
wane; and gradually, too, the dancers began
o drop ont by couples and trios and |
Knots. as by couples and trios and knots
hey had dropped in The Souvenir de Sha-
'on" came at last. however, and the festival |
ceased altogether: the bands OF fire around the
basket OF brilliants became bands OF crystal like
he rest. the gas jets which spelled the talisrnan
)f the occasion, went out when the occasion had |
nos and In rtn1 -
no aud hid themselves in every nook aud Granny |
,f the Academy.