The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-23
DINNERS AND Balls.
Conserving tho Table and the Dance

y,s q; DINNERS AND BALLS.
s'' Conserving the Table and the Dance.
An English paper is discussing questions OF
social life, and observes on the subject Of din
ner5:. .t.
Most of us have travelled to an amazing ex-
tent beyond the simple and original limits OF
appetite and its supply. Look at the 'little
dinner" which Jones gives to the Browns and
the Smiths-all very worthy people, yet curl
onsly unconscious that hundred countries
are paying tribute to their respectable diges-
!. tive organs. To set the table, first OF all, mas
taxed Russia and Ireland for linen, the spice
Islands for the cruet-stand, Africa Tor the
ivory-handled knives, Mexico for the plate and
Honduras for the mahogany tree" itself. The
vermicelli in the soup has travelled from Ma
ples, the oil for The fish from Tuscany; the
Baltic, likely enough, has forwarded the caviar;
and the Mediterranean, sardines tor the h0rS
FosuureS. Then, not to speak OF the native
grown commodities which will grace that COM
Portable board-such as mutton from Wales or
the Grampans, turkeys from Norfolk, grouse
from Scotland, and woodcock from Cornwall
will the diners not have ice from American or
Norwegian winters, wine from vineyards OF the
Garonne and the Rhone, sherry of Spain. end
lioueur Of the Russians or the Frencnnan's
making, with fruits from West Indian and Gre
clan islands, sweetmeatS Of Paris, and coffee
gathered at Costa Rica, at Mocha, or, as 1t may
be, Ceylon?
II the gentlemen, as Is quite possible, smoke
after the banquet, Havana on one Side OF the
world, and the Manila on he other side, fur
nish them with the fragrant leat-shOuld the
.tobacconist be only conscientious; and when
the ladies take tea, China transmits over six
teen thousand miles of water wcy to their
comely lips the material for the steamlng in-
fusion.
Furthermore, the dresses which the COM
pany will wear, and their various ornaments,
open new chapter of geographical enumera-
tion. S;lkworIns of Lombardy and Japan,
looms OF Genoa and Lyons, cotton growers In
Egypt, Tennessee, Brazil or Dharwar have
united to array them; their gloves used to
roam upon the Savoy mountains; their feath-
ers flew about the palV groves OF Sumatran
archipelngoes; their Eatronly en,6onpoiRt Is
sustained by the bones of Arctic. whales; Per-
sian oyster beds have supplied their pearls;
and their chignons possibly once belonged to
heads thousand miles away.
It Is curious to remark, In truth, that civili-
zation-in the sense of community of Gus
tems-is at present mainly confined to dinners
and to dress. We eat together from all the
menus of all the lands; and We array ourselves,
in order to eat, in one and the same lugubri-
GUS style throughout the civilized world. Din
travels and Christianity never could compass;
for widely diverse III all other particulars, the
Englishman, FreRchman, American, German,
Italian, Spaniard-and, in fact all decent peo-
pie within the range Of European influence
put on one and the same vestment when they
Ego to dinner
THE BALL-RooL.
The same paper says:
A correspondent says that, In place OF dane
e :, what he sees now-a-days in bathrooms is
&C ovid OF over-dressed people, who do little
elt3 than tread. trample and mani each others
toilets about. Every now and then space is |
cleared as for fight; and few couples con- |
trtve to execute certain spasrodc mannuvres |
without grace or dignity. No doubt in sucha |
space few couples may be occasionally be |
seen whiring about waltzing they call it-like |
o set Of dancing dervshes; but the exhibition |
Is rather unpleasing than otherwise; and yet |
pretty young girls are the performers. This Is |
the first point; there cannot be dancing where |
therels not space.
g II you would give a ball, you must have a |
ballroom. An your devices Of clearing away
fdrniture and rigging up little symbohcal
greenhouse on the landing place on the top of
the first flight of stairs. are idle and OF no
avail. You have received one hundred aud
forty guests where forty should have uCcn your
limit. Unless you can perform the trick Of
pUttiLS q RduOu VI WdlCI illtO q pluJ UOttiC,
you should give up the vain endeavor Of pack
Ing your unfortunate fellow-creatures like her
rings In barrel. More than half of the guests
may one dare to call them fellow-creatures p
are ladies with elaborate trains; what pleas
ant time they must have of 1t, gasping about
on the staircases and in the Hobbies Without
space, and plenty Of space, we repeat, there
can be no dancing.
Under tle next head-that Of the dancers
is rather the fashion Of the
day that would seem to be at fault. Why are
the bodies of the dancers and the souls Of the
spectators disquleted with gymnastic perform
ances, under the pretext of waltzing and what
not An inflriated Zouave could scarcely
keep up with the musicians in the mad hurry
ourly Of their passionate performance. Surely
hat Is not dancing. A man has one advan-
age In his middle age in this year Of grace,
869. He may have seen the Dance OF Four
lanced by re best dancers, save one, who
Yer trc3 the floor Of the opera. Who ever {
aw Fannie Ellsler, Carlotta Grisi, Cerito, or
.ueile Grain romping Those ladies could
!ance. Had II been otherwise. what rebuke
you'd have been administered 10 them when
be Queen Of Dance, the royal Taglioni herself,
'ided upon the scene, and showed Us how
racefhl and exquisite was her art. She would
8 soon have thought of boxing with coal !
eayer as of jumping and prancing round >
DOM after the fashion Of our modern dancers. /
The music, of course, is not a whit less aslray
han the dancing Whether the musicians i
ave bitten the dancers, or the dancers have il
itten the musicians, is not for US to deter
llne; but quite certainly they have all gone
lad together. One word, before we have done
1th this point to ladies who will give mon
'rous balls In small hOuses. There must be
,om for music as well as for dancing. 1t is a
ruel treatment Of their guests to thrust half :
ozen or even four musicians into one OF their
rtle back drawing-rooms, and bid them blow :
way for their lives. Nobody could spend q
leasant evening amid the din of cotton fac
ny. There should be harmony and propor-
On throughout.
@- NOTICE TO LEGATEES.-T HE