The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-01-24

oyERcRowpEp FLooRs-"wALL FLOWERS THE
SINGING sUIsAscEs.

/ that suspicious occasion has come and gone,
atoning with the blaze OF its triumph Ior sne
/ travail and tribuation of half year, the femione
world is entirely too absorbed ia preparations for
that great event to give much attentonIwe o,
| dings of course, always excepted-to the lesser
| event of ball and sociable, which go 10 MAKE up
the volatile life Of society. From the day when
| fashion folds its wandering tents on Deacn ana
mountain. and returns to its urban haoitauop, up
| TO the last hours of the dying year, so dear TO
poets and creditors, this Is the engrossing sup]ec'
\ of all its medtafions-to get ready for New ears
| Only the most magnificent OF toilets on that osy
will suffice; for on nc other social occasion ;is
! lady's appearance exposed TO the admiration or
the censure of 80 many of her followers So cease
| lessly throughout the autumn the notes OF pre-.
paration are sounded, and unhappy milliners and
msntua makers are we'll nigh distrsugnt between
| anticipation Of enormous profits and presence OF
| impossible work. And not only that, but the
dainty war is brought to our very DOORS and every
| household is converted for the nonce into huge
| dress making establishment. The most sacred
| and precious of masculine privileges are laughed
to scorn in the presence OF this memorable neces-
sity. nl
Augustus comes home an hour earlier than
usual anticipating cheerful ante prandial smoke,
only 10 find his ROOM which, having q southern
exposure. is pleasanter TO work in than bis SIS
ters, Uttered with chaotic debris OF feminine toll
he turns In at night and discovers how admirably
his bed may supply the want OF a needle-case; ne
| gets up in the morning to realize. not without
more or less silent invocation OF Heaven that MS
feet were never intended for pin cushions; he
goes down town with shreds of lace and bits OF
ribbon futtering from his unbrushed coat to be
The butt of all his acauantsnces. demonstrates
is unavsiDg, and complaint is smothered In
storm Of deprecatory caresses; so Augustus,
driven one by from all his defenses, retires 10
the citadel OF the smoking ROOM where, with pas
terfamas, he bids defiance to the foe and calcn
ates the cost Of the campaign. All day long and
every day the nome ntous work goes on, until on
New Years Day its fruition is revealed in splen-
"a nfo q -to arxlo -
satin end glimmer OF pears,n to the profane but
ravished eyes of innumerabe callers. But thaa
great day fairly over, and the ensuing which the
ladies' require to make their visits, to tell each
other what lovely time they had and what they
wore. and how many calls were theirs. how do
liRhtfuy Mr.. Jones looked and what Mr.. Smith
said, and how tight poor Robinson was. the sea-
is properly inaugur ated, and II Is time TO turn
ones attention to the serious business Of pea-
sue.
And pleasure in wintry New York, at least,
means mainly dancing. OF course there are
other social amusements, or what the people who
engage in them affect to believe amusemeBtss
There are cOnversaziones, for example, whereat
a number Of people Of various degrees of unhc.
quaiptance and uncongeniality sometimes meet
to discuss the weather and try to persuade one
another that each individually knows more in that
important department OF thought than all the rest
put together there are music sorees, where
self-sacrifciDg amateurs labor TO convince an as.
semblsge Of generous rivals how very much
worse they sing or play than their hearers could
there are dinners. where everybody bores EVERY
body else with stupid speeches that nobody listens
TO and there are amateur theatricals. where it is
hard TO say whether actors or audiencs are more
TO be commiserated. But Of all these joys one
speedily tires while the delights of dancing are per-
enDial. Not even the extravagances wherewith
fashion occasionally burdens 1t avail TO bring into
dispute an amusement whose popularity has its
spring in tw0of the most elementary passions Of
humanity the love OF music and rhythmic mo.
ira Qf
Not even the spasmoQic agony of the deux-
temps, nor the paralytc eontortions of the Bos.
ton, which the good st. Vitus himself must
surely have inspired have power to dismay iEs
votaries and il is really as affecting as ID is
unintellgible TO see two young people, capt-
bic of better things, deliberately aud even gayE
sacrificing to q mistaken sense of duty. the We
luptnous ease Of the redowa for the discordapt
awkwardness Of dances whose nearest approach
TO grace rivals the attractive gambols OF an
epileptic hop.toad. pastme which could beAr
up against and thrive under so many and go
great Disadvantages must be conceded to por-
sess the intrinsic elements of popularity, and To
him who is aware Of the absolute necessity Ct
recreation in the economy of nature. dancing
will seem not unworthy of attention from tlS
philOsophic mind. And as the subject will prae-
ucally occupy the heads and heels of half thb
town for the next three MONTHS as all the night
and good part Of the day will be given up To-
its fssciDsiions by those who, defiant Of the
Grsdus, apply to it HOrace's invocation, thus
amended,
"Nocturna versate peae versate diurns,"
It may not be amiss to set down here few sug,
gesiions, which may. perhaps, add to its attrac-
tons by ameioratDg some of the annoyances
which generally beset its practice.
In the first place, every dancing floor is SO hor5
ribly overcrowded ss to make danciHg with any
degree Of comfort. absolute impossibility.
Fighting ones way through FACILITATING, painting
and sweltering mass Of squirming humanity,
where everybody is actuated by bat one madden
A0Qr 49, Al.
cupy exactly the same time-s neither as
amusing as some other things, nor as conducive to
amiability and health. Play of this sort Is alto
gether too much like work to be very valuable for
purposes OF relaxation; and 1t seems absurd In
in the highest degree TO condemn so many people
TO a discomfort which the absence Of few would
have converted into positive delight. As far as
public balls are concerned, remonstrsnce Is
probably futile time after time we have the same
promises of limitation, which constantly ripen into
exceedingly ashen performance. SO long as it is
more profitable 10 sell two tickets than one, Just
so long Will our bathrooms be crammed
with twice as many dancers as there is
room for. Perhaps something might be done
by introducing regulation which is some
times found effective in Europe. that only
certain number of couples shall be allowed OF
me moor Tor any dance these to pass off at its
conclusion and be replaced by others. Yet 10 is
difficult 10 see how such an arrangement could be
made 10 work without infinite trouble and infinite
offenses. A still more eficacious remedy would
Oo W hDanoOn pubic Dsls atogetner until their
managers learn that golden mean between gene
rosiiy TO themselves and justice to the public
which may combine honesty with profit But
givers OF private entertainments have it in their
power very easily to avoid this annoyance by sim.
ply discriminating their dancing parties within
strict limits, and inviting only dancers. Flowers
are an Establishment 10 a drawiDg.room which
40 hostess can very well dispense with, but the
wall variety, whether male or female, is not the
choicest or the most desirable. It is the pecu-
iarity Of this unhappy race always to be IN the
.ay, always TO be crossing the floor at precisely
he wrong time, always to be sitting down on the
'nly vacant chair toward which you we're hurry.
Dg. your partner, always to be tripping soma
body up or getting tripped up themselves,
ilways TO be engaging In stupid
conversation the gentleman or lady 4
Fith whom one is dying to dance, always 10 be-
,ersuadipR the too complaisant hostess to intro
luce just one plain quadrille for those who don't
lance the round dances. you know. or stil more
wiul inhicfion, to get Miss Tremoo TO sing, or
u: Quaver to play, or Mr.. Recitatige to give one
4 her delightful readings, or. in some other way,
clog the evenings festivities. Let exclusive
Entertainments be given for them, if they must be
ntertained, where they may have their singing