The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-11-18
Theatres and Balls I'm German
Towns.

Our little town has its theatre, which
Is open four times a week through the
winter, and which has very good aver
age company for plays and operas.
Every one goes to it; the gentry, and
even the middling sho opkeepers have
their boxes, or at least season ticket
in the stalls. The students fill the pit,
and are let in at half price. The officers
have the first two rows in the stalls, and
pay about four pence; the common
soldiers go into the gallery for penny.
The doors open at half-past five, and it
is all over before nine. You walk in,
hang up your mufllers at the back Of
your box, and your maid comes and
provides you with the lantern. The
servants collect in the vestibule about
eight, and have nice gossip while
waiting for their young ladies, who go
habitually without chaperon. Non
subscribers pay one and two pence in
the best places, the centre.box being
reserved for them; and if, when you
have bought your tickets, the weather or
any unforeseen circumstance prevents
your going, the good-natured old box
keeper will give you back your money;
it is mere matter of course and no
favor. These quiet ways and early
hours take away the feeling of dissipa
tion, and the extreme cheapness of the
treat places it within every ones reach.
The theatre is open from Michaelmas,
or little before, till the end of Lent,
and always filled by the same audience.
The German balls are just as reasona-
BILE in their way as German theatres.
Almost every town has two or three
classes of subscription balls, its muse.
um, or its casino, and all assemble very
early-indeed, the trade people are the
latest, and they must wait to shut up
shop. The girls seldom sit down. that
would crush their draperies, but stand
| about in clusters near their mammas,
while the gentlemen walk up and down
to make their selection. All introduc.
tions generally takes place, but it is not
indispensable. In the ballroom you
are all on an equality, and any gentle
man has right to ask lady to dance
without further formality, nor can she
refuse unless she be already engaged.
Between the dances the girls walk
about with each other, and the gentle
men hover around. If a girl dance
well she is sure of partners, be she ever
so ugly. ... ..
The dancing begins with polonaise,
in which all, old and young, take
part. 1t is nothing but stately march
through the bail and supper rooms and
passages, and is led by the highest per-
son present. AT half-past nine O'Clock
every one stops for supper. You order
what you like, from cup of coffee TO a
regular hot meal, soup and all, just
paying for what you have. Economical
people, who live near, go home for sup
per. This pause lasts about an hour,
then the cotillion begins, and by twelve
O'Clock all is over. l must not forget to
mention fret tour, when the ladies run
about and ask the gentlemen. They,
modest lambs, crowd up into the corn
ers, but the girls ferret them out. 1t is
rather amusing to watch the skirmish
for fayorite partner, who must dance
with whoever first makes courtesy to
him. He takes her around the room
once and then drops her wherever She
happened to pick him up, makes a bow
and is generally whipped off by anoth.
er claimant. Some girls go very com.
posedly to work, have made up their
min dis whom they mean to choose, and
will not notice any one else other are
in a furry, get pushed about in the
crowd, and take out the first acquaint-
ance they meet. These .frei tours are
Systematically introduced to allow a
lady little liberty of choice. There
are not above seven or eight dances in
the evening, so a belle may be obliged
10 refuse many partners; if she invites
them in the .trei tour, it sign that
they really came too late; if she do not,
they are to understand that they are
not TO ask her again. The gentlemen
are sometimes INDUCED with a ,frei tour
on the same principle. The young la
dies dress we'll at these balls; great
deal can be done with white muslin
and white tarlatane. But the chaper-
ones exhibit curious variety of toll
cites. 1 remember at ball, given to
the Sovereign Prince, seeing one old
lady with her head bound up in a strip
of flannel, without even a CAP or
handkerchief to veil it. The Prince
came up and paid his compliments as
gravely, and the old lady's daughter
danced as much, as if her mothers
head-dress had been velvet and dia-
monds-so it made no difference to any
one.