The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-03-08
TIE PURIM MIsQUE Bale.
A Brilliant and Beautiful Entertain
m ent.

ment.
4 evsr sn.appafsntiy :supeflaman as TASK is
imposed on tia pen ofsn journalist, II sts when,
after circulating brain-bewildered in that semi
terrestrial seml.ceestial atmosphere ycle pt a6ai
masque, he attempts, within the four walls OF on
inkbespattered sauctum, to perpetuate the illu-
sion that he Is still in iairyland. With chaos Of
sparkling eyes and pretty speeches IN his head,
and tendon Acltuis of the other end OF his cor
porositJ yet quiyering with the echoes OF the
dance, the process OF collecting the tangled
threads OF fact and fancy and weaving them
into o satisfactory bed quilt with which to cever
his hundred Thousand readers, is.a good deal
like making rove to a pretty girl on each side.
he don't know precisely where to begin.
That the ball at the Academy Of Music last
night was grand, gItserlng, radiant jubiee-a
species OF carnival in minlature-wtll be attested
by as large and happy throng OF reve!lers as
ever kept time TO the melody OF polka, redoWa
or auadrllle. That it was pecuniary success OF
the first rank, equal at least to that OF any prece
ding Purim festival in our city, is also matter
beyond doubt s'Purim," by the way, we may
state for the benefit Of the unlnformed, Is the
name Of festival among the Jews, In Which
they commemorate their dellverance from the
wiles sand,ssrasegems as recorded in the bookof
Esther. The observance Of this festival has been
reliqously maintained by all the Hebrew race
from Its institution down to the present time,
although there Is generally more OF .merriment
and hilarious rejoicing than Of sancaty about
the holiday. In the large cities Of the North The
event is always marked By magnificent balls, In
which the display OF wealth, dress and beauty can
scarcely be said to be rlvalled. Here, too, the
preparations are on corresponding scale, and,
for days before the event, the expectant fair sex
live In wilderness OF fabrics .colors, and quaint
designs. How they took shape last night IN toll
lettes, some OF which made mems hearts ache,
can only be known to those who, being present,
looked on the ever.changlng spectacle, felt the
pulses OF beating hearts, and were touched by
the magnetism OF speaking eyes, "Whose every
lash was o lance and every glance an arrow"-
eyes doubly dangerous, because they fired snap
shots from behind masked entrenchments BY
eleven O'Clock the ball was at Its height, and the
vast throng undulatng to the music OF the
rne band IN the gallery looked from that point
as II the Inhabitants Of some fairyland bad bnr.
rowed all the hues OF rainbow and aurora boreals
to visit Mother Earth and hold saturnalia Of fun
and dlrtatIon. With but little elasticity OF ima-
glnatIon, you might have recognized the repre-
sentasiyes Of every age, cline, temperature zone
and nation. There were prlncesses, postillions
and Paul Prys; clowns and courtlers; angels and
ambassadors; gypses and grotesques OF no name;
queens OF night queens Qf morning; the last
roses OF summer; Indians, Irishmen, Highland
ers, Eehiopans, drst.rate copies OF Old.fash ioned
Portraits historical characters, dramatic charac-
ters aud people known In literature. .as Miss
Sllmmns, Widow Bedott, Bob Swiveller's March
ioness, and Sairey Camp. All these and hun
dred more-mixed. muddled, heterogeneously
conglomerated, always on the move, ever chang
ing like the figures in Kaleidoscope constituted
a spectacle that no camera. could catch, anu no
crowd OF paint pots could initiate. There were
queer adventures, too. Men fell In love, and it
was painful to see them fall out again, when they
discovered after unmasklug that they had been
avowlng the grande passion to their own wives.
One young fellow is said to fave nlrted all the
evening. with his own mother, and tore bis hair
when another cavalier with handsomer mask
s'cut him out" Altogether, the circumstances
were what Mark Tapley would describe as partic.
ularly "joly."
The supper was an excellent and timely institu-
tion, presided over by. Tullyy, Who never seems
happier than when the chorus Of knives and forks
is at It's height In payl Ing tribute to his culinary
skill.
The chief expectation OF the evening was, OF
course, the distribution OF prizes announced and
described in TIE NEWS of yesterday. This took
1 oio 10
ces OF three gentlemen selected to act as the
Judges Of toilette and the impersonatlon OF
character. procession was formed at that
time consisting OF two hundred couples, more or
less-one gets dazed in counting-and after
perambulatiug to march music for short time,
halt was ordered, and Mr. Goldsmith, one Of the
Judges, announced that the prizes were distri-
buted as rollows The first prize TO the ladies' for
the handsomest dress to MISS +. Goldsmitn.
It would take one Of Jennie June's letters TO
give all the particulars OF the attire, aHd we
therefore omit it; but 1t was very handsome. The
second prize, for the best impersonation OF
character by lady, was awarded to Miss Fl.
HOFFMAN, and none more deserved It. The Lady
assumed the part Of On Irish washerwoman, and
she lacked nothing but the practical soap suds to
make one Delleve sue WAS uoTu Ou uog. lue
first prize to the hegentlemen was awarded to Mr.
j, H. Hart, who assumed the character Of Don
Cesar de Bazan, and the second prize was given
to Mr.. 5. E. Loeb for making the company believe
he was a vertable Bob Nettles. The character
was admirably represented, and Bob himself had
he been present, would have recognized twin.
Among other excellent personi1cations which
may be named, was a Greek, armed cap a pie ;
a knight Of the olden time; man Of cards, who
looked from crown to sole as II he might have
been high, low, Jack and several games. He was
'toerably well stocked" Another gentleman
represented to perfection an exquisite Of the Lord
Dundreary style; but the cap sheaf OF all the de-
ceptious OF the evening was the personiacation Of
a fashionable woman OF the period, by Mr.. E. E.
Abrahams. Dressed In the most killing style Of
female art, his Greoian bend merged into that
jerky sudriier IN n,odo, which not only turned
the heads OF score OF love-sick SWANS, but until
masks were removed, made every one curlously
ask, "Who is she ?'
The dropping OF the veil led to many curious
cor IRE temps, and not few retired to their
chambers near daylight, to dream OF mysterious
partners a1d angels In disguise. Finally, the
Purim was the success OF the season.
pur. HrAps printed on fine paper at $3. 81.