Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1871-11-09
The Tournament and the BAN.


OF course we mean the tournamentand
the ball in Augusta lastweek. The tour
nament was good, but not good enough.
The tournament of the Annual Exhibi-
ton of the Cotton States Association
ought to be much grander, much hand
somer, much more brilliant, much more
formal affair. The costumes ofthe knights
on this last occasion were beneath all
criticism. In fact the show-tournaments
of the present day have lost almost every
vestige of simiitude to the tournaments
of the days of chivalry. Mr.. Twiggs
took the first prize. Mr.. Hack was the
best rider.
But the ball was another thing. Itwas
grand and brilliant. When it is not work
with Augusta, it is dress and dance!
Heavens! how Augusta can dress and
dance! Bah, the Princess Metternich,
the Marquise de Gallifet, and other IA
nous cocodettes of Paris may be conceit-
ed in the matter, but should they ever
come to Augusta and attend tourna-
ment or ball, they would find that other
women in the world also knew thing
or two!
The ball was in the Masonic Hall. BY
ten o'clock twas resplendens vi with ofa ftaiI aS
bv small and quiet Individual, from an
obscure but somewhat elevated nook,
presented dazzling vistas of diamonds,
and silks and white arms and shoulders,
and dress coats and lavender pants and
starry shirt bosoms. We will describe
three costumes slightly. We have time
for no more. The very stylish lady in
the splendid white satin train and black
velvet panier, isMrs. w. D. Around the
panier hangs black Brussels lace of great
depth; and costly laces on the corsage,
and costly jewels on neck and arms,
mako up costume grand enough for the
Duchess of Sutherland. The queenly
lady in yellow silk, is Miss "A. r. Her
train is immensely long, and her dress is
very extensively trimmed with black
velvet. black Brussels or Chantilly lace,
and huge pink and yellow roses. 1t is
beautiful, and tile lady calls 10 mind an
other English Duchess-the picture OF
Her Grace of Richmond in Burnett's old
history. And still another tall and stately
lady, and still another buff silk. 1t is
Miss E. r., of Edgetield. Her dress is
rich and exquisite in taste. 1t is long
and sweeping; the skirts trimmed down
either side in front with puffs of black
tulle, and the body has upon it the rich
est lace both black and white. She at
tracks much attention.
And now the crash of the music-it is
a Charleston band we believe-sets the
whole buzzing hive in motion, and then
the brilliants upon necks and arms, and
the starry shirt fronts, borrowing even
greater brilliancy from the eblazing lights
overhead, flash and sparkle and inter-
minglc like the Drunmond lights of q
thousand locomotives coming into sud
den collision Oh the-Pennsylvania Gen.
trail. is bewilderingly beautiful and
animated. But the resounding music,
the shuffiing of feet on the floor, and the
hum of words, make our ear-drum ache
worse than the head Of the big drum in
old John Robinson's circus. Blythe. by,
we went to old Johns circus, and died Of
delight. And before our death, such a
pleasant, old time Bohemian feeling came
over us that we boldly rubbed up against
the lion, and stroked the heads of the
Bengal tigers, and almost essayedto ride
with "the lady" on two horses. But
back to the ball. See the electric sparks
flashed from the Marquise de Gallifet's
diamonds as she whirls corners in the
ouadrille, and the sudden flare from the
starry shirt fronts as they forward and
back! They dazzle and pain our eyes SO
that we long fol, apiece of smoked glass
And in this gay and and joyous dance,
the fashionable people of Augusta forgot
Bullock and Conley, and the State Road,
and all other woes. They locked up their
private skeletons closely at home, and
their public ones they thrust behind their
backs. And wise they were to do so.
And the initial hours of the new day
found them driving away cares of every
nature with the steady. tripping Of the
light fantastic toe.
And now we must hold up, for in few
hours we start to Columb bia to see another
Fair, another Tournament, and another
Ball. But at this coming ball, we shall
not occupy dark nook. We mean to
put on our lavenders and our starry front,
and kick as high as the highest. And
we'll tell you all about It next week.