New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-03-26
Tie Purim Ball-Anniversary of the He
brew Benevolent Association.


When the guests of the association hegan
to arrive in masks, in cloaks aud capOtes
that shrouded the gayest costumes under
meath. in PLAIN dress-with servants carry
ing dominoes, sinsly and in groups: ladies
with their escorts. it was seen by the num-
bers that the ball to be given on that Sat
urday night would be the ball of the season;
that 1t would revive the glories OF Mardi
Gras at the end of the Christian Lenten
time, and that the entire Hebrew society in
the city would either be on the floor or
represented. BY eleven o'clock. what was
but suspicion developed into fact. Car
rage after carriage drove up to the mag
niticent entrance of the Varieties Theatre,
in whose auditorium the ball took place,
deposited their burdens and gave place to
succeeding trains. The entrance itself, with
its stages of steps. over which the mellow
ing gaslights shed a radiance of MONDAY,
burst upon the eyes of the guests like an
inspiration. The dancing floor within occu-
pying the whole parquette and the entire
width and length of the stage. became so
crowded with dancers that it was impossible
in the grand promenade to keep step to the
anniversary March without .ostiing. The
march became a genuine crush of silks and
lace and satins.
When the promenade ended and the
'Theresen' waltz began, the picture pre-
sented changed with every glance One
has only to think of this immense floor,
filled throughout with throng of ladies in
the most gorgeous dresses OF all colors-
red crimson. vermiliOn, orange, lemon.
yellow, golden, green, sea green, pea green,
sky blue. purple, and violet: OF all text
ure-satin and tulie. silk and lace, tissue
and tarlatan velvet, crepe, brocades,
gauzes; besides masked in costume of
every time, from those of Abraham down
to modern days-the black dress of the
gentlemen contrasting with the combina
ton of all the colors of the rainbow multi
piled a thousand times IN the gorgeous
robes of the ladies-tO get an idea of the
scene where the wealth of our entire
Hebrew population was laVished with no
sparing hand. After the Cuckoo polka"
believe developed into a mazourka. had
displayed OF all the beauties in the in
closure and reminded one of shaking up
an immense basket filed with all the
flowers of the field and the lilies of the
valleys After the great throng had thus
become slightly acquainted came the Ian
GERS, which arranged the flowers as if by
magic into walks and boquets under the
inspiring "Lieder- kranz." and afforded bet
ter opportunity to study the series of
tableauX. Then came the ''Rosaiie."
schottishe. waltz and promenade. by the
music from Anna Bolena,' and the polka,
quadrilie, mazourka again, Lancers once
more, and "galop' finished the first part.
The Purim ball is the main event of re
joicing in the Hebrew year. On this
triumph their young ladies 'come out, and
are either introduced and forever after
ward pronounced ''on the topis,' or else
engaged then and there. At this ball old
acquaintance are renewed, when absence
or other pursuits have divided them. and
tasts end in universal burst OF festivity
and enjoyment. Il SO happens that the an
niversary of the Hebrew Benevolent Asso-
citation which is at work building It's
schools, its colleges, its elet mosynary insti
tutions in our city. and the Pur;rI ball fall
on the same day. 1t was then double ob
.ject which brought such an attendance 10
the ball-that of supporting the associa-
ton and encouraging its future enterprises
and joining in the annual feast. The sup
per table afforded better view of the
elements whose combining on tie floor
made up the entire scene, framed within
the dress circle of the auditorium above
and enabled slight description of the
various costumes. Six young ladies were
costumed as the modern Diana. brown
dress with tight fitting jacket and over
dress, masks all alike, conical hunters hat
and tail plume with rife. Three IF these
We're OF the same height and figure. three
Others were taller. and probably they all
succeeded better in concealinc their identity
and in representing each other with d;f-
ttrent partners than any other set IN
the ball. In the way Of 4 ball
dress there were three especially noted-a
bright green, but without masks. Then
there were lace overskirts on crimson and
on red. Miss la a splendid blonde,
wore Il plain pink silk under 4 white tsrla-
tan overskirt, trimmed with ruching, and
locped with pink flowers. Mrs. p.
brunette, was habited in a brown figured
silk, trimmed with folds of ligh ter shade.
Both these ladies were selected for their
pretty appearance. Cavaliers Of Charles
the Seconds time mingled with Italian
braves with striped legs; the cuirassier, with
HIS architectural cap; the hussar. with his
red coat and ornamental pants, III glazed
boots: the bugler; score of vivandieres
in costumes which on the field. would suffer
damage: canteens, with gold faucets, slung
over fair shoulders; the revolutionary blue
and buff; the JesteI. Mephistopheles, Faust,
and the devil himself. Besides, one could
go back from disguises dating from the re
cent FrancoPrussian war to those which
clad the heroes Of Marathon, and could see
the repres entatives of the hundred leading
nations since that time-so in one night
revelngin both the history of dead and gone
nations, as well as the poetry Of motion
A faint description of some Of the COS
tunes is annexed
Morning, Miss X. Shy-blue silk, white
tulle over dress: hair in pink roses and gold
Night, Miss H. Black silk, over which
fell gracefully white tulle overshirt. Hair
in let aud gold a ooIEen cres-