New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-01

monde and the abandonment of city life.
Here and there are groups of men who are
respectable enough-they come to ENJOY
| the fun of it; they want to see how tar 1t
will CO. There is woman in white
satin Skirt pushing through that crowd OF
men. Watch her. She is trying to get at
the young man among those people near
the seats. He is trying to avoid her
| Now she sees him. The men are trying
| to hide him loosely. An angry woman
is always treated loosely by crowd OF
men. There, she has caught him by the
skirt of his Hamlets attire"
Just then Hortense gave a little gasp.
| The young man had turned suddenly and
struck the woman squareiy in the face
with his fist She disappeared moment,
there was rush, murmur of voices, the
| flourish of poiiceman's club, and then
| the music burst forth, the dance whelmed
all, and only at intervals could we see the
white satin dress, horribly ornamented
| with crimson stains. as the woman reap
| peared upon the outer circle of dancers.
We then picked our way down stairs
! through noisy knots of half-disguised men
and women. The foyer was full of them.
screeching, laughing, romping. Their
1dceS lEIdlueu, tueT Voices t4OdIoes IueAA
language and gestures vile.
It was growing momentarily worse.
Champagne was doing its work. We
looked into the supper room. Pandeho-
MUM reigned there. Men were singing
the various popular songs of opera boutft.
Champagne bottles were flying across the
table. Gangs of reckless, dissolute fell
lows were plying equally reckless women
with wine. As We came away we could
hear English oaths and French gaiety
strangely mingled in the jargon.
In the passage way we ecountered Queen
Elizabeth with the bodice of her dress
torn partly away. An hour later we saw
La Belle Helene and Captain John Smith
drunk in each others arms on the stair
way, where two policemen were endeavor-
ing to sort them.
From the door Of the upper box en-
trance We took one more look at the
dancers They were now actuated by a
frenzy. The ordinary lascviousness of
the can-can had given way to the excuses
of the Mabille. A little transparent cloud
of dust hung over them. But though it
we could see men and women reeling in
mad vortexes, and hideous murmur, dis
Coming down again men ran against
Hortense, and jostled her and spoke to
her, and altogether nearly exhausted her
armory of virtuous defiance When we
got into the lower vestibuie Q row was
going on. A young man with blood
streaming down his face ana the mar, of
a womans heel on his cheek was held Dy
two officers, while an excited woman. TOO
excited to be Ineligible, was gesticulating
and foaming at the mouth in the custody
of other men in the front of him.
We carefully concealed our disgust.
For was it not necessary to the cause of
firth that We should see all this:
II want you. Hortense, to avail! YOUR
self or your improved opportunities
Nonsense" said she. Il want
"Well, old fellow. what do you want"
II want to 60 home"
"Ah, but there is one truth tia: we
must discover first..'
'That woman loses all her immunity
and all her liberty wle.. she loses her
womanliness.'
''Yes," she replied: ''and one other.
that womanliness man is a brute"
IF that is not personal. Iaccept it. Let |
US take a coach before those pickpockets
are put out" ! only remember making
one more observation that night. and it !
was to the effect that such an entertain |
ment in a reputable building like the
Academy was a disgrace to New York, |
Hortense dared me to say it in |
print. Nyn, CrinL'e. IA .Ie,r IorI: World. |