Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-21
AMAsKED BAIL ROME.

The Rome correspondent Of the London
Times writes: '.The great feature of this
carnivars festivities has been the splendid
costume ball at the Palazza Gaelani. In
issuing their invitations, the Prince and
Princess TeanO made il distinctly under
stood that it was not to be either a mere
mask or fancy ball; that costumes in the
fullest acceptance Of the word was IL
rigueIT, and that no guest would be vel
come in any official dress worn in the pres
ent day; DO deputy lieutenant's red coats,
with cooked hats and feathers; no volun-
teer uniforms, not even that Of a field
marshal, covered witt stars and ribbons,
nor even a cardinal-theiT eminences were
BY no means aVerse from balls in days not
long past-even if ne came in all his gOr-
geOus wealth Of scarlet silk, would qualify
the WeareTs to enter the Princess drawing
room without committing an objectionable
breach Of good manners. do not mean to
say that all this was made public in as
many sentences, but you know Row things
get about, and three legible words at the
corner Of the card did the rest.
SIT became soon known, in the same lit
tle-bird fashion, that the period to be strict
en- Tegle was that commencing from the
opening Of the sixteenth century to the
days of those who live to Us in Vandyke's
portraits. A period rich enough in mate
rails and in historic peTsOnages to represent
a time when the Papacy played an unusual
" important part and modern Italy held
her most distinguished position in the his
tory of the world; when Leo Y, Paul III,
Plus V, and the great Sixtus we're the tiara;
WHEEL the Medicis ruled az Florence; when
the thrones Of France, England and Scot
land were occupied by Henri III and
Charles TX, Elizabeth and Mary Stuart;
when the great religious changes and
troubles divided the population Of Europe
and the massacre Of ST. Bartholomew de-
luged the streets Of Paris with blood.
There is no city in Europe which affords
the same advantages from every point Of
view for doing justice to this period Of his
in the manner intended, the greater num-
Der Of the illustriOus families still existing
had ancestors who played more or less i'm.
pOrtant parts in the scenes Of those days,
whose portraits exist, and whose characters
could be assumed by the living representa-
tives.
at was soon known that Prince Hum
bert, the Marchese Calabrini, and others
had instructed MOneta here in Rome to
construct them costly costumes; that Ascoh,
the skilled cOstumer Of the Apollo, had
been called in consultation by members Of
the COlOnna and other pTincely families.
This presaged the necessity Of going to
some trouble and greater expense. All
very well, il was said for the few, but not
likely to be undertaken by the many. II
was fOretOld that the Princess TeanO would
not succeed in filing her rooms, and that
she wOlld be obliged TO give way, if not TO
the extent Of admitting the hideOus black
coat Of modern days, at least to permitting
the scarcely less hideOus court dress Of the
nineteenth century. The prophets, how
ever, were obliged to yield, and had only
themselves to thank for being driven 10
straits to complete their costumes and, in
a few cases, left out in the cold altogether.
"Many of the costumes were absolute
works Of art, executed with cOnsummate
skill, aided by correct study. One walked,
as it were, in a living picture gallery, in
which people Of the present day represented
persOnages Of the past with an exactness
leaving but little Of theiF own individUali-
ty recognizable. Il was not by the
Princess TeanO that the company was re-
ceived, but by her husbands ancestress,
the scarcely more beautiful GiOTannella
Gaetani, the mother Of the Farnese Pope,
Paul Ill, and By her side, bearing
shadOwy resemblance TO OnOratO Gaetani,
Prince Of TeanO, stood Philip II, King Of
Spain. Near by was Caesar b rsia, with
Louis XII. and Henry Ill, Of France, and