Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-02-24
"LA RENE BLANCHE
One of Ihe Drawing Points Of Gay
and Extravagant Paris.

One of lhe Drawing Points Of Gay
and Extravagant Paris.
Paris Letter to the Chicago Times.
The Bal de la Refine Blanche, in the
Boulevart de Clichy, is one of the draw
ing points of the capital notably during
the carnival, when additional license is
permitted. Evangelical folk would pro-
nounce the white the black queen for
her subjects are not white in the sense
of purity. The habitues of this bal'are
men of every grade, from masquerade
(anglice, pimps) and blacklegs to artists
and students of society; the habitues are
ladies of latitudinarian ethics and hab-
it's in plain speech, lorettes of very
ordinary grade. They dance in every
manner except the decent, and do Ger.
tain things that are enough to astonish
the natives. Some Of them must be in
toxicated, Otherwise they would not be
able to indulge unblushingly in their i'm.
modest eXtravagances.
| have seen the gendarmes put stop
to indecorums at the Mabilie and Prado
that did not begin to equal those of the
Refine Blanche. HAPPY, | should remem-
Der the season. At other times police
regulations are stricter. This is so, for,
in all my roamings through the capital,
| have never noticed so much uncurbed
license as in the last three weeks. ]
have met some straight laced Americans
at the Refine Blanche who, should sup.
pose, would not be willing to be caught
there. | mean exactly that. should
be sure they would 90 if they believed
they would not be seen. But they make
no effort at disguise or concealment.
! Yet, at home they have bible classes;
lead prayer meetings, pass round the
contribution box, invoke aid for the con-
version of the heather. These are bad
signs. l know. A man who invokes aid
for the conversion of the heather is apt
to need conversion himself; and carry
ing round the contribution box regularly
looks suspicious, But paying frequent
homage to the Refine Blanche is not
much better, except that it is more gen.
uine that it involves no hypocrisy, so
long as the homage is paid openly. Our
pious friends are open enough here; but
they would not dare to confess, in the
United States, that they had looked at
J the outermost hem of the white queen s
external robes.
And why do you 90 there? inquiries a
critical reader.
have to. | am journalist Jour.
nalists are compelled to visit wicked
places to warn the inexperienced against
them, just as clergymen are obliged to
read naughty books to see what is in
them; to learn what is entirely proper
by acquaintance with the entirely i'm.
proper.
The Courtlle balls flourish NOW.
They have been suppressed several times
by the authorities; but they are revived
every winter. They are the vilest enter.
tainments of a public kind in the city.
The charge for admission is twenty-five
francs, which shows how indecent they
are. Were they not very indecent, so
large price could not be obtained.
The women often dance in garb
almost Godivan, and place themselves
in attitudes that might be copies of the
lascivious scenes Of the Roman court in
the reign of Commodus. The other
night there was an orgie of drunkenness
and icentiousness which the police put
an embargo on.
Courtille has double meaning that is
understood by every Frenchman. The
inner significance reveals the character
of the balls. They are not to be de
scribed; they are only to be condemned.
And now we have seen enough of the
peoples balls.