The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-02-17

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| New York Correspondence Chicago Tribune.
The gossips of this city during the last
ten days have turned their attention to
the Charity Ball, which came off last
evening. 1t was crushing affair in
more senses than one-dOubtless ii
crushed the pocketbooks of hundreds
very fiat, and took great deal of life
| and spunk out of numerous pater fami-
las and anxious mothers, whose fami-
lies were there represented. These so
! called charity balls are under the
patronage of the elite, and are highly
successful in a pecuniary way, but some
of the methods employed to make them
so are at least of questionable taste.
For instance, in the lists of managers
are included one or two hundred names
of young men and women who
are at first invited to become man.
ayers. If they accept, their
names are inserted, and they are
then requested to forward to the Treas
urer $50 for ten tickets. If they can
sell those tickets, all is well; if they
cannot, they must bear the brunt them
selves. Again, it is designed to make
these balls exceedingly exclusive and
aristocratic, but this attempt is fail
ure so far as excluding the common
herd of humanity-the middle classes
is concerned. This year it was some
thing wondrous to observe the number
of clerks, salesmen, and their wives and
sweethearts, who were present. SO long
as the ''managers" are burdened with
tickets at So apiece, it is not strange
they should sell them to Tom, Dick and
Harry, without any questioning. There
was sufficient aristocracy on hand, how
ever, to give the affair an uppertendOm
flavor, and it is chiefly to see our wealthy
men and women and essay" they were
present that the middle-class people,
who really cannot afford such eXtrava-
gance, desire to attend such balls. 1t
is a species of toadyism which exists in
its prime in this city.
BIRDS IN BORROWED PLUMAGE.
The extent to which men and women
appear in public places in borrowed
costumes in this city will never be accu-
rately known. There is a party-man
and wife-in University Place, below
Fourteenth Street, who have acquired a
handsome competency loaning dresses
to women and men, suitable for any
particular occasions. | called there to
interview them a few days ago, but so
soon as they heard what L came after,
they sealed their mouths, and said that
publicity would ruin their business, and
if would do them a favor, please do
not give their address, etc. Having
made the promise, the man gave me
some interesting information. He said
they had regular set of customers,
same as any dry goods establishment,
and furnished dresses to ladies for balls,
parties, dinners, calls, shopping ex-
cursions, carriage-rides, and home re-
ceptions, of all grades, from the $50
street costume to the $500 bali-dress,
with its real lace and expensive trim
mings. They supplied gentlemen with
party suits, from pants to neckties,
/ and had over twenty orders for the
| Charity Ball then on the tapis. was
| shown into room where half-dOzen
girls were at work making over ladies'
/ dresses-as it is a rule of the establish
ment that no dress shall ever be taken
out of the place exactly as it came in.
Bv changing bow here, pleating
there, a fiounce or band, q dress can ne
so completely altered that if Flora Nc
Flimsey should wear it one evening and
| Miss Millionaire the next, neither would
recognize it as having been worn by the
other Some of the combinations are
curious. One skirt will serve half-dOz-
en- waists, and by changing them often,
nobody would suspect the cress to be
almost identically the same. The
changes are according to the article
worn. was shown dress valued at
5000, which was loaned at S25 per
night; carriage dress at S15; dinner
| dress at so, and walking dress at
50. There are all sorts of variations In
prices, and occasionally brand-new
dress is made which the first wearer
will have fitted to her form and pay a
high price for the privilege. Young
men pay so for full-dress evening
suit.
| CENTENNIAL" CONDUCTORS.
A short time since, the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company advertised that they
would receive applications for the posi-
ton of conductor, to be employed to the
number of $50 during the Centennial
season. As the story goes, they had
10000 responses in ten days. 1t seems
the terms proposed were quite liberal.
The applicants were to possess a fair
knowledge of arithmetic and geography,
and for ten weeks were to study lessons
in the conductors art, under tutors ap-
pointed by the Company in Philadelphia.
During this period they are to receive
S12 per week, and when regularly en-
ployed $40 per week. The railroad
company proposes to employ three cOD-
ductors on the Centennial trains-One
experienced man to run the trains, one
to sell tickets and see that every body
has ticket, and the third to collect the
tickets. Evidently they don't intend tc
be bitten by dishonest employees
These terms are offered only to such as
bring first-class recommendations, anC
prove themselves competent at the star
to understand the theory of the busi
ness-the practice the Company will it
self furnish.
THE ROUTE TO PHILADELPHIA.
There will be lively times in th'
Philadelphia passenger traffic aftel
April l, when it is announced the new
route to this city via the Central Rail
road of New Jersey, the Delaware an'
Bound Brook, and North Pennsylvania
Roads will be opened with through cars
and all the conditions of strictly first
class route. The distance is two mile
, less than by the old route, and the far
will be reduced below the present rate
There is traffic enough for both, but on
of the most interesting points in tn
prospective fight between the new an
old routes is the fact that the Baltlmor
! and Ohio Road will thus have an lnle
, and outlet for its New York business
independent of Tom Scott. This WI
, make the Baltimore and Ohio muc
stronger in any future fight, and som
of our shrewdest freight agents are G
! the opinion that it will bring on anothe
r war in freight and tickets.
/ EBoNIzED BLACK.-A valuable n
cipe for making black for ebonizin
, holdings, frames, ETC., is given thus
. Take / gallon of strong vinegar,
= Z r |. 1