The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-01-27

Writing from Brighton, correspondent
of the London OdilY Ne.cs SAWS:

Writing from Brighton, correspondent
Of the London Daily Nesos says:
Skating on wheels, advancing by leaps
And bounds, like the commercial prospect.
y Of Great Britain under the admins.
tratlon of Mr.. Gladstone; his how
reached . stage of perfection at which
skating merges into dancing, and q skat.
ing party becomes = ball. Such an en,er.
tainnent wss given here last. night by
some of the officers Of the Scots Greys, STA
toned at the Preston barracks. Cards
were issued for dance, the ballroom be-
Ing the grand rink in West street, under
the direction Of Mr.. Mellison. This was
. splendid building, formerly, believe,
concert hall, and now admirably adapted
for the purposes to which 1t has been de.
voted, having a. fine stretch of asphalt,
Covered in by lofty aad well-ventilated
roof: Eight o'clock was the hour men
toned for the bali to commence, and
shortly after that time the company BE-
gan to assemble. Morning dress was, of
course, worn, no roller.skate and no style
OF skating yet having been invented which
would make it possible to cut the outside
edge, cross or 60 backward in the grace
ful but inconvenient trailing skirt with
which ordinary dancing is more or less
successfully managed. But nevertheless
the scene was q pretty and animated one,
with the many colored dresses, seasonably
trimmed with fur, the saucy Rubens hat,
and here and there that ghost of 4 long
dead past, the coal -scuttlc bonnet. About
$50 1nvitati 1ns had been issued, and there
was present company not far short of
that number. There was perhaps some
thing trifle monotonous about the pretty
little cartes de danse supplied tn each Of
the guests. Eighteen dances were set down
and each was a waltz. The fact is that
skating on wheels lends itself naturally to
the time and swing of the waltz, and may
he successfully adapted to other sorts of
dancing only after severe course
OF training, such as could be undertaken
by few except professional acrobats. A
quadrille may be managed in . space that
Will allow Of considerable margin 1--WE
haa the Caledonians just before midnight),
and with band skillful at filling up in.
terludes, during which partners who have
overshot the mark are struggling back to
the square; but the general result is not
satisfactory, and the game is usually con-
sldered not worth the candle. Tho motion
OF the skater and the time observed are so
nearly akin to Waiting that when the
band plays the "Briss des Nurts," or
Queen Nab" one naturally lapses into
the waltz. One consequence Of this is,
that when, according to the programme,
and, with very few exceptions, according
to the fact, everybody was waltzing, the
scene presented differed in an almost in
appreciable degree from the sight wit
messed on ordinary club nights. Here
and there two ladies or lady and gentle
man broke into a waltz proper, moving
round in due form and sliding through
the steps of t'ots temps; but for the most
part the company contented themselves
with skating round the rink in Waiting
tune, and swaying right and left on the
outside edge to the waltz measure. To
those who looked on, expecting novelty,
this was somewhat disappointing, but to
the company of skaters gliding across the
smooth floor in an endless band there
were no spots on the sun. They skated
and danced with energy that seemed in
exhaustible, hating only at eleven o'clock
for such brief time as supper demanded,
and then setting to again at the interim
nable waltz, the endless band growing
thinner, but not finally breaking till an
early hour this morning.