Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-11-08
A PARTISAN BALL.

A surprising thing is the speed with
which the abode of operate music is
transformed into a temple of light
toed music. On Saturday the per-
Torrance Of the opera ends, say at IL
O'Clock, and before the spectators
have been fairly hustled out Of the
house an army Of workmen are busy
laying down t~restles in the pit and
among the stalls. Spectators who
have bought tickets for the ball may
remain in their boxes and watch the
sight. On the t~restles planks are set
and riven until the whole floor of the
house is boarded over to the level Of
the stage. At the back Of the stage
the wings are being cleared off to
make room for a gigantic buffet, and
then, with the changing of a hundred
hammers, a dozen tiers of large seats
are run up in the center of the
extemporiEed ballroom, for the ac-
commodation of the orchestra Of
eighty musicians. By five minutes to
midnight everything is ready, and the
fddlers begin to stream in. The con-
ductor's desk, the big drum, the ophi-
cleides, the violoncellos, have all been
hoisted to their places, and there is
a grand din of plates and bottles in
the direction Of the buffet, where the
walters are spreading out sandwiches,
pastry, and pals full of ice.
At midnight the doors are thrown
open, and through the two principal
entrances come leapiug and yelling a
motley group of jewellers in most fanci-
full disguises-men and women, and
Others whose sex it is difficult to dis
tinguish, though they generally turn
out to be girls in boys clothes. The
best place to witness this incursiOn is
from the top Of the beautiful ornate
staircase, which forms the gem of Nj.
GARNER edihce. A few wags in the
dress Of PierrOts, and with befoured
faces, or tricked out in burlesque mill
tary attire, with brazen helmets
adorned with plumes, four feet high,
are generally stationed on the stair
ease by the management, in order to
sound the keynote Of merriment Oh
the very threshold by chatting the
public. Their humor finds a free
scope against gentlemen in swallow.
tail coats and cardboard noses, and
against ladies hidden under masks and
dominos, pink, blue, or black. Chat
calls back chat, and the exchange o.
.ljokes-someWhat salt at times-is az
I brisk as the pelting with -four confetti
Z which used to be INDUCED in at tn,
Neapolitan carnivals.
Two classes Of persons from the pub.
e lie attend these opera balls-the first
+, who come to enjoy themselves b.
5 dancing and laughing; the second, VIII,
look on with a mixture of yawns anc
e smiles, and profess to think the Who'll,
thing low. In the first set are mum
e bered students, clerks, shopmen, anr
4 the middle-aged gentlemen on tn
e spree-along with shop girls, seam
stresses, and other damsels who hav
. nothing in common with vestals ex
y cept that they keep up an eternal fir
0 Of fun. In the last set is young Paris
= ian swelldom, boredom, drawldom
y and the foreign element Of inquirin
d tourists. Young swelldom doesn'
n disguise itself or dance. 1t sometime
u buys a cardboard nose, but keeps
e hidden until nearly the end Of tn
r ball, when, perhaps, under the inAu
ence Of champagne, it sports the conf
thing for FIVE minutes, which time
b generally ample TO draw down on tn
&c wearer more chaf than he can parr,
&c and 80 puts him to flight. The ma
whose wit is not on his tolgge-tip ha
better not attempt a disguise. On
Z. shy young man Of good family wh
a recently put himself in the clothes
a Punehinell0, was Mortified at bein
le seized by a festive group, who dance
him off his legs, and then left hi
er breathless on a bench, where a mo
as surrounded him, hooting aud jerrinI
&c He thought this a premeditated an
in personal a%front, whereas ii was on
~ part Of the fun Of the fair, which
he could have escaped by saying a goo
y thing or two, Oh at least BY Joining Il
IL dance e9n amgfe,
ey Thee are some fifty dancers Of bot
ey sexes. who r paid to keep the reve
ey ~ Of the ball from tagging, and the
re will tolerate no luke-warmness fro
H. persons who have trayestied then
Va selves, and may consequently be pr
he sumed 10 hage cherished Tie intentiC
az Of aifording amusement. With VIII
nd fantastic contortions these paid re-
ut ellers dance must be seen TO berealize
on When NJ. Oliver Metra's band crash
! pur waltzes and quadrilles, they viii;
OK about Us II some tgraptuia had bitt'
ok Them, tossing their arms and legs alo
ng together, andstriying, as arule, 10 bril-
on the tips Of their boots or shoes as nea
lily % possible. in a line with The, nose
,pt their Ns-a-Vis. The young ladies O
ad col their partners at this sort of foe
Ike play, and some have q peculiar del
lat ness for knocking off dancers hatwi
re the point of a satin shoe as a wind-l
ed to a quadrille. The only pity is, tn
ed there should be 30 little variety in d
he costumes Of thoso who wear disguise
il The police, anxious to protect respe
III table institutions from being turn
$40 intq ridicule, forbid dancers from d
guising themselves as cardinals, monl
nut generals or projects, or from maxi
Ok, up their faces into the resemblance