Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-06-21
A New York Public Hall.

IL is ten O'CLOCK, ana we are IN the pr1ncpat
restaurant OF the New World. 1t is a French
c.fe, with innumerable little marble topped
tables, and innumerable attendant or eXpec-
tant walters scattered anon. among them. IL
best French restaurant In the world. On the
table In front OF US lie the evening paper sw1th
the latest news from Washington, side by side
with Figaro, the journal pour Rire and journal
Amusant. How deceptive are appearances!
Are we to infer from this that the people at the
tables are half French, or shall we make no To-
ference from it whatever? The latter is much
the safer OF the two courses to pursue, and with
out haZarding any speculation on the subject
leave the cafe, and find ourselves in stream
Of people going in the direction of the garden 10
which the ball is going on. The garden, SO
called, is a buildingof uncertain architectural
character, extending round four sides of a New
York "block," covering perhaps two acres OF
ground. 1t was formerly railroad depot; 1t is
which to be given on large scale, from Moody
and Sankey revival or an Arion bah to dog
show. Present ing its tickets at the main en-
trance, the crowd surges into narrow asSage-
way on one side, where are at intervals square
holes in partitions, through which are visible
the faces Of the receivers Of coats and hats.
Every thing is very orderly. There Is no use In
attempting to hurry people. You must take your
place in long queue, and wait TIL you reach n
your turn the square hole. You may then 1t
your coat and hat through it, ana you will re-
ceive In re, urn ticket with number. AS ire
ball will last until six O'Clock, and ten or twenty
thousand people are coming to it, all these de-
tails are Of Importance.
Theoretically, no one is allowed upon the
floor without mask, but this rule is not very
strictly enforced. We may venture upon it
without much danger Of being severely dealt
with, and we are now in O position to observe
the crowd. Most Of the people are in costumes:
the women generally merely in dominOes and
Masks the men generally in character cos
tunes, some with genuine MASKS All our old
friends, harlequin, clown, pantaloon, Mephs-
tOpheles, monk, and so on, are here. Alto
gether, with the colored dom1noes and cos
ID q
scene. 1t is necessary, however, to make one
observation: that the masks do not, In any
proper sense OF the word. masquerade. To
masquerade, as we have always understood Is
not simply TO dress III an assumed character,
but to act the character. This no one seems 10
do: perhaps because they do not know how;
life has eXtinguiShed in us those primitive In
stincts Of mimlcry which Southern nations still
possess. Perhaps-but here we are again
launched On the sea Of speculation.
The instinct of dancing, at any rate has not
died out. The masks evidently mean to make a
night OF 1t In this way, If In no other. First
round dance, and then square dance, through
the night long-that is what you may count
upon il you stay till six. II You are interested
in the art OF dancing, and viii watch the dan-
GERS, you will see many curious things, and be
able TO make many instructive differences from
what you see. In the first place, as you are OF
course yourself, amiable reader, accustomed to
Rno 13y 10 ene fhere s you % want to
all these women, brought together from every
class and rank OF life for a single nights plea
sure, how will you tell a lady If you see her?
There are certain tests which may be applied
even at q masked ball, though they are far from
1nfallible.. To tell what woman viii and Will
not do when unmaSked is hard enough. TO
guess what she will do If masked is impossible
Still, there are tests. In the first place. ladies
do not, as general thing, go to masked balls in
the United States, and it Is fair to assume that
they will not go in costume likely to attract
notice. Every woman imaglneS (What innocent
creatures they areD that masked ball is the
most interesting and romantic place in
the world; but ladies, as a rule, do not
like to have it known that they have been
there. Hence you may almost certainly
exclude, as not belonging to your monde, all
these pretty masks with gay sashes and striped
stockings. Such mask may be a milliner, or
washer woman, or your Wife'S maid, but not
lady. Neither are any Of your acquaint-
ances probably among these mysterious DOM
1noes with vo!uminous lace curiously twisted
about their heads, through which their eyes
are seen, but which completely hides the whole
outline OF their faces. No; IL you wish to find
the women of the society which you know you
must avoid all these, and look among those
perfectly black and unattractive dominOes who
manage to conceal even the outline Of their
figures. These, If they do not dance, may be
set down as ladies. IL may be as we'll to know
this at the outset, for Ii you have come for
not as entertaining as the women with the
dom1noes OF the other sort. Again, If you will
watch the dancing, you viii see that the DOM
lnces who dance square" dances are turned
oy their partners In very original manner;
the turn taking the form OF a waltz interlude
In the middle OF lancers or a quadrille. Did
you ever see key BullstOck dance In that way
with Miss McGillicuddy, that was? No, not
once; and you might wait years, and you would
never see It done In New York, except at pub
lie ball. The woman thus turned may be the
most eStimable woman In the world but she
has no standing in society.-GJuly atlantic.