Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-02-15
THE USE OF FANCY BALLS.
They Enable Men to Put on Flnery and
Make a Show Of Themselves.

Saturday Review
Fancy balls are institutions which
probably owe their existence to the
vanity of men and to the hideousness
of mems modern dress. Mr.. Darwin
and others have proved that among
the less highly developed animals the
male is the more conceited and has
the gaudier coat. Even among those
inhabitants of sunny islands, who have
not yet see the need Of clothing, the
men T much more conscientiously
and deliberately tattooed than the
women, who have only a few decora-
tive cuts about the corners of their
mouths. The civilization ofthe nine
teenth century has changed this, and
the dress of man, especially the dress
which he wears in the evening. causes
him poignant but secret sorrow. He
makes many feeble efforts to console
himself, and in the gaudy cricketing
and boating costumes of the clerk. the
Undergraduate and the subaltern. the
natural vanity and the crude barbaric
taste of man may easily be recognized
by the philosopher. 1t is a pleasant
thing to go to the Little Bridge run
ming grounds when the young gentle
men of some one of the monstrous
shops are holding their yearly athletic
contest. They CLEAN in bright blue.
they flash past you on the rapid bicycle.
in purple and green, before the yes
of their lady friends and of reporters.
In the country, too, men can venture
TO be themselves. In Lothian" Lord
Beaconsfeld describes with sympathy
and admiration the costumes of noble
guests. They array themselves in
VELVET KNICKERBOCKERs,
with purple stocking and scarlet neck
ties, fastened with rings of gold. Every
one remembers the Persian apparatus.
the Oriental m~agnifcence oft6e dress
ing-gowns and smoking-coats worn by
Guy Livingston's men. They were
alone by themselves in the smoking
room for in the innocent old DAYS.
when Lawrence was thought a daring
writer, ladies had not invaded that
secret place. Alone they were. vet
they peacocked it and Haunted for
their common delight in garments so
fanciful and gay that it is a pleasure to
read about them. A man thinks of
them with inward pleasure on a fogpy
day, when he is dressed in drab and
black, as he thinks of some hours of
sunshine, the gift of a departed sum
mer. What men would like is mani
fest enough. They would like to vie
with
WOMEN IN C0LORs AND sTUFFs.
in velvet and silk and cloth of gold
We fatter ourselves we could know
what are the best sorts Of lace if we
gave our minds to it, and that the
taste of men in this matter is not dead.
but dormant. Oliver Goldsmith and
La Fontaine, the most careless and
not the cleanest of m%ortals. ruined
themselves for peach-colored coats
and for Venice point. The loveliest
dirty ruties fell over those inky fingers
OF La Fontaine, and his dubious shirt
had the most exquisite collar, which
Duchesses envied. Men are not de-
generate they are as vain as ever. as
anxious to display their charms in
what they think a proper setting. 1t
is the way Of the world and a com
mercial civilization that is against
them. Lace rufles would interfere
with business the mud and dust. and
SCOT and smoke Of London would ruin
the velvets and satins and the en-
broideries of silver. Men are com
PEELED to wear the cloth Of frieze
instead of the cloth Of gold, but thew
do not relish the necessity.
HENCE COME FANCY BALLS.
which are more luxurious to women
who, in a harlequin age Of limitations.
can wear almost any dress they please
II a lady likes, she may buy three
stout pieces of merino, whirl herself
them, and appear in the costume
Of one Of those maidens of Tanagara
in B@otia, whose terra-cotta efigies
are 70 beautiful and so expensive.
The experiment perhaps has its risks.
and nothing can exceed the anxiety of
the spectators, who cannot imagine
how the T%anagara dress is held to-
gether. The Dictionary of Classical
Antiquities" gives the vaguest direc-
tons but the feminine ingenuity can
triumph over learned v~agneness. A
lady may dress in what she believes to.
be the manner Of Watteau's models.
or like A princess in a fairy t,la az