The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-02-22
MRS, MoHLs WASHINGTON LETTER.


seem W crowd INTO lhlH lhHl Weeh VI lln SCR
son proper to compensate In advance for the
lenten period, A We look over the glddy
throng of maskors or read In next days pm
per the list Of names .and characters, wa ARE
Impressed with tho great want Of originality
of the Average ball goor'
Some ono fond Of statistics ought 10 koepa
record Of tho mask balls Of five years and
give to the world tho result of
hs labom. Possibly one hundred
original characters would reward hsrcsearoh'
one bill IL so like another that tho doscrlp-
ton might BIO slereotyped Did any one
ever SEQ mask ball without Floworglrl, or
Might, or Morning, or Mario Stuart or Sir
Water Raleigh, or Nil Of thoso Such ball
would DO worth going 10, Ike v concert with
out "IIomc, Sweet Home" or "lho Inst
Rose of Summer" for Ia originality,
Some one with plenty OF money and q ino
house, ought tn give u bAl mAsque, with hll
these commonplace people positively OK
excluded, and only characters nd
mttod which had not been represented
moro than one thousand times In the
palmy days Of the Now Orleans Delta
The editorial stall and regular contributors
organized club, which nct once or twice u
week, and had rather novel system ofkoep-
Ing the treasury full, Certain phrases aud
quotations were tAboood and every ono using
thom paid line for each time This was
binding on members and visitors alike,
Captain DaPonto told mo ho knew one man
who had contributed $50 10 tho treasury for
tho use of "Procrusto's bed" alone, NJ one
dollar per uttoranco, AS 1t were md $50
TO speak wero also rich sources Of revenue.
| know Of another club In which misquota-
tons we're fined aud tho club gov
opulent on "that bourne from which
no traveller returns" and realized
handsome annuity onour troubles come not
In single file but in battalIions, while num-
beers woro found who would pursue the
even tenor of their way" to the great increase
of the clubs revenues II misquotaton
passed unconcctcd every member present ut
tho time WINS fined, when II was discovered,
and many u member rsked fine in the hope
of catching all the others.
Appropos Of balls the latest novelty of
that hard-workod and desperately bored class
called SOCIETY" Is "Color balls" No, don't
be shocked, it is not the people, but
apparel which must be "colored.' The
lady who gives tho ball or
party has on her cards of invitation II little
word in red, blue or green, which indicates
the color to be worn by the guests Affecting
gentlemen only rs regards nock-ties, gloves
and boutonicrs. The card is generally the
color Indicated, but sometimes it Is white and
the name of the color, in colors, ON it,
There Is not so much snmoness in these color
parties as one would think, every shade Of
tho color being admissible.
Lent has brought ten parties and luncheon
parties to the fore again, tho former being
"smal and early" say from I TO 10, with nm
old-iashioned "tea" with hot bread and fresh
cakes, tongue, ham sandwiches, broiled
chicken, et'., at 9 o'clock luncheon parties
pertain exclusively to ladies, and are from
to o'clock p. m.
Another whim of the fashionable lady,
whose time hangs so heavily on her hands, is
banjo playing, which is quite the rage among
the young girls.
The Sunday papers of this city, were, this
week, occupied with two of the many origi-
nails of the Capital Madam Maurice and
Uncle s., had Nugent. Madam Maurice
has been the subject Of many
a paragraph. "Roberts' calls
her Miss Elite, very inappropri-
atelv, it seems to me. The resemblance is
confined to the bonnet entirely. Madame
Maurice says she is French; if so, she is the
only person alive of that nation who speaks
German without tinge Of accent and
speaks English with an accent purely Ger
man. Madame Maurice is the eccentric old
party, with marvellous head-gear who keeps
a stand for the sale of various fancy articles
from the President and Mrs, Hayes to bead
satchels and pin cushions in, the little entire
pot between the rotunda and the blouse"
Uncle Shadrac Nugent is negro man who
claims to be rs years old. His hair
once black and kinky "as any nigger's," MS
he says, is now white and perfectly straight.
His being so old is not so remarkable as his
having published book called "Book of
Moons in which his observations of that
much sung satellite, extending (the observa-
TONS not the NOON over II period of ninety
eight years, are recorded. The book is
attracting considerable attention from sci
entists here, and is quite remarkable pro-
ducton.
Acklen, of Louisiana, will have to "step
down and out" suppose. The House could
ignore scandal which involved only personal
morality on Mr.. Acklen's part but when he
came to stealing House committees thun-
der and Interfering with the sacred preroga-
tiyes of Red Tape, shat is something quite
other" as the Germans say.
Ingalls,, on the contrary, is triumphantly
acquitted by the Senate committee, and am
glad of it.
Perhaps it is imagination, but it seems to
me that Gibson and Garfield are already I'M
consciously assuming Senatorial manners,
especially Garfield, who no longer deems
il necessary to rise while ad-
dressing remark to the Speaker. To be
sure, the Speaker refuses to hear remarks thus
spoken, but Mr.. Garfield don't notice the
omission.
am clad Gibson is to be Senator. He
made anohle fight against that oGious ring
in Louisiana, and will be a credit to his State;
and oh, such pleasant change for Kellogg.
General Beauregard was here last week,
looking US handsome and noble as ever.
| hope that the Democratic convention
will meet here. This seems as near neutral
ground MS is possible to get, and would so
like to attend its sessions. | trust our Texas
people W II vote for Washington for my sake.
Judge Regan's bill sis not dead but sleep
eth" in the committee room, where the mon
ster monopoly smothered it. II would have
passed by large majority had it come to the
House. 1t is good bill, bill in the peo-
Piles interest, but it hurts the
big corporations which are ''run-
ming" this government just now, and