River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-09-30
THE BACHELORS BALL.
a Very Successful Entertainment ia
London Eighty four Hosts and Il
Thousand Guests

I
The eighty-four gentlemen who styled
themselves the bachelors of London
society deserve the congratulations, as
well as the thanks, of the fashionable
world on the complete success of their
first effort at hospitality. The ball
given by them on Thursday last was a
triumph of organization and well man
aged cooperation. Seven men we q
selected by general consent out of the
eighty-four to sit in judgemet on the
invitation-list, and another committee
undertook entirely the management
l. e., the commisariat, lighting music,
etc. This was no small matter; for as
1,5OO people were invited, and nomi-
nally accepted it was thought the gen
eral rule of the two-thirds only OF the
whole turning up would be a safe
guard As it proved, 100 hungry
mouths had actually to be fed. A
thousand quails were ordered, but as
these were served hot and hot, it was
impossible for every person to
have one, and Some greedy
people clamored for half a
dozen each The champagne was
A l, and selected with the greatest
care Each member of the committee
of management brought bottle for
selection, which resulted in the choice
of two sorts equally good. The CON
tracts were SO carefully taken, and
every item SO well calculated, that the
e25 subscribed by each bachelor has
not been exceeded, and is compare
lively triiling cost many young men
who have been feated and entertained
through the London season have been
able TO make a graceful return to their
entertainers. People given to hospital
ity know too well that the cost of one
OF two dinner parties in London to the
inyividual entertainers amounts to
more than that sum. In fact the re-
suit of this new movement in society is
so satisfactory that it is almost decided
that bachelors ball shall be given every
year, and garden party at kensington
House. The coup d'Uil of the illuminat-
ed gardens were very fine, and forcibly
reminded me of the old French en-
cravings which depict the brilliant fetes
that used to be given at Versailles in
the good old days of the Kings of
France. The private Withdrawing
room Of the Princess of Wales was II
dream ofJapanese beauty, a storehouse
of Oriental treasure accumulated by
Mr. j. Saumersez, one of the hospita-
bic bachelors.
Among other challenges sent to the
members of the Committee of Manage
ment of the Bachelors Ball one was
received by Mr. Augustus Lamby from
a lady of rank, demanding an explana-
fore she had not been sent an in
vitation, accompanied by an order
to the bearer Of the note not to return
without an answer. e the eXplana-
ton and apology
Lost, at the bachelors ball. bouquet
two feet in diameter. When last seen
it formed the chief article of costume
worn by a pretty blonde.
One stringent rule in these bachelors
balls is. that any young man who has
been honored with an invitation to join
the list of subscribers, and refuses, re-
ceives no invitation, nor any member
of his family. At the outset of the ar
rangements for this ball on Thursday,
the eldest son of a Scotch Earl, pos
sessed of vast estates and very large for
tune, and who is not only invited, but
accepts invitations, to every good ball
and dinner in London, besides no end
of country-house inequalities, was ask
ed, as Il matter of course, to join the
list of bachelors who desired to make
a return for inequalities received, and
declined; his answer being rather naive,
but truly Scotch. "Eh, why should |
pay f25 to go to ball TO which | am
certain to receive an invitation" Need
less to say, this young gentleman got
no invitation, and for the first time i'll
his life found himself not only left out
in the cold but considerably fouted by
his friends, who, one and all, unmerci-
fully chahed him, and made his life
burden to him by the number of letters
they sent by post, begging him to pro
cure invitations for themselves and
friends, being the last new member on
the list. Fortunately for him the Lon
don season is at an end; and at HON
burg, where he proposes fleeing
for refuge, he is certain to be well
coined with open arms as Il MILFORD,
and no claims made on his well-closed
nurse