Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-04-11
NOVEL SCENES AT A BALL.
Ladies' i'm the Smoking Room
Not Going Home Till Morn

| NOT Going hOiiic LII Nhofh
Ing.
Cor. Of he New York Tribune.
FLORENCE, Italy, March 4.-To the
stranger in Italian society, fashionable
ball in this city OF beauty and art pre-
sents many phases OF social etiquette
at once novel and picturesque. The
invitation consists OF an ordinary card,
with cat Home" written or printed in
one corner, with the hour, probably 8
or 10 O'Clock. On the guests arrival,
even as late as IL o'clock, he is handed
"No. g" for his carriage. Ladies and
gentlemen are alike ushered into great
hall or antechamber, sometimes on the
ground floor, sometimes on the first,
and are waited On by the same attend
ants, and the fleecy delicate wraps OF the
ladies are ranged beside the rougher
garments of the sterner sex. There IS
seldom q mirror before which belle
can pose and exasperate her escort by
OBTAINING him in the drsughts OF the
corridor to take the chance OF catching
a severe cold. Next, ascent is made by
an immensely wide, completed stairway,
bordered on either side by a wall OF
blooming azalea and japonica trees, such
as are only seen elsewhere at the great
balls in Paris, to the drawing-room door,
where the host and hostess are always
in waiting to welcome their guests, who
on being received, pass along 70 explore
the line Of brilliantly lighted salons be-
fore the crowd fills them, or seat them
selves in q feminine row against the wall,
TO observe and criticise the guests as
they arrive. Ices, syrups, cakes and
tea and sandwiches are dispensed from
\ table or buffet in the dinning-room
until supper is served by a throng OF
gayly-liyeried lackeys, and refreshments
are never expected to be furnished be-
yond the dinning-room door. In some
very large houses have found as many
as a dozen small tables provided, besides
one extending the entire length OF the
enormous dining-room, so that at least
a hundred guests were comfortably
seated at time. A bottle Of champagne
is placed at each plate, as was the custom
at the Tuileries at those grand enter
tainments given by Napoleon III. A
smoking room is open the eatire even
ing, and as much frequented by ladies
as gentlemen. When | first saw this it
nearly took my breath away; l don't
mean the smoke, which was dense, how
ever; but | was appalled, at a custom
that has become to familiar in Europe
to create no surprise except among
strangers. One English lady OF high
social rank even brought her cigarette
out into the drawing-room, and pulled
away among the dancers, entirely at
ease and exciting no comment what
ever.
The bellies of Florence have great
beauty and fascination, and certainly
our own countrywomen and many OF
the English are as much admired.
Everybody seems to dress well, but the
display OF family jewels among the
Italian aristocracy is something fabulous.
They are always inherited by the eldest
son, whose vile has particularly good
time displaying them as long as she
lives, and then, alas, they are to illumine
the shoulders of the ever-dreaded daugh-
ter-iu-law. After the supper and dur
ing cotilion refreshments are passed
around and partaken of freely, and at
or later in the morning hot break
fast reireshes the guests, whose carriages
have been ordered at l0,~or in some
cases not until noon. | know an in
stance OF gentleman who left his wife
at | o'clock to dance, went home to.bed,
and came back to breakfast with her al
8 o'clock on hot coffee, chops, green
peas and other delicacies OF the season.
You will hardly realize such a state OF
social excess, but il is OH entirely true
picture, and given me by the lady who
herself gave the entertainment referred
to. The women who give themselves
up to this life Of socalled pleasure night
after night expect to sleep all day until
time to dress and lunch and dine, and
make few late calls Just before
O'Clock dinner, after which they usually
go TO bed again to prepare for another
midnight carousal. A married belle has
usually five admirers who contract to
dance with no ons bat herself, and her
dancing steps are equally circumscribed.
There are enough men, however, whose
feet are free to fly around with the young
maidens or other married ladies who
wish to give or receive only general at