The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-05-12
Fashionable l. fe IL Florence.

Fashionable l. fe III Florence.
TO the stranger in Italian society, =
fashionable ball in this city of beauty
and art presents nany phases of social
etiquette ut once novel and picturesque.
The invitation consists of an ordinary
card, with ''At 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. 2" for his carriage. Ladies and
gentleman are alike ushered into great
hall or ante-chamber, sometimes on the
ground floor, sometimes on the first,
and are waited on by the same atten-
dants, and the fieecv delicate wraps of
the ladies are ranged beside the rougher
garments of the sterrer sex. There is
seldom mirror before which o belle
can pose and exasperate her escort by
OBTAINING him in the draughts of the cor
ridor to take the chances of catching q
cold. Next, ascent is made by an i'm
mensely wide, carpeted stairway, bor-
dered on either side by wall of bloom
ing 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, passed along to
explore the line of brilliantly-lghted sa-
looms before the crowd fills them, or seat
themsels in feminine row against the
wall, to observe and critisize the guests
as they arrive. Ices, syrups. cakes, and
tea and sandwiches are dispensed from a
table or buffet in the dining-room until
supper is served by throng of gayly-
liveried lackeys, and refreshments are
never expected to be served beyond the
dining room door. In some very large
houses I have found as high as dozen
small tables provided, besides one ex-
tending the entire length of the enor-
nous dining room, so that at least a hun
dred guests were comfortably seated at
one time A bottle Of champagne is
placed Mt each plate, as was the custom
at the Tuileries, at those grand enter
tainments given by Napoleon Ill. A
smoking-room is open the entire evening,
and as much frequented by ladies as
gentlemen. When 1 first saw this it
nearly took my breath away; l don't
mean the smoke, which was dense, how
ever; but was appalled, at custom that
has become too familiar in Europe to
create 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 whatever.
The bellies of Florence have great
beauty and fascination, and certainly
our own country women and many of the
English are as much admired. Every
body seems to dress we'll, but the dis
play of family jewels among the italian
aristocracy is something fabulous. They
are always inherited by the eldest son.
whose wife has particularly good time
displaying them as long as she lives.
After the supper and during cotillon re-
freshments are passed around and par
taken of freely, and at or later in the
morning hot breakfast refreshes the
guests. whose carriages have been or
dered at 10, or in some cases not until
noon. | know an instance of gentle
man who left his wife at l o'clock to
dance, went home to bed, and came back
to breakfast with her at o'clock on
hot coffee, chops, green peas and
other delicacies of the season. You
will hardly realize such Q
state of social excess, but it is an en-
tirely true picture, and given me by the
lady who herself gave the entertainment.
The women who give themselves up TO
this life of so-called pleasure night after
night expect to sleep all day until time
to dress and lu1ch and dine, and make q
few late calls just before al o'clock din
ner, after which they usually go to bed
to prepare for another midnight carou-
sal. A married lady has five admirers
who contract to dance with no one but
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 attention. Florence Corr. of
the New York Tribune
| In Mr.. Gladstone's household at Hay
warden was an old woman servant who
had a son inclined to go wrong. The
l u h..