Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-01-07
OLD CHRISTMAS.
The Twelfth-Night Ball of the Tennessee
Club at the Peabody Hotel
Last Night.
Ceremonies of the Bears Head and the
Bean and Pea in Masks and
Costumes.

Poetry and romance have done much to
render the old time celebration OF Christmas
peculiarly interesting to the man OF senti-
ment who lives in the busy atmosphere OF
to-day. Occasionally those who are alive to
the gentle influences of the day may steal
away from the hustle, the alert JrusqueTie OF
the times, and give themselves up to the
pleasing phantoms of long ago. And it is
well worth mans time to dwell Tor time
in the past, that comes down to him hal
lowed by kindly associations and spiritual
lied by the fancies which help take the
darkness from life. 1t was with sympa-
thetic appreciation of the
oLDEN-TIME CHRISTMAS
that the Tennessee Club resolved this year to
give fitting celebration of the Twelfth
Night. In the good old times people made
more of Christmas than We do to-day. They
entered into its Observance with a zest of
which we are incapable. What to them was
an occasion of bounding merriment, is to US
merely the effervescence of holiday. How
the hearty old celebrations contrast with the
cold and impious ones nowi They would
gather in the large hall to await the coming
OF the Yule log with all its sacred rites.
They would see it placed upon the fire,
licked up by the flames until imprisoned in
them and changed into n thing of fiery,
poetic splendor. The lads and maids danced
IN
THE RUDDY FIRELIGHT
and made the house glad with their laughter,
and then what pictures come to US of the
mistletoe bough and the piquant kiss stolen
beneath 1t, and the pleased indignation ex-
pressed thereat from starry eyes and fragrant
lips. The sacred significance of the day was
not lost then, and the memories of those en-
chanting events never ceased to be. How is
ii with us? Very few Of us pause to think
and take in good breath of genuine Christ
mas air. Some OF us make unkind illusions
to it as depicting the purse. Most of us
simply do nothing on that day, consecrating
our time to idleness, and not few persons
celebrate the birth of the Savior with sky
rockets, shooting crackers and internal noise
producing fireworks. Just think of welcom-
ing Jesus Christ in this way, as compared
with the poetry, the tender reverence of
ruder ages which greeted and made holy the
Christmas time.
THE BALL ROOM.
The Tennessee Club resolved this year
upon a revival OF the legends, and for some
time the members have been preparing for
the event, and the celebration of Old Christ
Hotel. Mr.. Galloway conducted the arrange
ments himself. The dining-room having
been cleared OF tables, was very handsomely
ornamented. Flowers and rare plants were
grouped in various parts of the room; and
vines were hung from the chandeliers. The
smooth floor OF the room was admirably
suited for the dancing. The guests of the
evening appeared in costumes of the time
of Louis XIV, all conforming with the desire
of the clubs committee that it should be so.
The guests had nearly all arrived by 10
o'clock, and
THE SCENE
presented was unique and not to be forgotten.
The lords and ladies, the queens and peas
ants OF another epoch were projected upon
the canvas of to-day; or rather it was
scene snatched from that old life with all its
courtly splendor, lis gallantry and its pic
turesqueness. The willy Cardinal Richelieu
was talking about the weather with an Ital-
ian peasant; Peter the Great in all his kingly
dignity was saying sweet nothings to queen
long since dead and buried; a court Jester,
who had apparently just come over the gar
den wall, was CHATTING softly with superb
duchess; Paul, of the well-known firm of
Paul and Virginia, was lamenting his cruel
fate to solemn-visaged monk, who forgot
his sacred calling for a moment and was
heard to say that he knew Ed Shaw would
kill the peoples Ticket" George III of
England was consulting with some
foreigner as 10 the extension
of railway lines in his dominions. David
Garrick was discussing law point with
Louis XIV, and court gentleman was busily
advocating the feasibility of a railroad line
in Colorado with the philosopher Voltaire.
The poetic intergleam of color, the rythmic
charm of the dance, the excellence of the
music, the sprightly talk, all conduced to
most delightful evenings entertainment.
SPECIAL CEREMONIES.
The special features of the evening were
the ceremonies of the Bears Head and
the "Bean and Pea" These are two very
old observances that used to afford infinite
delight to our ancestors, and which, when
revived last night, were enjoyed by all. The
part first of the evenings pleasure was given
up to the "Boar's Head" ceremony, in mask
and domino, under the direction of the Lord
of Misrule, accompanied by his court. The
was the order of procession through
the grand ballroom and halls:
l. Heralds;
q Minstrels.
s. Attendants of the Lord of Misrule
A. Butler and Staff bearing the Bears Head"
s. The Wine-Taster bearing the Wassail Bowl,
G. Pages and Train Bearers Cboys and girls), and
Ballet Dancers of the Court.
7. The Lord of Misrule with his Aids and At
s. His assembled Court and Guests.
THE wAssAIL TOAST.
When the march had been concluded, the
vassals grouped around the Lord of Misrule,
the boar's head was deposited in the banquet
hall to the accompaniment of music and
fourishes of trumpets. The health of the
Lord was then drunk by his liege subjects.
The wassail toast being completed, the Lord
of Misrule, assisted by all the subjects, gave
the command to begin the dancing The first
thing in order was a fine old country dance,
which the merry people entered into with
zest A waltz followed and the time for I'M
masking arrived. All then laid aside their
masks and dominos for the balance of the
evening.
BEAN AND PEA.
The second part of the programme con-
sisted of the ceremony of "Bean and Pea"
in costumes of the eighteenth century. This
is one of the prettiest and most graceful of
antique customs, and it was in all it's details,
last night perfect success. The first thing
was the procession, headed by the Grand
ChamberlaiH, in the following order:
2 Groups of Pages of the Court.
g. The Twelfth-Night cake, borne by three
princely Knights. in which lie imbedded the bean
and pea that shall determine who is to be KING and
A. Groups OF Train Bearers Qittle girls) to the
5. The Grand Chamberlain with his court and
guests in grand costumes.
According to the programme, immedi-
ately after this march, under direction of the
Grand Chamberlain, the Twelfth-Night cake
was deposited on the royal dais In presence
of all assembled, and by the Grand Cham
berlain, assisted by his Knights, it was cut
into pieces for distribution among thsladies,
Knights and gentlefolk present. The gentle
man to whose lot the piece of cake fell in
which lay the bean was declared King, and
the lady who secured the piece containing
the pea was chosen Queen of the evening.
The royal pair were then escorted to the
dais crowned and installed. The ceremony
completed, the King and Queen at the head,
the procession moved through the grand halls
to the wassail-room, were libations were
drunk to the long life of the august sover-
eigns. From thence the procession marched
to the grand ballroom, where before the
throne of their majesties the train-bearers
and ballet-dancers of the court executed the
beautiful
MIsTLEToE DANCE.
This was the prettiest episode of the even
ing in all probability, and when it was fin
ished the regular dances were begun, COM
mencing with the minuet.
Quite number of the prominent people
of the city were present at the ball, among
whom was Mr.. d. p MADDEN, the next presi-
dent of the Taxing District, who was con-
graduated on all sides by the guests present.
The ladies were beautifully dressed. Their
costumes were very costly and were decided
IL