The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-13
THE DIXEY BALL.
Recent Great Event at New YOrk--What
It Was, and What It Cost.

1t Was, and What 1t Cost.
Letter in Louisville Commercial.
The Dixey ball. besides being monstrous adj
vertisement was money making scheme of the
worst kind Tickets admitting one gentleman
and two ladies were sold at So, but as is always
the case with public balls, there was large
stock floating around gratis. Tickets were also
sold in the street at considerably less than So: in
fact at any price the buyer liked to suggest. All
this was we'll and good The Dixey ball in this
respect could not differ from other gatherings of
a similar nature. But here was the evil Every
ticker-holder, whether he had purchased his
ticket or received it in a complimentary manner,
was confronted with the sign. Hat
check 81" Now, if there is anything on
this earth that man hates it is to be
deceived In this petty, unjust manner. Let Mr..
Rice charge him So for his ticket by all means,
but. in the name of everything straightforward
don't let him extort ST. in such an unseemly man
ner. Without hat check no one was allowed
to enter. No matter if he had brought his two
ladies, in evening dresses and deliberately dis
posed to amuse themselves, he could not enter
without the hat check The Indignation felt at
Mr. Rces methods was very great / saw one
gentleman and two ladies return to their car
riage rather than pay the unexpected dollar.
You see 1t was not the amount that frightened
them, but the principle involved in its demand.
No one would have objected to pay dollar ex-
ira for his ticket, but to be told at the doors
that the ticket was null and void without
hat-check was an outrage.
The dancing did not commence until after
midnight The gathering was of the character
which might have been expected. There was
large assemblage of actors and actresses, and
there were also many there whom it would have
been better. inasmuch as the ball was supposed
to be a society affair, to have dispensed with.
The costumes were not elaborate. In many
cases there was very little costume The ladies
wore their dresses nexpressibly decollete that
it was evident they considered them as nonsens-
ical formalities. This condition of things, how
ever, is not peculiar to actors and actresses. So
ciety people in New York indulge in similar ex-
travagant indecencies.
The dancing. however, was strictly what it
ought to be- There We're far more men than
women. and they congregated in corner of the
room, from which they did not bulge during
the evening Hardly more than fifty couples
took part IL the dancing. Actors, as a rule, are
not fond OF the amusements of polite society. In
full dress the majority of them feel i'll at ease
| OF course am not referring to high-class act
ors, who are often gentlemen of the most ap
proved stamp. But l repeat that the greater
part of the profession are much more at home
at bar than In ball room. The airy nothing
ness of ballroom conversations is something
| they do not understand. Their talk savors al
most entirely of ''shop," and this they can rarely
| be induced to sink I accounted for the enor-
nous congregation at the rear end of the Metro
| poiitan Opera house last night by this circum-
stance. Ny acquaintance with actors has been
long one. and know what am talking about.