The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-02-07
The Great Balls Of New York.


In the Boston SUNDAY Globe Howard" thus de-
scrbes some of the leading public balls which an
nualy take place In New York City; "The great
balls OF New York, illustrated by course Of years,
are the charity ball, which l5 sO-ca!led society
event; the French, German, and Hebrew masque
balls, some OF which are decent, some quite the re-
Prospect Association; the wine balls; the ordinary
benevolent balls. such as those given by the Elks;
with now and then an individual testimonial, like
that Of Thursday night last given IN honor OF Dxeys
ive-hundredth performance of Adonls Although
the charity ball IN its social aspect Is farce, IL
Clearly affair and one worthy public commentator
and general patronage 1t mas for years been the
end, aim, and ambition Of parvenus to have their
names put upon the list of managers of the charity
as much to do as have with brushing the tall OF the
Siamese white elephant. 1t is the habit OF three or
four bright fellows. who really manage the charity
ball, to put on the list OF alleged managers the name
OF any man or woman who Is presumably good for
the cost OF five Or ten tickets. The consequence is
that brokers and butchers expressmen and bankers,
cooks and clothiers, find themselves in close prox-
unity, so far as the printing OF their names on the
back Of huge ticket IL concerned, and each shares
the general privilege of purchasing five or ten tickets
for the charity ball.
have seen good many OF them, and am free TO
say that they are formal and sunenjoyable as they
are helpful. Any organization that raises fifteen or
twenty thousand dollars for poor deserving nstitu-
tions is entitled 20 all the credit 1t can get. To a
certain class of people the charity ball is the great
event of the year. They skimp, and save, econo-
mize In every line that they may have enough money
with which to hire a box for the evening, buy new
costume for the occasion, and make spread before
the Ftznoodes of the EARTH It is for their delecta
Ep na me is ey ns
they get. TO others respectable masque ball,
such as Is given by the Lederkranz Society, affords
abundant opportunity for active leisure man who
cannot have fun decent clearly fun, In ball given
by the Liederkranz Society ought to so round the
corner, fan right down, and die. The perfunctory
sport, like all prearranged c0micalty, 10 turgid and
Teutonlcally impressive, but the spontaneous hi
larty, the wild abandon of O'Clock In the morning,
by which time everybody is there and feels at home
the jolihcatlon on the floor, Is pardonable. Free
dons In the boxes sly rtations on the staircases and
In the hooks, lead up TO an utterly inexpcable pro-
gramme, while confusion In thesupper-room and the
realistic headache starters in the wne-rO0m-these
are normal grOwths OF contact and opportunity which
are open 10 censure and to criticism, but are never
theless enjoyed at the me and II not carried too far
are productive OF no lasting III, nothing indeed worse
than the inevitable headache and nervous assitude
OF the ensuing twenty-fOnr hours. But there are
other masked balls which are not 60 reputable, not
SO orderly as the ones referred TO.
me balls given by me Arion Society for inc past
son Square Garden deserve severest repr0bation In
fact, they had touched point beyond which 1t was
Judgment, largely due to he scene Of operations
rather than the occasion itself. II is Impossible to
get 1900 or 1000 or 1000 people together In
Ing and smoking are permitted in boxes, and pre-
serve anything like sembance Of good order No
reputable man would care to take ladies' whom he
respected or in whose reputation he had the antest
Interest, to ball OF that character In the Madison
square Garden. vi course II aliies insist upon 60
ing to such places the ordinary man, knowing very
well the oatcome and upshot, will, after customary
protest, yield, looking forward with ldsgused sat-
sfacton TO the poignant regrets the fair ones Will
feel after they have looked upon silly men, cigarette
smoking women, themselves unwilling parIicipators
In orgies which cannot he adequately portrayed in the
columns OF any clean American newspaper.
These masked balls draw scores OF thousands OF
dollars every year from the people of New York. and
hundreds come here TO attend them from Boston,
Washington. Baltimore, and Philadelphia. There is
another type of ball called by the Initiated swine
balls" We had one last week In the Madison Square
Garden. have often wondered why the police per-
II Is customary for dealers In wine to club together,
hire the Madison Square Garden, pile In their wine,
scatter tickets broadcast throughout the country,
charge every man 81 for his hat check and get their
profits from that receipt and the sale OF their wines,
cigars, and liquors. The class of man that goes to
these balls Is very much like the who go 20 other
balls, but the women are grade lower moi only hui
In some instances as low us they can get and still
wear the outer garb and guse of apparent decency.