The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-26
The Complete List Found to Consist of Less
than Five Hundred People. as Shown by
the Records of the Patriarchs' Ball.
Scenes and Incidents at a Ball that Was
Less Select but More Exciting.
Outfit for Religious Service-Clara Devel-
ops New and Very Interesting Science.
CLARA BELLE.

Was Not SeIect-The Science of Backtstry.
Special to the INDIANAPOLIS journal.
NEW YORK, Dec. 25--There are four hundred
and sixty-seven persons out of New York's mill
ion who are 'in society" You are incredulous2
Well, let US figure up. To begin with, we must
admit, for arguments sake. if not for a fact,
that the Astor stratum is atop in the social
geology. Now then. the partriarchs' ball was
danced this week. The utmost precaution had
been taken to keep it exclusive Criticism was
made last season that several of these extra SEN
sitiye occasions were demoralized by the pres
ence of a few unaccustomed and unqualified
guests. This time the lines were drawn with
rightly The ball was given by fifty patriarchs.
all within the vail beyond peradventure. Even
80 firmly established swell as Cornelius Van
derbilt was new to this sacred half hundred, he
having been elected this year. Each paid $3.50
to cover the expenses and received an invitation
for his immediate family, besides others for five
persons whom he might choose as suitable. This
method was calculated to secure exactitude in
admitting only individuals sin society" The
number was four hundred and sixty seven, by
careful accounting, and of them all except forty
two were there.
The Duke of Sutherland was left out. Not by
accident, but Intentionally. 1t was we'll enough
known that he had arrived from England sew
eral days before. Every other titled English
man in town was present, and Lord Fred. Ham
ilton was particularly lonized but no one of the
fifty patriarchs asked Sutherland to come
The reason was that he had berated and
derided New York society. When here last
spring he went to wedding breakfast wearing
big-checked business suit SUCH as professional
sport might nave taken pride in at horse race,
and, when his strange defiance of usage was COM
mented on, he replied that anything was good
enough for New York. The acutest of Anglo
mania couldn't stand such an insult, and so the
Duke got no invitation-possbly for fear that he
might appear In a cowboy costume.
Several of the incest of swell parties from the
Avenue went to another ball as an exploit
They bought private boxes for the ball at Kos
ter g. Balls notorious garden, and looked on the
doings safely from behind screening curtains.
a few stood concealed bya rampant of ported
trees and vines, some Of them in full bloom, and
peered out from the foliage at the scene. They
could hardly distinguish the occasion from a
fashionable one in high lfe-before O'clock
The dresses were la mode; many were wholly
| In excellent taste and beautiful to look upon
At least half the men were In full dress. The
ventu-esome bellies could not see the wine bot
ties In the other boxes, nor tbs beaded glasses
at the tables In the further end of the hall nor
the blue smoke from cigars and cigarettes that
was beginning to rise in every direction.
noticeable percentage of the men present had
come to see the sights and were in a state of
profound disgust They had paid So,
and then been refused entrance to
the hall unless they got their hats checked. for
which they had to yield up fifty cents additional,
and then to hnd wine the only drinkable to be
obtained, and that at mountainous price ad-
mission to the gallery and other places where a
view of the floor could be had refused with out a
still further surrender of shekels, and nothing
but church fair sobriety to see even at the best
1t was disappointin But thore was one per-
son, at least, to whom even this stage of the per-
Torrance was Interesting. She was dressed in
white, wore a long train. had bare arms and
neck and watched the affair with the keen at
tention of a novice The men were polite to her
and to every body else; her escort was gallantand
introduced his friends by what seemed at least
to be their real names After such an introduc-
ton, when the gentlemanly dude had withdrawn,
she cast a sweeping glance about the room. saw
the walters proceeding to the waxed floor, the
old men bowling graciously over their fair COM
panions, an air of wealth characterizing the pro-
ceedings. and turning to her escort said, half
earnestly, half loosely, as if to guard against
ridiculous slip: "And is this the way they do in
society,"
AS the spirit of wine began to get the upper
hand of the jewellers the scenes in the boxes
ranged around the gallery became more and
more hilarious. The first intimaton that the
bounds Of decorum were passed was series of
falsetto and soprano yells that sounded like the
emotional cries OF the untutored red man when
he Is either In anger or rejoicing. The sounds
came from box at the further end of the bal
cony, were caught up by the occupants of the
and uonf6 NJ "a
until the whole row of boxes was alive with
shrieks. Curious spectators edged out to see
what it meant. Looking into box near the end
of the balcony opposite where the sounds first
were herd they saw the gravefaces and befeath
cred heads of two stalwart braves peerng
over the rail- and back of them smiling
in vast amusement Mr.. VIM. f. Cody ('Buffalo
Bill), his long black hair in elegant order, and
his wild Western form clad in the regulation full
dress of civilization on the broad white exparse
of which sparkled a diamond The savages
were making no noise; they were awful in their
dignity, but, later, when the dancing grew fan
tastic they could not repress interested smiles.
The war -whoops were furnished solely by the
dudes. Presently swallow tailed representa-
tive of one OF the boxes came over to Cody and
invited him and the Indians to join his party in
bottle. The invitation was accepted and the
savages were escorted to the box They did not
fit we'll into the surroundings their dignity was
oppressive, their demeanor too solemn. There
was plan laid to get them to the floor and have
them join the dancing, but it failed and coon
nothing but the whoops Of the civilized remained
to remind one that the red men had been there.
A list of the swell matrons and maidens who
went to this ball for lark and remained care
fully undisclosed to the general assemblage would
read astonishinely to those who do not know
the daring that society sometimes INDUCES in.
But even these venturers felt called upon to re-
treat rather early in the fun. One of the chief
amusements of the latter end of the evening
was the demolition of tall silk hats The young
ladies led in this exciting sport their part of the
give his topper such a rap that it would go
rolling over the floor under the feet of the
dancers there to be kicked and tossed about joy
ously unti the owner could rescue it, In some
cases the owners objected to the ruin of their
hats, but no row occurred over the matter as