The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-04-30
Tho Power of Money Displayed in
the Profuse Decorations.
Artists Transform the Metropolitan
Opera House Into Fairyland.
Blooming and Budding Trees, and
Flowers of Every Description.
The Sedate and Stately Dance Begun TO
the Stirring Strains of "rhe Star
Spangled Banner"-Attract-
i've Figures on tho Floor.


many of those who are thronging New
York in these days OF celebration, the
greatest feature OF all is the grand centen-
nial ball which took place at the Metro
poltal 0pera-house tonight All that
money could do to carry out the mmeuse
scheme that was TO give night OF pleas
ure to 5000 people was done, aud the 70.
suit attained was satisfactory. There was
certainly little TO he wished for In point OF
attendance, unless, indeed, ono might
have wished from selfish motives that half
the people had stayed at home, and yet il
was a night OF exemplifcation Of the old
adage, the more the merrier.
The carriages began 20 roll up 10 the
Broadway entrance soon after clock,
though the ball was put down on the pro-
gram for o'clock, and by 930 thcro were
quite enough people in the corridors OF the
great building to have put many pro-
tentious ball TO the blush. And what
beautiful tableaux surrounded them on
every hand. You entered from Broadway
into the very midst OF what seemed 10 be-
an old-iashioned garden. The outer walls
OF the auditorium and the sides OF the
double staircases formed three sides OF the
garden, aud trelised vines and Towering
shrubs added TO the moral effect, while
real fruit trees. set about In artistic nban-
don, challenged one TO dispute the fact
that one had just come Ia from ont of
doors. There were apple trees In blossom
and pear trees In bud peach trees
With strong sugg,gtiyeness of
lruiliuness, aud cherry trees with
every evidence OF realty except the
haichct sliking in the base. Tno mural
decorations included quinres aud prunes
and grapes even. while hlacs and smilax
climbed the balustrade aud made up a
panorama oi floral yerdup, wherever YOU
might choOs, TO meet In fa,e corners of
the corridors stood still rarcr plants, and
on each stair landing wasa miniature grove
OF beauty. Around on Twenty-Ninth
street side, where Is the carriage entrance
opera nights, there was last night another
garden, but more artificial In appearance,
than that ut the broadway sairanco. II
could not be said that IL VS. gcometrically
laid out, for II was ntt 80. There
was at least score OF beds ol
Towering plants, but no two were
the same shapc. Here was rect.
angle, there a diamond; here crescent;
here an oval, there triangle, here a cir.
Gle and there some more complex design.
One bed was all yiolcts, another gcfani-
ums, another was a complete bed OF dni-
sie., and still another was full OF tulips,
whilc all around the edge was border oi
dwarf shrubs aud daisies, and between the
figures was room for couples TO walk in
comfortable admiration. Tho immediate
entrances TO the great dancing lo1r were
kept clear for obvious reasons, but at
which sight met tho eye when once
within. There is no worl that better de-
scribes the iint sensation one experienced
Oh entering the vast auditorium tonight
than To say that u was dazzling.
Luckily for Americans the national
colors blend we'll Even black aud gold
are more harsh TO the eye Than red, white
and blue. The colofs were still more
sOilcned 10y the fact that II was not all
bunting that met The gaze. The folds Of
silk and velvet and plush arc more tolcr-
able. From the center Of the dome long
streamcrs radiatod 10 the side walls, aud
all around the tiers Of boxes, aud the bal.
comics ~ well, there was wealth Of deco
ration such ~ had never before been at.
tempted in New York. Little knots 0i colors
aud picturesque with trimmings OF red,
white and blue, were 30 arranged that the
advent Of pretty costumes themselves ben
Gifted thereby. The fronts Of tho lower
tier OF boxes were dfaped with red plush
~ n background TO the costumes Of those
dancing and were ies,ooncd with we ,ihs
aud flowers, while great piles OF flowers on
the front rails Of most OF the boxes gave
color Ia tho rumor that MI the flowers In
New York had been bought up for tsc
evening Tho decorations had exhausted
the carloads Of eyergreens, 1000 specimens
Of ferns. 5000 palms, 400 plnaics aud
about 10000 tulips.
Ono had only TO turn from tho contcm.
plaiion Of the tiers of boxes aud look
toward the stage and OF the vast dancing
| floor to sec where several carloads 0l plants
aud flowers had been bestowed There on
the stage. Just before the curtain, r0so a
most majestic floral pile, not only was this
q huge architectural mars oi flowers aud
| plants. but their disposition was w artistic
~ 10 demand admiratlonai Ut iin,l sight. that
grew ~ II WIS studied mofo closely. This
structure arose apparently TO hall the
hight Of the prosccnium arch. Tie base
occupied several yards Of the dancing
floor, but tho loss Of space was
aloncd for In tho gain TO the spccta'
tacle. II arose IN several ter
races Of different colorcd flowers. firsi
a terrace OF red azalcas, then q terrace OF
white ones, then blue hydnngeas then
n repetition oi the thrcc oolor, culininat-
ing In beautiful apex oi dropping plants.
On each side OF this Immense pyramid
stood gigantic palm tree, each dong sian
duty 10 q beautiful silk ilag, while back ol
II all was perfect grove Of pines, ccdar'
aud other cvcrgrcens. NOT did the ariihcc
Of the designer Of these pictures stop here.
Poised over this floral mound were q iiock
OF snow white pigeons, W suspended
as 10 admit OF tho inference thai
they had Just left the shade oi HAT iofcsl
OF green. The leader OF the birds held ~
It's noutlia wrcah Of nJwcn, trimmed
With Sircamcrs, and disposition IN relation
to the Presidents box WAS such that one
could easily Imagine that the wrcath wa
destined 10 find place on lhe bead oi hh
Exccllcnry. The Presidrulal box wa
The center Quo Of double tier erected ~
the back Of the stage. The lfont wa
almost covered with palms with lhrs'
American caglc iE the rruiyI suinrhn,r,
NY the wOrlE "WnshiustUn ltNi ihsD,
Ia eolorcd electric lights. lbg"hoic ifoh