Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-30
STATE BALL In ENGLAND.
THE ROYAL ENTERTAINMENTS AT
BUCKINGHAM PALACE.

Livery Description OF the Ceremonies
Which Are Necessary Before Princes and
Princesses Can Have "a Good Time-OnIy
the Very Elect Are Present
Invitations To state functions are eagerly
coveted and are distributed with eccentricity.
Foreign ambassadors and representatives are
hidden TO all state festivities VIZ, to two
pals and two concerts every season. These
..vitation include the ministers in Office
with their wives and daughters, and the
higher nobility Then there are less exalted
hignitaries who are invited to one ball and
one concert only, and smaller personages still
who are only hidden to one ball or even to
only one ball in every two seasons. The
humblest IF these, however, must be COM
paratively high on the social ladder. To be
OF old family, land owner, wealthy, Of ir-
reproachable character, possessed of q se,,t
IN parlian ent, diligent in attendance at levees
and drawing rooms-all Of these NAV not
qualify for entrance into the magic circle.
Yet many with fewer qualifications step in.
How GUESTS ARE INVITED.
What exactly is required is underlined and
practically unknown How the blanks OBJ
tain card, and why the dashers are systam.
atically ignored, affords an inexhaustible
subject OF conversation Those who are for
tunate enough 10 be on the list of guests " hicb
is submitted To her majesty for approval re-
ceive plain card on which the lord cham
berlain in1imates that me is commando by
the queen To invite Mr. So and SO to a baIlH
ON given date at 10 o'clock. At most social
entertainments it Is fashionable to be late. or
to be hurlying to and from some smarter or
more select assembly. At the state hall, on
the contrary, 1t is correct to appear before
the time specified, that you may yourself re-
ceive your royal hosts when they deign 70
shed upon you the light of their august pres
ence. The longer you elect To wait the greater
Is presum ID to he your loyalty. Ii at a quar-
ter past | YOU arrive at buckingham palace
you find already a brilliant throng assembled
At the palace door servants receive YOU who
combine the utmost brilliance of raiInent with
the utmost difference of manner-a combina-
tion too rarely seen. No cards are asked for.
no inquiries are made. For the queens in
vited guests the state rooms are lavishly deco
rated ana lighted. There is no dragoon to
guard the portal, and all you haze to do is TO
enter and enjoy This is delightful
SCENE IN THE BALLROOM
Ii Is in the ballroom that life ceuiters. I'm
agine an immense gilded hall, along the sides
red satin, and rising tier above tier. At the
bottom ~ the hall is high gallery for the
musicians; at the top is IA dais raised a foot
above the floor, on which gold chairs are
ready for the princesses and potentates.
Within the walls of that room are collected
the rank the beauty and the fashion of the
"smartest" capital in Europe. The light of
electric lamps is flashed back, soft, vet bright
nv oil e
satin robes.
About II o'clock the band strikes up the
national anthem, and the ROYALTIES enter in
solemn procession. The queen is rarely pres
ent The Princess OF Wales fills her place
and is the center of all eyes as she glides in
under he tall diamond crown, and takes her
seat in the center of the dais The Prince of
Wales throws an air of iollity over all this
splendor His children follow him. with such
other ROYALTIES rs happen to be in London.
The ballroom never looks so well as when
three royal princesses sit alone upon the dais
with three diamond crowns, like the fairy
tales of childhood The princess and Young
princesses do not sit in state, but hover round,
and chat and joke with each Other; while the
ladies in waiting form long, dali row be-
hind, without a spark of interest in their
faces
In the ballroom two circles are formed for
dancing-one in front of the royalties, and the
other lower down. In the former only those
are supp Dssd to dance who are in the princes
set, or who claim his acquaintance Before
each dan ce the royalties hold family CON
sultation 10 select their partners, and literally
lay their heads together as they glance round
the favo ed circle When the choice has been
made, the lord chamberlain comes down with
"A message to the honored guest; the partners
selected sor the princeSSes come up and wait
upon the floor till the royal ladies descend
and accept their guidance. The princes step
down and approach their partners, who await
their coming near at hand. Royalties, how
ever, dance very much with EACH other The
square dances are much Curtailed; in these
the Princess of Wales never walks backward,
but merely pauses until the music sounds
another advance Round dances have a
charming effect. When the royal personages
join in the valse all the other airy whirling
figures melt suddenly away, while the princes
and prii cesses circle round alone with their
partner in the cleared space. Should you
know a royal parsonage IL is necessary to be
on the alert lest they should look your way,
when the lady must ut once bend the knee
with a swift ducking gesture. A man merely
bows The effect of this ducking as a prince
passes on reminds one of gust of wind
bending field OF flowers.
REFRESHMENTS FOR GUESTS.
All this time refreshments are served to
guests in out of the way corners. But soon
after IL O'Clock the doors of the great supper
room are thrown open, and the Princess of
Wales rises to head procession of royalties,
which { les down the ballroom between two
lines of bowling guests. If you have been
overloo led by royal eyes now is your oppor-
tunity. Watch closely rs they pass, and you
may yeJ touch royal hand Loyal souls
accompany the princes and Erincesses into
supper, and stand at n respectful distance to
see then eat. 1t Is not etiquette to touch food
until the greater personages are satisfied.
These are very merry, particularly the Prince
and Princess Of Wales, who seem foil of talk
and airy jokes; with their children around
them they give pretty family feeling to
the scene. The supper room is an interesting
sight ir itself, with solid gold plate of i'm
mense value arranged on and over the side.
board. When the royalties have returned
to the ballroom the guests fall TO upon the
supper, which IL excellent After supper
dancing continues, but elderly people begin
to long for bed, and stink away unperceived
Eyes tire of all this brilliance, but it is not
etiquette To ieavs while royalty remains. At
the last the rush for carriages is fearful
How long it seems to wait in the dreamy YES
tibule, hearing everybody's carriage called
except ones own. Ere you drive away day
has broken and bathes a sleeping city in its
calm, clear light-London News.