Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-01-03
MALLISTER'S BALL.
Social Triumph of the Leader
of Gotham's Elite.
THE -FOUR HUNDRED" ABOLISHED

THE -FOUR HUNDRED ABOLISHED,
And an Era in New York Upper Tendon
Inaugurated-The Boss of the Select
Gives the whole of His Mind to 1t, and
"Gets There" In Great Shape-Beauty
and Fashion Lead the May" and
Wine Flows Ad Lib.
New YORK, Jan. 3.-The corporation coun-
sci yesterday gave his opinion to the police
commissioners that the New Years ball at
the Metropolitan Opera house last night was
private affair, and that the police would
not be justified in interfering with the use Of
wine after l o'clock a. m, as they would be
in the case of ball for which tickets were
sold to the general public. Mr.. Ward Meal
lister was thereupon informed that the ball
could proceed unmolested. He had been for
some time getting up this ball, and it was an
exceedingly swell" affair.
The Elite Were All There.
The ball was a great success The inte-
rior of the Metropolitan Opera house resem-
bled a sylvan bower, and all the leaders of
society were there. After a waltz, a polka,
the lancers and a second waltz, the chief
event of the dancing, the Sir Roger de Gov
erly quadrille, was executed. This was a
most elaborate production, on which MIR.
McAllister had spent much time and thought.
There were four SETS the inner two being
composed of noted society dignitaries and
handsome matrons, and the outer two OF
young people. Mr.. McAllister, with Mrs.
Robert Goebel, led one set, and Lispenard
Stewart with Miss Hope Goddard, of Prcvi-
dence, the other The two on the sides were
led by George III. Bond, with Mrs w. K.
Vanderbilt, and Mr.. T. H. Howard with Mrs.
Belmont, Jr.
The Ex-President and Wife Present.
After the dancing supper was served. The
paJronnesses and committee of the ball sat to-
, gether at the table, Mr.. McAllister and Mrs.
Vanderbilt and Mr.. Vanderbilt and Mrs.
Roosevelt at the foot. Mrs. Grover Cleve-
| land sat at Mr.. McAllister's right, and ex-
President Cleveland next to Mrs. Roosevelt
The cotillion after supper was led by Lispen-
| ard Stewart and Mrs. Coleman Drayton, as
sisted by Mr.. McAllister with Mrs. Wander
bilt, j. j. Aston, Jr., with Miss Alva VIII.
ing, c. Vanderbilt with Mrs. Roache, and
in all 100 couples Among notable persons
present were Ex-Secretary Whitney, the
Belgian and German minister's Secretary
ildSs' -. M lScl @" anu many otuciS
The Kind of Ball 1t Was.
No entertainment was ever before given
here which combined so many participants
and so particular social stamp. There
have been private balls which have COS,
more money, but none which has brought SC
many people together There have beer
subscription balls which have come within
400 or 500 people of its size, but none which
attempted to recognize every clique of fash
| ionable society. The New Years ball at
| tempted to be, in the words of its creator
| the first social entertainment which included
all New York society. 1t was planned fol-
200 people, not all of whom could come
was not public ball, and was given by IA
| subscribers
| The Four Hundred Abolished.
| If Ward McAllister is to be believed the
| ball marks an episode in society in this town
1t means the practical abolition or the 400
| and the recognition of the fact that there
are several times that many people who are
properly eligible to admission to the best so
ciety. 1t means the decline of the Patriarchs
balls and the substitution of several yearl,
entertainments big enough to include three
times as many participants. 1t means the
end of New Years calling among fashiona
BILE people. In a general way, according t,
Mr.. lister, tho ball means new socia
era for New York
What IL Meant to McAllister.
To Mr.. McAllister himself it meant ever
more than to the average subscriber o.
guest. 1t was the fulfllment of his dream
of perfect ball, from which he was so ruth
lessly awakened by Stuyvesant Fish shor
time before the late Washington centennial
Its success was his revenge upon Mr. FISH
Co. l..
centennial ball. Last nights affair was a
he has said several times of late, the best o
his efforts and the event of his life He de
signed it to combine the best features of al
the balls he had ever seen in this and othe
countries with few original ideas thrown
in.
Description of the Decorations.
|, Preparations were begun nearly tire
months ago. Pinard furnished the suppe
and Klunder decorated the building Greer
was the predominating color and the variou
, sorts of evergreen were most prominent Tn
, Broadway lobby was made to represent
winter forest. The guests entered from tn
street into grove comprised of laurel. cy
press, pine, holly, and juniper trees, appar
emily growing as in nature and hung witt
trailing moss and mistletoe. Passing int
the foyer was to walk into a garden of flow
ers. The stairs which rise ON either sid
were made to represent Roman terraces an
adorned and hung with southern vines.
II In the Great Ball Room.
The great ballroom was trimmed wit
greens and flowers TO the very ceilings, an
they were partially concealed by canopies c
green. Concentric circles of gas light fror
above and a draping of electric lights hun
in festOons along the top of the lower tier c
boxes made the scene brilliant one. 1t wa
Mr.. McAllster's pet plan to keep every on
on the floor Mt once. For this reason th
boxes were all closed by filling them wit
greens and flowers. Turkish-red ira,
pings separated the tiers of boxe
The lower tier was made int
miniature garden with n border O
tulips, hyacinths, lilies, daffodils and Narci,
sus leading to back dense grove of Austria
pines, holly, cypress and Japanese greens i
the rear of the boxes. The other tiers c
boxes were closed even with the front b
banks of greens. Garlands of roses relieve
the green on the second tier The third tie
showed profusion of all sorts of whit.
berries. The top tier was another dense TO
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