The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-05-11
GIRLOFTHELASTDECA
How Nearly Now York Society Is
Modelled After That Of Sybaris.
Julius Chambers Writes of tho Latest Fad
That HAS Como Into Fashion With
Lively Cnrmcncita. But HIS Spread
to thc Best Society.
IcoryHlGnT, 1885,.

lcoryElcnT, 1892
The most eXpcnsivcly decorated apart
mcnt in New York is Il low-ccilingcd
cellar undcra concert hall 1t is not 4
locality of refinement. No honest man
would ever take an honest woman to in
spcct its mysteries a broad flight of
generally sloppy steps leads from the
wings of the concert stage to the re-
ccSscs hereunder. For years the place
was known Only to the gildctl youths of
the city and their frivolous girl COM
panions, who slipped down to the Sc
cludcd place to drink champagne and
exchange "reminiscences
1t was often the scene of wild hilari-
ty, but history fails to record an cx-
change of blows.
When "thc Cork room" was ins,i-
tutcd there was no thought that If
would ever become the famous place it
now is. To avoid the law that prohibits
the sale of liquors or wines in the same
apartment in which theatrical or
operate performance is in progress, the
thirsty girls and boys were told to step
down INTO the room under the stage,
where they could be served with the
sparkling wine of France. Ike secret
was not confided to everybody 1t was
impaired to 1.-THE chappics" who could
afford to pay for the expensive liquids;
there dispensed. "a chump'' has been
defined as "a big bald-hcadcd man who
opens Wine" But the wine was gen
orally bought in 1.-The Cork ROOM by
youngsters in the art of living, who had
started in quest of that phantasmagori-
cal dclusion called amusement"
10 their cXtravaganccs the apartment
owes its wholly unique embellishments.
Its walls and ceilings resemble nothing
80 much rs n bed of mushrooms BY
actual count $1,000 champagne corlls, of
all characters and conditions, some with
records as pure rs snow and others with
doubtful pcdigrces, have been ilnbctdcd
In the glutinous plastcring in such
forms and designs as to trace, applique
like, flowers and names therein. Thinl,
ef it! a resort to the multiplication
table shows that the wine table has in.
weighed more than 5000, 900 out of the
pockets of thirsty young bibbcrs a
very large amount to be checked off to
the account of utter wantonnessl
About year ago, widely hcraldcd
Spanish dnncer came to this country
and made her appearance on the stage
over the Cork room. Carmcncita be-
came, in few weeks, quite the rage,
and many of New Yorl1's best people,
ladies and gentlemen, visited what has
previously been considered disrcputa-
bic resort in order to see the ponderous,
darll-sllinncd Andalusian girl disport
herself. Several of the social nabobs of
New York secured the services of the
senorita to entertain their guests in
their own private rarlc-3. 1t became
quite Tic FAD fer ladies OF the beau
monde to call at her boarding house,
in their carriages, and leave their cards.
Whatever may be said of Carmencita,
she certainly did not allow all this
attention to turn her head, but treated
with naughty reserve all approaches on
the part of the aristocracy that were
not attended with promise to pay. One
OF the pretty fancies that she had was
to present each of her lady visitors with
one of the little match boxes, fashioned
from champagne cork cut in two, and
having a silver receptacle for waxen
alumettcs. This ecccntricity of the
stranger girl led to the introduction of
''thc cork fad' into some of the most
refined homes in the city of Manhattan.
Fair young girls, who never by the
slightest possibility could have visited
the notorious Cork room, or even heard
Of it. began to decorate their boudoirs
with champagne corlss, cullcd from all
sources. These represented real or i'm
aginary entertainments at which sup
posed or confessed admirers had been
present, when life and love seemed so
trifling, when the eyes had glowcd with
the fires of youth, when the pulse had
quiclicncd to the first glass of wine