Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-30

STSA= vi together women Of
SIHSs fashionable society and
Q Nwomen Of the stage.
NEIsI$aS The object aimed at ID
| PTYNT& A worthy charity-to
P !; !; E: :; s; !:
in the vast Madison
Square Garden about two months hence,
| with 9th avenue bellies and stage beau
ties on duty alongside each other in
the booths. Two questions presented them
selves at the outset: Firstly would what are
called our society girls-daughters Of pre-
tentious wealth and style-associate with
actresses even in charitable cause? That point
| was settled definitely last Monday, when an eX-
detrimental high tea" was held at the Holland
House. Five hundred women, half OF them
actresses and half not, we're invited Actresses
responded numerously, and they made up a
| hne-Iooklng and politely behaved assemblage.
But society was not there. The names Of
some OF our female swells had been obtained as
signatures TO general commentator of the
1alr, but their owners were not at the high tea.
So 1t seems that our swell women and our
| actresses, speaking generally. remain separated
| by row of footlights. The fair will. there
| fore. be held with the actresses on one side of
| Inc couutcrs ana Lne swell women on the other.
| WILL CAUSE A BIG ROW.
| The second question and it remains un-
solved, is whether actresses who are clrcum-
| spect as to their conduct and companionship
will serve at the fair with actresses who are
| VIGOROUSLY i'll famed No dispute as to the
relative numbers of good and bad women on
| the stage is revived. The raipnble fact is that
| some actresses are inst good AS the hes. OF
women in private life and that some are as bad
as can be. The fair is to be under the general
control of four of our most highly respected
theatrical managerial. NJ. Palmer. Frank w.
Sanger, Daniel Frohman and Charles ".
! Thomas. They are understood to have assured
Mrs Kendall. Mrs. Booth. Miss Cayvan and
| other actresses of unimpeachable record, and
who have promised hearty assistance in The
lair. that no infamous actress shall be put be-
! side them Now. between the extremes OF
| goodness and badness in our actresses those
two qualities merge into each other gradually,
and where shall the line of acceptance and cx-
cluslon be drawn! The subject Is under hot
discussion this week. and already the published
list of the actresses who attended the high tea
Is subjected to close scrutiny anu to some cyni-
cal criticism. There is going 20 be big row,
although 1t is hoped that The fact viii not e.
1ect the monetary prosperity of the euter-
prise.
THE FOUR HUNDRED AND THE PRESS.
That section of New York society which we
have nicknamed the Four Hundred, and upon
which we expend SO much of good natured
ridicule. has resorted to quite theatrical
methods of advertising itself. Ever since the
several annual series of Delmonico balls such
as the Patriarchs, tho Junior Patriarchs and
the Matriarchs, began TO be INDUCED in by
these imitation aristocrats the CITY editors OF
the daily newspapers were supplied with invi-
tons upon which to send reporters On each
occasion there has been q press committee
charged with the business OF giving the names
and particulars of the exclusive society
people for publication. The reporters wear
evening dress are introduced to the bellies,
dance II they wish to and sit AT
the sumptuous suppers. But this is
done. of course. for the direct purpose
OF keeping the Four Hundred in publicity.
lhey ENJOY that kind of thing very much.
Their business manager. as nearly everybody
knows. has tor years been Ward McAiiistrr. Ii
was he who looked after every detail of urepar-
| alton ana control. But it will be a surf rise to
most readers that he Is accused. outcome
OF quarrel, OF getting living out of this EN-
pIoyment During the present gay season he
has acted as IA society reporter for the World.
signing his article every Sunday. and with no
concealment OF liberal compensation. Be-
yond that, however, the charge has now been
published that he receives pay from the Ast,.rs
Nanderbilts and others whose entertainment,
ne manages. Thus We have new creation Ill
amusements-that of the society impressario
DANCING FADs IN NEW YORK.
The Four Hundred are peculiar in one thing
relating to their theatrical amusements They
demand that somebody shall dance before
them newly and strangely. They had SMELL
of liking for the skirt dances which the London
girls brought over to us. Next, they took with
avidlty to Cermencita and several Of her kind
ana went In parties to see them at the beer
gardens. But this week we have an iIlustratio,
OF the tickeness Of fashions favor. Carmencita
has returned after tour OF the country and
the spec tators contain never one of her former
admirers from among tine ranks of the Nc
Aillster people just for the moment there.
fore, We are left without dancing fad. and
more than one theatrical manager is ready and
wiling to make good this deficiency il he ONLY
could devise way TheIe would be money in
it. Augustin DAILY once imported a troupe
of ohncing NaUtch girls, but the chappies
OF the Knickerbocker and Calumet Clubs
voted them deucedly dull, dontcher know
After this failure to make the oriental
style Of dancing pleasing to US of the new
world no manager seemed bold enough TO try
again, although traveller after traveller returned
with glowing accounts OF the righteousness of
East Indian and Arabian dancing women 1t
wonld seem, therefore, that New York is in.
clined to stick to divinities whose supple limbs
are not always content to remain planted on
mother earth, but whose heels manifest a
tendency to fly of at tangent.
NEW IMPORTATION.
A@o"S'Shs We "Ao tA1Sdteut0 ny Uu lmpOrta-
ton Of another lot of oriental dancers. Ihis
time they are Arabian. and the exploiter frankly
admits that they have not pretty faces, but arc
absolutely ugly to look at taken one by one
when their features are in repose. But oh,
says he. wait until you see them ut their work:
their gracefully indolent swaying and bending
which increases in warmth and rapidity until
the spectator is carried away by the intensity of
feeling manifested! He forgets the plain and
pronounced features and has eyes only for the
voluptuous measures, the caressing attitudes
the soft and languorous undulatious. They
| are called Arabiac "Ouled- Nales." but proba-
bly, that will be softened for American use
They form themselves in group. squattinr in
semi-Turk fashion, with a lighted taper in
front Of each. The native musicians are at the
back and their shrill fageolets, accompanied
by the inevitable toni-tom, furnish the fnstru-
mental music while those seated do the singing.
Arm AND HEAD DANCE.
At first the slow and monotonous chant il
somewhat depressing, but gradually it increases
in rapidity and the dancers, never more than
two at one time redouble their voluptuous
rocking, swaying and bending movements, the
gold tinsel and spangles Of their Costumes
sparkle in the soft light of the tapers which
flicker in the air, stirred by the movement of
their skirts and draperies. Now and then a
bare foot comes to view, but the clouds Of
white tulle which envelop the dancers veil their
limbs with considerate modesty, following