New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-26
VIENNA'S "CONTESSEL."
THE FASCINATING AUsTRTANS.
An EHGLIsHMAy,s OBSERVATIONS on THE
BEAUTIFUL vIENNEs HOW SHE s'N"''
PLAYS. AND wALT2Es-THE hotN"
COrNTEss RtLEs.


tin Vienncsc who TO nv mind i the most 'r''y anu
unaHectcdly feminine. and therefore a'u"o,N'' :"
her nature appears 10 have liil a""s' Wv" "
CARDS character and physique un'rah'm'iicu ~ W.
vcniionality. prctcncc ariihciaiN' an" ~ ~
betrays no pride or conceit concerning her """'o'u
and numerous charms. she does hou III any way
attempt 10 conceal those oharac'cris'caiiy FEMININE
shOrtconngs-c described a r'deeihihS iaiS
which contribute so much TO render Hc' '"p"'"""e
In our eyes. and without which she would De al
together perfect-so perfect indeed. that WINE we
might be tempted 20 venerite her as ah'h'' w
should no longer be able 10 love hcr as a "o"a"'
The great obcct In the liie OF Niehnes'' w
She either "Contessc7 or factory gill Is TO get a.
much pleasure out OF life possible She iooh' ~
the rosy side OF everything disagreeahe ree'rus "i"'
Indulgence all indiscretions and errors ana II her
and generous heart occasionally moves her 10
grief &c is brief Il is violent and before 'hc
tears have had tine 10 dry upon her rosy cheeks,
her face is wrea,hed In smiles. Indeed
nowhere In the world dos one see 80 many SHINING
faces ) In Vienna. With the solitary exception OF
the Emperor. whose kindly face Is always heApreS-
sbly sad. every body I'm the Kaisersadt seems to be
biimming over with cd and merry humor NO one ap'
pears to be In bad temper. for the matter OF
that, in hurry Life Is too short for either ana
even when there Is block OF wagons. tramcars and
carriages in crowded thoroughtare. the drivers.
| instead OF implrtng odOr Of brtnS'One 10 the
atmosphere 10y the lurid violence OF their blasphemy
on the contrary crack jokes and while away the ne
with funny stories.
The Orient and the Occdent most charmingly
mingled In the Niennese woman, who may he de-
scribed as a mixture Of both. While she has all the
sterling moral qualities the common sense and high
standard OF intelligence Of the West her physical
charms partake more OF those OF the East. Her
figure is full than that OF the Parsienne, or oi
the attcr's counterpart, the New-f0k girl, anu Is
built on lines that may be described voluptuous
Although frequently the blondcst OF the blondes, her
form IS that OF OF the hours Of the Orient, where
small arthcially compressed waists are unknown ana
where nature Is permitted have free sway with the
figure. Ii Is ~ the Orient, too that the |ieniieSe Is
probably indebted for her love OF bright colors, which,
though vivid, Invariably harmonious, picturesque
and becoming when worn by her. stu another ORR
entail charac erStic which find very strongly de-
veloped the Niennese girl Is her passionate love
for music and for dancing. People sing, play ana
dance at Vienna nowhere else in the world, save
perhaps among the Gi'anas ut seville the Tsigahes
ut Moscow; and. indeed. 80 thoroughly does The
musical and rhy ulmical instinct seem nbofn In Them
that ole would almost he tempted TO believe that,
moi outstanding their blond hair and fair complexion
they have In their veins strain OF Gypsy blood In
the West music a rule comes TO Us by education,
and with rare exceptions entirely wanting In
what may be described as the sacred fire OF harmony
The Nennese, however, seem 10 possess III" GIT as
blrthrigt and they need no instruction TO produce
the enhancing melody. Let any one VINO doup's
this get some French. German English or American
virtuoso TO play a waltz OF Strauss on the piano.
While the execution may be perfect yet It will leave
the listeners cold and unmoycd bnt let ordinary
Viennese player. man OF the huublest classcs-let
us say iourncyman tailor hack driver or water
play identcoly the same piece OH either panofor'e
or on the Either the blood viii begin 10 course more
quclhy through veins, there Will come sort OF
delightful yet inexpressibe little cold SILVER down
h..l andu OF ne
selves keeping time both with voice and feet.
This being tho ease, dancing Of course plays
great role In the lie Of the Vienncse. IL did 30 In
1915 when the Prince d. Ll'e wrote: 1.-THE congress
dances, but does not make any progress With Tvs
work, Everybody dances ut Vienna, young and old.
rich aud poor the bshcrborn and those OF The
humber birth; and so passonatcly fond are the
people Of this form Of entertainment that one almost
feels convinced that they picture TO themselves heaven
I'm the shape Of some grand carnival time ball. where
lovely angels will pcrpetualy hoat around through
the air with archanees a. partners to the Strains oil
straiss's waltzcs. played by celestial performers
But 10 no one, perhaps does dancing constitute so
important a feature IL life 10 the Nienncse maiden
II she belongs TO the arisOcraCy no matter whether
She Is princess, baroness or merely entitled TO the
nolilary particle Of Won" she Is Designated until
her marriage as A "Contessel,, which may be trans
lated as little Countess ind the "Conessel' has
all sorts OF preroga'ives In connection With dancing
that accorded 20 her By tradition. Thus at nearly
all the balls that given by the great world there
Is special room ret for them which Is known as
the "Contessel salon. and which belongs exclusively
TO them and their partners. There they dance and
rrt unhampered by the presence Of any chapcron,
and the married woman no matter how young
bride. who ventures 10 cross the threshold ana 10
invade their domain would BE- regarded as an intruder
and guilty OF breach Of good form and etiquette.
At the supper which follows certain number OF
~. 81, at,., ~ fhr an
tes,cl' and OF their partners, and woe bctdc the
married woman who tries 10 obtain room. Unlike
Paris London and New York, where II IS the young
married woman who IS the queen OF the ball. a.
Vienna Is the young girl the Confessed" who r"gn'
supreme there, and who carries everything before her.
This latitude allowed 10 the young girl and this
freedom OF chaperonage would not be possible. were
Il not for the fact that the great world at Vienna
Is Il sort Of big family and very close corporation,
where nearly all related to another and from
which strangers and foreigners. except when related
80 noble hols,s In Austria. are ptleSslN excluded.
Bme blood, untarn shed By any pcbHn strain, through
SIX or generations OF Ancestry Indispensable
to those who would belong thereto; and no new rank,
no matter how great, conferred by the sovereign
can win for the bearer admission the charmed
circle. The result IS that there Is fear Of strangers
who might be inclined 10 take undue advantage OF
the familiarity and uncOnvenonality that prevail.
Every calls every else by the Christian
names, and addresses each other "Thou.' Mnr-
ricd women and young girls have no compunciion
about hOnoIing the men present, all more or
less closely related TO them, with honest, hearty
andshakes, that would cause tho lair Of "A dame 81
the haute bDurgcoisie of London Paris TO rise In
horror from her head were she 10 witness 1t ana
above all there Is no prctence and no hhcctnion.
All intimately acquainted with one anothcr's
affairs. antecedents family and fortunes that pre-
tcncc would be supcrfiuous and II IL imposSibl. 10
describe the charm this freedom from all nrilnrihy.
snobbery and hollow anectaton imparts " |iehhese
society.