The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-11-24

An Experience jn Evening Dress nj a
Hfgh Berlin Function.

New York Sur.
That description OF the gala perform
peared In the SUM-" said a man who had
speIl'a winter in the university there, RE
Minded me OF an experience that L had the
frst season that the Kaiser established
them. I had been in the habit of going 70
the opera very regularly. and never thought
about making any changes in my dress.
Frequently / went straight from one OF the
late lectures to the opera But for their
first performance of the series the actors
from the Royal Theater were to play a
German version OF The Tempest and the
Emperor and many OF the quality were TO
be present. / wanted to see what sort or
appearance SO many Of them together
would present, so with a friend secured
tickets ahead Of time and got into evening
dress. I devoted the usual amount Of time
10 the details which make a man look well
dressed in evening-clothes, had my tie fault
and a dress suit which 1 bad got from a
swell London tailor only a few weeks be-
fore. AT the last moment / thought or the
scramble at the coat room and the damage
IL might cause my new coat, so took 1t
of and put on a short dinner coat, which
was quite as new and from the hands OF
the same infallible master that had built
the other coat.
when 1 got TO the opera house / saw the
operation OF getting inside was a little more
ceremonious than usual. In addition 10 the
two or three men that stood always at the
door, there were two others. whose duty
was TO look the crowd over and see II the
duulence udu cOfupleu viii the Iuic III iC~
gard to full dress. This. with the men. con-
sisted in a careful scrutiny of their coat
tails. That established their right to get In
without question. When IL came my turn
to pass before them FOR their inspection,
they nabbed me with promptness and unan-
unity. i had seen men passing IN VINO wore
all sorts OF trousers and shoes, neckties ana
shirts, who had done nothing more to COM
ply Will the law than TO put on a dress
coat. So / was particularly indignant when
this committee OF two told me that my
dress did not comply with the rule. and that
But i said to them. this is the Eng
lish style. 1t Is entirely full dress
'Englische Herren modem tcngliSI Styles
for mem are respected IN Berlin, ana me
maculate shirt and my stiff tie, my patent
leather pumps and my white gloves were OF
no avail. My coat had no tails, and could
full dress. and 1 didn't have any. 1t was
not until I had gone home and put on the
coat that was supplied with this feature
that 1 got into the Eemperor's gala per-
Torrance.
After had been in Berlin a little longer
I realized why the COMMITTEES had SO un-
questioningiy rejected me. The short din
ner coats were seized upon by the Berlin
youth as the last used in London fashions.
But they were regarded as appropriate only
for afternoon wear. A checked waist and
cloth dinner coat. became the fashionable
garment for a promenade on the Linden.
But swagger as IL was there existed that
lack of tails which made IL inappropriate
for an occasion when the Emperor had
called out his subjects In evening dress. In
the case of a man this meant either a uni
form or a coat with these adjuncts. Moth
ing else compensated for them, either, and
by this test the civilian had to stand or
fall. But the most exasperating feature
about my case was that there was not an
other man in the whole house whose even
ing dress was quite as perfect in it's way as
mine"