Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-07-27
TERRIBLE DANCE OF DEATH.
n Leaped Into Favor During the
"Black Plague" in London.
FRANCES BALL OF THE VICTIMS


jority OF balls and dancing parties are |
conducted upon general lines. and show
but little that IL novel, there have been |
at all times n few enterprisng host |
esses who have broken through the
thick hide of convention, and given |
their guests something original In the
dancing party line.
Such. for instance. must have been
the host or hostess who, during the
time of the great plague of London.
first brought into fashion the Dance of
Death. AT these dances, which be-
came very popular amongst certain
class during that terrible period, the
dancers, both male and female. who
were invited to these gruesomc even
ings, were disguised as skeletons, ana
so utterly recklosa had the plague
made people. that In many cases they
left the ballroom. and, In the dead Of
night, finished their dance In the open
streets.
Somewhat curious, too, were the Vic
tim Balls. which became the rage In
France at the close Of the Reign of
1 Terror. The dancers, dressed In the
costllcst costumes, had one and all
/ band OF crepe round the left arm. for
no one could be invited to one OF these
| balls unless he or she had lost, during
| the Reign of Terror, at least one rela-
] AAhl Wy Allt kullhlllltf ibhHlltllHk wv
] wholesale hutchery that was INDUCED
\ In under Robespierrc. most people We
] should imagine amongst the upper
| classes were qualified for an Invita-
ton.
Fancy dress balls In which the
guests are dressed In costumes repre-
/ senting the pieces In set OF chess
men, are by no means uncommon; but
I a short time ago "A certain hostess
went one better than this, and gave Il
card dance, ut which the invited guests
were requested to appear in the char
acter OF the particular playlng-card
| allotted to them. The drcsses OF the
majority OF the guests were most
elaborate. particularly those of the
court cards, but the dress OF "A gen
! tlemnn to whose lot had fallon the
character OF ace of diamonds was sim
plicity itself He appeared In ordinary
evening dress but magnificent din-
mond spnrkled In the midst Of his dress
ahirt-frunt This idea was likewise fol-
lowed by the gentleman representing
the i've Of the same suit, who, IN oddi-
tion to n diamond In his shlrt-front.
wore pair Of diamond Links.
| A lady well-known In theatrical cir.
Giles gave few years ago, dance
in which the guests were dressed az
the characters In Lewis Culrol's fn-
nous fairy tale "Alice IN Wonder
land" The profession. Of course, was
strongly represented, The lady who
appeared in the character uf Alice was
n leading light of the burlcsque stage,
now retired, the white Rabbit was a
gentleman who, In the character of
Divers animals has appeared on many
stages; while the Mad Halter was one
of the funniest of low comedians. and
kept the whole ballroom In roar OF
laughter from the first moment he en-
tered the room
a dance, which occurred after n ban
1uet given 10 twenty-four armless per-
sons AT the Royal Tree Inn. Dartmouth,
must have been IA curiosity In it, way.
Unfortunately we are not told how II
was managed. but doubtless the dances
We're confined 10 ilgs and hOrnplpcs
ms waltz performed by couple
without arms would he a somewhat
difficult feat to accomplish,
Blind people, as many OF our rcHders
are aware provided they have been
blind for sufficiently long time, and
the apartm,n In which they are is ON,
well Known to them, can move about
as quickly AS people with their eye
sight Al "A certain blind asylum dances
often take place among the inmates
nnd II IL not little curious to gee cou,
pies who are totally blind walt1inl
round "a room, never colliding viii
other couples and dancing as grace
fully as their seeing brethren. In fact
unless one knew that the dancers wer,
| Dllnu, one would never guess u iron
their manner Of dancing.
That the Inmates OF many mad aHy
lums not only dance, but dance wen
IL Within the knowledge Ot everyone
who has been present al dance glvei
by such an establishment, When II
Germany the writer once attended !
ball given by a mad asylum In HcuBcn
and could hardly believe that man!
d OF hls charming partners were other
. wise than clothed In their right minds
II was only after the doctor had ms
e surcd him that his last partner ma
g thrown her two-ycar-old daughter gu
II OF the window. and that the one be
9 fore that had been found promenadin
y one Of the principal thoroughfares o
! Giesen In state Of Nature, that I'll
u general unoRnniness OF the dance wa
J. directly brought home To him