The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-21
NO TAILs, 40 60.
An Experience I'm Evening Dress at
High berlin Function.

High berlin Function.
From. the New York sun.
THAT description of the gala perform
ance at the Berlin Opera Houses that
appeared in the sun" said man who
had spent a winter in the university there,
reminded me of an experience that
had the first season that the kaiser es-
tablished them. 1 had been in the habit
of going TO 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
We're TO play German version of The
tempest and the emperor and many
OF the quality were to be present. /
wanted TO see what sort Of appearance
so many Of them together would pre-
sent, SO with a friend secured tickets
ahead OF time and got into evening
dress. devoted the usual amount OF
time to the details which make a man
look well dressed in evening clothes, had
my tie faultlessly arranged, wore patent
leather pumps, and a dress suit which
/ mad got from a swell London tailor only
a few weeks before. Al the last moment
1 thought of the scrambles at the coat
room and the damage ii might cause
my new coat, so l took il on ana put
on a short dinner coat, which was quite
as new and from the hands of the same
infalble master that had built the other
coat
when / got to the opera house ! saw
the operation Of getting inside was a lit
tie more ceremOnious than usual In adj
dltiOn to the two or three men that stood
always at the door, there were two 9TH
ers, whose duty was to look the crowd
over and see II the audience had com
piled with the rule in regard 10 full dress.
This with the men consisted Is a careful
scrutiny of their coat tails. That estab-
lished their right to get in without ques-
ton. When IL came my turn TO pass be
fore them for their inspection they nab
bed me with promptness and unanimity.
l had seen men passing IN who wore all
sorts Of trousers ana shoes, neckties and
shirts, who had done nothing more to
comply with the law than to put on
dress coat. So l was particularly indig-
nant when this committee of two told
me that my dress did not comply with
the rule, and that | could not go IN.
But 1 said to them This is the En-
gllsh style. II Is entirely full dress.
'Englsche Herren modem English styles
for mem are respected in Berlin. and the
two hesitated for moment But my i'm
maculate shirt and my stiff tie, my pat
ent leather pumps ard my white gloves
We're Of no avail My coat had no tails,
criterion of full dress. and ] didn't have
any. 1t was not until | had gone home
and put on the coat that was supplied
with this feature that ltgot into the en-
peror's gala performance
AFTER i had been in Berlin a little
longer 1 realized why the committee
AietN ~ uiAANN91ipliAh1ts AtJtLttl nv nc
short dinner coats were seized upon by
the Berlin youth as the last used In Lon
don fashions. But they were regarded as
appropriate only for afternoon wear A
checked waist and checked trousers. top
ped of with a broadcloth dinner coat
became the fashionable garment for a
promenade on the Linden. But swagger
as it was there existed that lack of tails
which made It inappropriate for an occa-
sion when the emperor had called out
his subjects in evening dress. In the case
of man this meant either uniform or a
coat with these adjuncts. Nothing else
compensated for them either and by this
test the civilian had to stand or fail
But the most eXasperating feature about
my case was that there was not another
man In the whole house whose evening
dress was quite as perfect in its wal as
mine"