New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-26
AN ENGLISH STATE BALL.
THE IMPOSING FUNCTION IN RUCkING-
HAM PLACE. ;
from The London Outlook.

those Formidable rails which hem in the
Queens London palace are seen the SutIuS
and hussars, the household cavalry anu loot
guards. The procession OF carriages Is con
stanty arrested by the police; ana now 10 the
strains OF God Save the Queen the royal cor
tege from MARLBOROUGH House bearing the
prince and Princess Of Wales. followed 10y other
ROYAL guests. rolls into the courtyard Nllhln
the large entrance hall are the yeomcn OF the
guard-those famous bcefcaters whose dress re-
calls the days Of Henry VIII. Ministers IN ihelr
official uniform remind one Of pictures OF Nel,
son and British admiras. with their heavy SoIo
embroidery. swallow-tail coats. XII lnere
breeches. and pale pink silk stockings. Tn" uni
forms of regular and auxiliary forces ar tnerc'
TOO so vast is the corridor that notwitilstand-
ing the number OF guests invited th"r" IS no
reed FOR the unsecmy and commpnplac" rush
of a cloakroom. ON this piece Of luin'' are OF
that a bushy and h"arskln al" "ro"n
down. "A sword Is taken from It's hallSlhS anu
lcant against a picc" of priceless buhl AN
while ladies file into the inner room ana drop
their opera clOaks
nj tn, long staircase and the long inner iofty
corridor toward the ballroom. The first quad
rlll, IS formed. The Prince and Princess, Am
bassadors Of foreign nations. The most hti'lHui
women in England and the best-look.ng cx-
amples of the British Army Join in pretty 'nuch
hcltcr-skeltcr for there is no absolute i"Inany
Of rank on such occasions. Rather siIIklhS
feature this Of an English State ball. In every
first puadrillc members Of the royalty. NJ nI'ierS
~ the crown and representatives, OF the foreign
Powers dance. hut also do our III, guards
man and the popular young man Of society in
tho uniform Of Her Majestys Household
Troops. The lords-n-wating are Their" with
heir white wands. headed 10y the sixteenth earl
o. Pembroke an ideal Representative" 81 me
part and quite the handsomcst man IN the
whole room. For IN" eond dance IN" frlnce
and Princess. TN" Duke ana Duch"SS "l on
naught ana other roy altles are seated on chairs
on a low dais. TO their right on benches ms
inr in tiers. are the duchesses, mafch"hesseS
and cOunt,sscs Of the realm.
other seats running round the large nan are
throngcd by those enterprising persons VINO are
Selling the first occasion To gratliy lohe-h'.r-
bored curiosity. The dthutante and me VIE
- the successful colonist are there VIGOROUSLY
en,amp,d while the hlast Londoner IS content
to talk with such cd friends as az" always 10
be-. met at "A state ball. at LORD -. "r Al me
Derby You viii find these latter IN niue
group. IN the long. cool corr iIprs ana m the III
but empty Stat" apartments opening one MO
tho other. and happy they arr iot, aPH LIZ LII
th, regal spectacle II those duadrl"s n when
our Princess is sti tn" most striking ana D''u-
tiful figure. and in when the frlH'" '~ '"e ''H'
,xa,nrl. of r,.rfcci kindness to all whom ne ~
counters apart from this. perhaps the pleas
ATTEST thing about state ball IS me lppor .l'y
Of meeting soldiers VINO Wer" prothrr "iH''rN
t., wears ago Judges who before then mar WAS
gray were on the same circuit. ana p'll'"" up
ponents with whom on" may nay" Had man! Il
sharp tlssle the floor ~ tn" House or on me
hastings In this corner a group Of attaches.
d, Turk with his eycg!ass. a perfect Ff"n' II ac-
cent and an absolutely European manner chats
ra,ly with an Italian in Tin" uniform OF me b'r,
sarlirri The Russian Ambassador NJ de S'aa''
pats som. young member Of the emma party on
the shoulder with "A boNh"nii'h' " hi."' i'. ~
moment ohlitcratcs painful! recollections 81 the
last China hluebook. Sir william Harcourt
towers above his fellows. and chuckles IN con-
versation with a political opponent, WINE pass.
INK TO and fro with perfect grace are beauuiu
women Yes. they beautiful In n" c"nFen-
tional sense for. whatever may DE- the "leriIS
~ orr foreign politics and Of our arr. We can
not I'm our most humble moments 'on'ede 10
any other nation the power OF putting mo one
room at II great f"stiNiiN so much trans hu"ii'
beauty In IN" way "i ""inanhIHu '"''' W my
tall and fair.
, court bandsmcn in long scarlet cloaks ar" in
a gallery facing the daIs Suddenly the strains
/ OF God Save the Queen break forth again
advance clearing the way. Next I" the i'oru
! chamberlain comes the Lord Steward ~ the
Household walking backward Ih'n our
! Prince his Princess and the more ililIstrlous
guests file into supper. rms u nt'' opio'
turitv for busincssllke dancing on tn" part or
~. vounC The dGbutante begins To think
court ball is not much Of "A Dor" AZ sl' "nirls
AT a more accustomed pace over PERI. 'iooI
But all too soon God save the Jun ,'i'sa
out again the procession comes PACK anu our
dlhutantr abandonS thu eXhIlaratng "Nci'ISe
20 try for the third time 10 dlscoNti IN" secret
~ the Princcss's perpetual youth she KNOWS
tina, her sisters will ask what the royaIiy wore.
and feels that she will be forever diSsraced II
d. r.rnot riI. a full. particular and true ac-
count down To the last order and the color Of rs
ribbon. -. ,.,,,,,,,
amin and IN. procession moves past. Tn" brill
TAM assrmhagr files out the carriages ar
,ll.d nm bv an acoustic Arrange mont rtlnlhd-
ING Won If "A vrntriloquial entertain h'i' N',tc
stnlyyart officers don their heddg'ar an" SN',"r'
and disintcrrng cigarettes anu az ~ ~
Iipht no and 90 their way To IN" S''"'F ''"' -.
,naols "a one state carriage after another
awinrs under the ar,hWay and OUT tn'""E" VIC
iron gates into the Mall