Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-02
THE CORONATION BALL.
oueen of Love and ben"tE
midst "a Scene of RcNeiry'

"a
One Of the prettiest of the entertain
,,erts of Carnival week was the corona
ton bail held at the Auditorium i"s'
Mon, and the success OF the entertain
mont from every standpoint Is o,y"h"
| question. The large hal was peau'llul''
| decorated and the festoomng from inc
ceiling TO the galleries ana over the
stage was particularly pleasing. .. had
Tne Spacious noOr space, "hlch hau
! 49,, cleared of an benches. save uhueI
/ me- galleries. was waxcd. and proved au-
! rirabv adapted for al ballroom ""'
xbcn dancing began. after the corona
ton ceremonies the scene from 'he b"i-
/ leries above was one Of beauty anu an
nation. The knights, wearing tne 0os
| tunes Of days long since PAST anu So
/ circling around the nan WIN 80,
/ uul women elegantly Go"leu' ~ -.
/ =, scene which Will finger III the memo
! rios M those who witnessed il long altei
| tb. memories OF other sights ahoIueu
/ bv the carnival shall have become oO-
THE CONCERT.
The galleries were literally packed win
pe0ple when the concert, win whIch the
evenings entertainment opened pesah,
and the excellent music by the Soiuleis
I
aupreciated. several eucores being given.
on the lower floor of the big building
were seated the ladies and gentlemen
who were only waiting for the signal 10
be given to begin the ball, and on the
large stage were grouped the royal
party" VINO participated in the coronation
ceremonies
Several numbers were played by the
band and at 9Ij o'clock the ceremonies,
in which the Knights and their Iadles
were profoundly Interested, began. Inc
KNIGHTS who had been successful in the
tournament in the afternoon were group
ed across the. front of the stage
forming "a scmi-circlo, each with the lady
Of his choice by his side. When all had
been arranged the crowns were brought
forth and placed upon table, and then
Mr.. Joseph Wallcrstein walked TO the
front OF the platform and IN a few words
introduced Mr.. jefferson Wallace who
had been selected 10 make the coronation
address. -.
MR. WALLACEs ADDRESS.
Dir. Wallace spoke for about twenty
minutes and made an exceedingly inter-
esting and highly entertaining address.
After briefly acknowledging the introduce
ton. he said:
Ladies and Gentlemen.-At such a mo-
ment as this. when all the beauty and
all the chiValry Of \irginias capital Is
gathered beneath one roof; when lovely
women and gallant gentlemen are await
ing the invitation TO the Gance. impa-
tiently approaching that divine moment
when the viOlins shall sound, and they
shall glide across the floor 10 the music
of a Strauss waltz, / fancy that not even
the most eloquent orator that ever
breathed could hope 10 intero st you, and
so / shall be very. Ntly rr4,f.
There may be come of you whom this
d. com Ifftf4rl slHl Ia
some OF you 20 whom all this brave show
is nothing more than an ordinary assem-
blagc of human beings, but ! doubt not
that there Is many snowy bosom that
is heaving ana many q young heart that
Is beating with anticipation, and that
even among our elders there IS a feeling
that this is one of those rare occasions,
one Of those delicious nights, that may
not easily be forgotten.
81 trust you will pardon me, gentle
men," said Mr.. Wallace, IF l address
myse (, not TO You, but rather 10 those
dear creatuI rs whose chief aim in life is
10 convert lonesome bachelors into Benc-
diets. and TO prove 10 those who wed
them that marriage Is not altogether
failurC-eVen if II does. sometimes, lead
our footsteps i'm the direction of the court
of bankruptcy this is an Occa-
sion where women are Indispensable,
while the presence Of men is merely an
incident"
oLpEN JOUsTs AND THE TOUR
Mr. Wallace. after paying tribute to
the ladies, delVed in.O ancient history,
and told of the olden jousts, and. con-
tinuing, said: THE modern tournament
is nothing more nor Less than the ancient
pastime Of riding az The rings under am
other and more ambitious name. In me-
daeyal times, when knighthOod was in
flower the pussant Of knights Gid not
dlsdain To ride at the rings; that, in a
battle TO the death, they might be able
to hold the lance steadily and strike an
antagonist surely in some vital spot.
From this harmless and innocent eXer-
else they advanced TO the till. in which
blunted lanccs were employed. and In
which the worst misEap that might be-
fall q knight was a sharp fall from his
horse with, perhaps, bruise or two.
Duols To the death. even in that age,
when familiarity with CORY scenes had
cheapened human life We're things OF in
frequent occurrence; those sanguinary
encounters. I'm which breastplates were
riven and headpleces spit open, IN which
the sandstreWn lists were purpled with
the blood of 90 liant gentlemen, did not
happen every day or even once a week;
but like the football games Of the pres
ent day. were reserved for days OF
thanksgiving and public feasts.
CHIVAI.RY OF VIRGINIA.
"rhe South. but more particularly Nir-
giuia." sai0 Mr.. Wallace must be re-
garded as the pre-erVsr of the tourna-
ment. In northern climes, where tine
blood runs slowly and the heart Is cold,
where men raise daughters that they
may sell them TO English dukes or Rus
sian princes; where a man is valued. not
according to his moral worth. but accord
ing 10 the number of dollars that he
owns. young men no longer practice the
admirable exercises Of chivalry-they are
fonder Of ariaying themselves in scarlet
coats and gallOping about the country in
pursuit OF bags Of anise-seed: but in
Virginia which has ever been and ever
will be the land OF poetry and Romance.
our young men stll devote themselves 10
those amusemcnis which appeal most
strongly TO the Imagination"
OUR IMPER1SHABLE HERITAGE.
Let Virginians ever remember the i'm
porishable heritage that r. theirs Mr..
Wallace concluded Let Us remember
that what makes d nation great IS not
It's banks it's foundries. or its mills. nor
vet great factories. whose long tiers of
lighted windows in tho evening glow like
lighted hrefios but those In whose young
hearts there burns the unquenchable fire.
of chivalry and forti'ude. those by whom
IL IS stil deemed beautiful to be good
those who believe that the knightlest
gentleman ls be whose hand is ever