Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-12

prised F'renchman. called out:
Come along, girls; I'm going to take
| you to mommer."
The pair of satyrs allowed innocence to sail
off on the arm of valor-or cool nerve, as
you choose to look On it-not imagining
that such brotherly tones could come from
q stranger, while the grateful girls pro-
cecded in their turn, to show this lucky
youth good time.
They Were Satisfied.
Amid the dancing, rioting thousands of
gay masks and costumes. to the crashing
periods of three orchestras, amid the daz-
znS lights and Intoxicating perfumes OF
what is, after all, the greatest razZle-daz-
, Zle of its kind in the world, these young
people found all the legendary romance of
the opera balls. They were masked, and
he sought to see their faces. They were
unknown and he sought to discover their
identity. All three were getting exactly
what they came fer, and when he had run
across a good friend of his from Phiadel-
phia and promptly introduced him the sup
per party was good as made up. They
made a perfunctory search for the girls
chapcron, attached a reasSuring note TO
the latter's wraps in the cloak room and
started off to the Cafe de Paris. There the
girls had the glory of supping in costume,
their pretty hoods thrown back, to the adj
miration of a roomful, while the young fei-
lows sWclled with the consciousness OF DC
ing the real thing You could not persuade
any of that quartet that the masked balls
of the Paris Opera needed improving!
1t is simply a question of taking your
own Gayety with you-which Is the enc
great secret of the PariS-qui-S amuSe of to-
day. You cannot sit down and order so
worth of gayety to be served you; or, at
most, it will be second-class gayety; and
when the unlucky buyer cannot understand
the language it is spoken in 1t scarcely
seems like gayety at all. On the other hand,
inability to understand the French Ian
guaee in the niceties of its current slang
and scolding is a real aid to the foreigner
in preserving his own gayety at these
opera balls where the "flottee'' has to
fight against the liberties more than half
contemptuously taken by the men in even
ing clothes.
Gracious Conversation.
Have you seen the wolf, Little Red Rid
ing hood?"
brute-beasts tonight
Gentlemen, unhard me. 1 am an honest
woman
And we are members of the League
Against License in Public Places. We are
obliged to ask you what an honest woman
can be doing here unacCompanied?
''Oh. can tell honest women
Howe"
They get angry when You do not pinch
them
Sir. you are pinching me. Stop
beg padron; thought you were lady,
''Insolent fellow"
This is the kind of back talk those who
venture into promiscuous conversation must
expect to hear.
1t has always been hard to make them
dance at the masked balls at the opera
No orchestra director has fully succeeded
in doing so since the days CT Louis Phlllppe,
sixty years ago. Then the eccentric Musard
held the baton-Musard. the king or the
quadrille." People came simply to watch
his methods. on each side of him ne
placed twenty-four v:oiins, with altos and
in full nrpnDrt ion with four
teen French horns and twelve trombones 10
assist in making that Internal racket which
is required to set the world dancing at the
opera ball. One memorable night, at
certain moment in the measure. he caused
a quantity of chairs to be thrown from
height behind the scenes and make great
crash. and the final galop was terminated
by the rapid firing of guns and pistols
Then when all was over, the crowd
dragged him from his place and bore him
on their shoulders in crazy triumph
Substitutes for Dancing.
To-day they are more likely to be bearing
some poor. defenseless girl on their Shout
ders in crazy triumph, and the most fear
full detail of the same is sure to be their
care!esSness in observing the rule of right
side up with care. 1t is supposed to be
most amusing trick The poor little thing
is whisked off her feet and the next mo-
ment her toes are pointing to the stars
high up above slow pro 'ession that gain
ers numbers and perhaps new victims as II
pro crosses.
Girls thus mishandled are supposed to
like it. The roughs in evening clothes are
not at all of the push of Beileville: VINO,
to their credit. would not dream Of sucn
infelicacy Nor are the victims Of that
humble element. They are young ladies
out for adventure-and they get IT. The
push for that matter, has learned 20
keep itself. 1t stays on the dancing moor
where. male and female. it dances con-
scientiously and rather timldly. accepting
Invitations to refresh itself with gratitude
These humble ones really enjoy themselves
at the dancing. The four MASKED pa.!s Vi
the season have. been their great winter
events They save up their money to rent
or buy costumes. and they resemble N
many respects, the costume-loVing New
Wear shooters and paraders of American
cities Of whose social and intellectual class
their equivalent is the French opponents
The true push is even disinterested. 1t
is scarcely on the lookout for supper. But
moving around t, almost part OF 1t. com
ing from the same suburban nelghporhoods,
are those others-the little laundry girls
from Suresnes, market girls and salesgiris
from the mean shops OF Ola Parls; con o
c;arges' daughters in particular, all me
great tribe of the disinherited-that, being
Young STILL hopes. They count on the
opera balls today, as their mothers ana
grandmothers did. Accompanied by their
hast young man. in costume, too. the ar
rancement is nevertheless, as they say in
lawyers offices, without prejudice.
In Dominoes.
viii the prouder beauties of Paris-by-
night accept the invitations, the carriages,
the toilet luXuries and the brides in the
shape of prizes? OF late years when they
showed themselves at the masked balls Of
the opera these prouder ones almost made
il a rule to come. like countesseS, in long
Jominoes and masks When they had not
a bon. to refuge in they kept fitting about
the corridors mysteriOusly, ever busy. As
the real count sses behaVed-and still be-
naye-eXactly the same, there is no telling
them apart. for a countess VIII accent an
invitation to supper. though she will take
care not to keep the engagement. 1t Is d
rule Of common decency 10 respect doml-
noes, Just as it is the custom to take liber-
" with girls in fancy dress. The prouder
demi-monde demand respect.
Now. a lady impeded by a dragging wrap
Ike domino cannot dance even should she
wish 70. 1t IS the custom for dominOes
never to dance. On the other hand. warned
by the remembrance of past winters. will
the desirable element risk itself in fancy
dress? Even with the protection of a mask
the adventure looks risky. The petulant
beauties of Paris have grown very preten-
tious To be pulled and pushed about by
roughs in evening clothes is not In their
program.
Reform the man-about-town first" they
might very we'll answer. The masked
balls Of the Paris Opera will regain their