Evening star., 1901-03-04
THE INAUGURATION BALL.
4 Grand Assembling of the beauty
and Fashion of the Capital and the


and Fashion of the Capital and the
| Nation.
| From the National Republican of March 8, 1865.
| The ball at the patent office building last
night was fitting close to the ceremonies
| of the Inauguration of the new administra-
! ton We say new administration for such
| a leader as Abraham Lincoln is lever fresh
and ever new" We cannot promise our
| readers a description of the affair. 1t
| would require labor which we can hardly
| afford to do, and we will give as briefly as
| possible sketch of the grand fete.
| 1t should be remembered, firstly, that the
| hall in which the dancing and grand dis
| play took place is the largest room In the
| world with an independent ceiling, or
| ceiling unsupported by central pillars. The
| area, when computed in square yards and
| feet, seems immense, but under the ar
rangcments of the evening last night 1t
assumed the symmetrical proportions OF
good-sized dancing room.
We will not go into the details of the
ball. as they would fatigue the reader. 1t
would require fifty Jenkinses to describe
| the toilets of the ladies. They were va
rious, but good taste and generous dis
| play characterized the whole. 1t may be
safely asserted that so large and uniformly
wel-dressed an assemblage Of such num-
bers is hardly ever met with anywhere In
| this or any other country. The Jenkinses
of the press from the fashionable cities
may write differently of this matter and
| 1t is expected of them They earn their
salaries by writing sensational accounts Of
whatever they are sent to describe. Our
own deliberate verdict is that the festival
was a grand success so far as the general
display and the dancing were concerned.
The grand salon de danse devoted to the
occasion for the first, last and only time,
We suppose-for 1t is soon to be filled with
cases Of patent models and things-is some
300 feet long and 60 feet wide. 1t was
draped with flags and lighted brilliantly
with rows of gas jets throughout the en-
tire extent of the hall. Upon one side. at
the center. was balcony for the music,
which pealed forth from forty instruments
the inspiring strains that animated the feet
of the thousands OF happy men and women
assembled to do honor to the great occa-
sion and to enjoy themselves withal. OPP
posite the musicians was a dais, upon
which sofas and chairs were placed for the
President and his party. There Mr.. and
Mrs. Lincoln sat, interested and pleased
observers of the magnificent spectacle.
On Mrs. Lincoln's left was Senator Sum-
ner and on Mr.. Lincoln's right was Speaker
Colfax In front and around at all avail
able StandpointS admiring throng.
The President seemed to be in his happiest
mood, and the whole party evidently en-
joyed to the utmost the rich music and
the Kaleidoscope scene.
The company made up of senator's
representatives,, members of foreign en-
bassics and legations, citizens strangers
and citizens resident. Officers of the army
and officers of the navy were there some Of
them accompanied by their wives and
daughters. and others, seemingly bent on
new conquests. The dancing went on with
out Interruption. except by the grand
prOmenadcs which occurred at intervals
under the inspiration of music from a brass
band at end of the hall. Notwithstand-
| ing the vast crowd assembled, all who de-
sired to dance had ample room and verge
enough upon the spacious floor. While
the devotees Of Terpschore trpped the
light fantastic toe along the center of the
hall there was an outside border Of ladies
and gentlemen occupying seats. and an in
side border Of promenaders walking up and
down and to and fro, chatting with their
thousand and one acquaintances
When the witching hour of midnight ap-
preached the committee OF arrangements
escorted the President and party and mem
bers of foreign legations into the supper
room. A supper table spread in the
hall In the west end of the building, 24O
feet long. The banquet was superb At
the center was an elaborate model of the
Capitol in confectionery.
On the right Of this was an elaborate and
tasteful pyramid displaying emblems of our
army. and on the left another illustrating
our navy. The taste and ingenuity dis
played on these sugar-candy structures
was quite admirable. Throughout the range
OF tables was grand display Of confec-
tionery and made dishes seldom eQualed in
any affair Of the kind here or elsewhere
When the doors Of the supper room were
thrown open to the company the Sacred
rage Of hunger took possession of them.
and the beautiful structures of paste and
sugar and made dishes of all sorts soon
became a wreck Of matter. The supplies
held out however, rand those who possessed
their souls in patience and their appetites
in accordance were all duly fed
The dancers kept on to the end of the
program, which lasted until near daylight
when all went home with a full conscious
ness OF having enjoyed the most pleasing
great festival that has ever taken place in
Washington.
Farmers' Convention