Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-30
A SPRING s.SfTURNAL|A
Enjoyed in Paris Each Year
Behind Closed Doors.
AN ARTISTS REVEL
BALL OF THE sQUAT'Z-ARTs AND
OF L'INTERNAT.
Both Are Wonderful. Spectacles-Their
Reasons for
Being.
of The Evening Star.

PARIS, May IA, 1903.
The Saturnalia of ancient Rome-feast of
JOY, beauty, equality and the return of the
golden age-was reveled in by the whole
population annually
The Partisan Saturnalia is reveled in each
spring behind closed doors. With this sole
exception it is a grandose revival of the
ancient JOY and beauty froic done regard
less of expense, with great artistic effort,
by the whole force of the Latin quarter,
aided by Montmartre
Every one has heard of the famous
Quatz-Arts ball, now in its twelfth year,
the gorgeous annual ceremony of the four
arts, the attempt to prosecute whose lead
ers caused the students riots of 1893. But
who has heard of the bal de Tinternat?
Both have come off again with splendor
IN the past month; and together they form
the Partisan Saturnalia in It's great lines,
for the smaller functions, often very gor-
geous, like the ball of the Pierrettes, and
the great irregular manifestations of the
courier Francois. are not of the same
broad, spontaneous character.
w nat Is the Quatz-Arts ball? Two years
ago priest of Aphrodite-who in daily life
is one OF the most famous Paris painters
rose at the supper table of the gorgeous
function and made its apology:
Under the color of a ball. he said, 1.-The
Quatz-ArtS is an artists feast of serious
JOY IN 1t we fill our eyes for a whole year
with the marvellous spectacle furnished by
9ooo costumes, when each one of them has
been during weeks the unique preoccupa-
tlon OF men whose trade it is to assemble
colors' drape rich fabrics and seek out the
character of historical epochs.
But the silks. brocades and velvets how
tney pale IN presence of that divine tissue
the fabric of nature, the flesh tints of the
1a1r young female model! All the spendor
Of fi,,r-
so1t and luminous, is fit but for it's framingi
Here, here only, may the painter and the
sculptor observe freely that which ought to
be the greatest object of his studies-th,
nude seen in movement"
Outsiders Seek Admission.
The question of the admission of out
siders is burning one and certainly there
are thousands of men in Paris and scat
tered over the world who will tell YOU they
have seen the Quatz-Arts ball, when they
nave not l know one American business
man who three seasons. ago bribed an at
tendant of the Moulin Rouge to hide him
IN broom closet at 4 pm There in the
dark, with his expensive costume on his
pack ana his dinner in basket he waited
eight full hours till he could slip ont in
the merry throng.
On another occasion / saw moor ar+
student refuse 1.00a francs in cash for his
costume and admission ticket The same
night an Englishman of title having bribed
ms way IN at the price of years living in
the 1rugal Latin quarter, only saved him
SELF from prompt election by a suppIemen-
tary offer of such magnitude that Latin
quarter nerve could not withstand it, (The
sum was afterward divided among five sick
students.) --
In word the artists bind themselves to
admit no outsiders. and as they almost
Keep their promise the authorities content
themselves TO look on the annual feast of
fr,I;
AS such the annual function is rather q
pageant than ball. the central feature
being the great march or defile of the
students and models, who from each prin-
clpal studio and academy have devised
peculiarly spectacular groups either on foot
floats.
Each year some historic period is decided
on beforehand. Every individual admitted
10 the bail must be in costume appro-
pirate to 1t, but more ambitious students
from each of the great academies plan the
spectacular groups as they would plan and
pose some great historic picture
This Years Subject:
SO this year the subject was the early
middle ages, which gave the lovely Lame
de Pougy the inspiration to appear in a
costume consisting of a jeweled replica of
the famous Ceinture de Chastite of the
Cluny museum. Iseult. Auduvere. Emilde
Tiphane. Melusine, the queen of the fairies.
and the Princess of Legend walked or rode
attended by young pages or fierce bearded
knights The Julian Academy presented
huge Gothic castle float, in which twenty
five female models defended themselves
from the attacks of robber barons The
academy of j. P. Laurens to give another
example, represented Bertrade de Mont
fort and her attendant landmarks mourn
ing in considerable nudity under the zeal
Gus watch of her knightly husband and his
seneschal. 1t will be remembered that
time eloped with Philip l. Here again she
was voted the most beautiful. But l an
tcipate.
Year after year the subject changes. In
1901 the period was that of the discovery
and conquest of America: and the first prize
for composition was carried off by the RE
turn of Christopher Columbus" of the J. P
LaurenS Academy. COnquistadors buccan-
GERS, filibusters rode and stalked beside
beauteOus Indian maidenS, filmy-robed In
girls and proud beauties of CASTLE
and Andalusia. Borne on high on the
shoulders of eight swarthy Dago sailor
men the caravel of the great navigator
was again honored as it had been in Chica-
go.
sombre and Blood Thirsty.
For some years back, now, it has hapnen-
ed that the fancy of the subject-commit
tees should favor sombre and bloodthirstv
demonstrations. Thus in 1900 the period
was that of the terror of the French revo-
luton, while that of last year '.The BAR
barians'' displayed captive maidens huddled
in rude cages, slung across the backs of
horses behind Barbarian warriors In the
former the 'Defle Of the terrorists'' of
1893 was. indeed. a.strange mixing of blood
and laughter. In one corner of the Moulin
Rouge hall they sung the "Carmagnol
around a statuesque girl who posed as
1.-THE Republic" In. red cap and mantle
(she sat on the mantle.1; In another section
of the procession, eighteenth century shep-
herds and shepherdesses sang sentimental
songs like 1.-The Dead Canary" while fur
Their down shocking blood smeared butch
err f1ourishng an initiation CORY human
head upon pike led Citizens of 1882 in
the terrible and rapid measure of the
"Cairar'
Great artists and sculptors who honor
the Quat'z-Arts ball by their presence men
like Francois F1ameng. Paul Chabas. Bon
nat Laurens and Terrier. declare that am
pie excuse for it's annual existence lies in
the spectacle of technique-"the nude in
movement'-it affords to young artists
Howl exclaimed the priest of Aphro-
dite in his after-supper speech already
referred to, there are young men devoted
to great art, who are to offer to the blue
sky the sole costume whose fashion never
changes; and yet they have never seen the
human body exercised in freedom! This
necessary sight has not been given to
them by the schools. They have II once