Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-30

he Sdyety OF medical StuOentS, III ali
lands, is always more intense than that of
law students, for example. In the Latin
quarter the medical students are the
friends of the art students, pillars of
cafes, Bohemians, and often not to be dis
tinguished from the veriest ''rapins," as
the tough art boys are called Robert Louis
Stevenson remarked the fact and speculat-
ed on the wondrous change effected in them
by the gaining of their diploma. What be-
came of the rowdy, registering medical
student, and where the dignified young
Paris doctor comes from, he declared to be
a mystery.
The "Internes" of the Paris hospitals (stu-
dents and graduates of medicine and phar-
Macy are young men of merit and promise.
They have already made their mark and
are on the road to high places This detail
but complexities the mystery of the great
and gorgeous annual Bal de rInternat.
which Louis NORM, one of its apologiSts.
explains on a ground of community of in
terest in the human body, but which the
ordinary plain man will prefer to look on
as just simply the other half of the Spring
Saturnalia of the. Latin Quarter.
A Gorgeous Spectacle.
In any case, the fact remains that for
seven years past the young physicians
pharmacians and students attached to the
various great Paris hospitals have done it.
In particular the Bal de rInternat of 1902
and that of this spring, just past, will live
Arranged by Andre Bellery, the artist who
has designed many QuatZ-Arts sue
ceSses, the young doctors Greek Cortege
and Quo Vadis'' procession simply equaled
the best QuatZ-Arts effort; while their
more liberal regulations to the admis-
sion of outsiders made it possible for large
contingents from Partisan high society to
revel in the Saturnalia
Just as the Quatz-Arts balls have always
been held at the Moulin Rouge. so the In
ha TO 10 Nor in, not ct "
dents rendezvous, the Butler Ball. The
great nave of the latter has remained I'M
changed since the time when Oliver Wen
dell Holmes danced in it gay young
medico
The Greek Cortege, At one end of the
hall a Greek temple of true classical cor
rectness raised its pillars. Toward 1t pass
ed the wonderful procession. Warriors In
helmets, dancing-girlS in transparent gauze,
priests and priestesses preceded the fair
nymph called ''Tanegra," who under this
name gained the prize for beauty in the
Quat'Z-Arts ball of 1901. These beauty
prizes of the students carry weight in Paris.
This year the Quat'z-Arts voted the fair
model who. impersonated Bertrade de Mont
fort the most beautiful girl of Paris"
In 1901 the prize was carried off by a droop-
ing tawny oriental lily. a lovely Javanese
girl from Montmartre, with amber skin and
lips like raspberries.
The delightful little "Tanegra"-a rosy
figure of utter grace and delicacy-rode as
Cupid in the Greek Cortege. Behind her
Eambolled bacchanates with golden gobletS,
poets crowned with laurel, striking golden
harps, the Hours (more gauZe). escorting
the great Car of Venus, where sat a blonde
blooming goddess. She was followed by
her Triton escort blowing sea shells. by
Bacchus who had lost his barrel but had
kept the bung-hole, and more bacchanates.
In Striking Contrast.
For contrast to the sweetness and light
Of fhn To
the Inferno of human suffering Decapi-
tated victims, crucified bodies, bodies skin
ned alive, sawed apart, transfixed with
nails and split with axes. staggered in a
long procession. 1t was just this mingling
of the hideous and the lovely that has in
the past few years, given their peculiar
character to all these Saturnalia.
The Quo Vadis'' procession was just such
mixture: and 1T was certainly awful to
see not only young men but lovely girls
devote themselves to the attitudes of tor
ture of Neros persecution of the Christians.
Borne high on rude crosses. amid rude
Roman soldiers and a bowling Roman pop
ulace, the lovely Christian maidens, nude
and ready for the burning. allowed them
selves to be carried These four got the
Internal prize for beauty.
In ensemble called 1.-The Triumph of
Messaline" following just behind them, the
tlguraton of the Grand Opera itself was
said to have been surpassed. Still behind
il came "A Roman Orgie.' in which, sprawl
ing on velvets and tiger skins, in the per-
fumed haze of burning incense, other beau
teous maidens seemed to sleep in great
contentment just as they had fallen.
THE world Is ours!' howled Latin Quar-
ter voices.
According to some prophets of the boule-
ward these Saturnala. now in a way secret
contain in themselves the formulate of the
public amusements of tomorrow The taste
for exact reconstructions in theaters is
passing to the audience; and they argue,
it will not he long before the audiences
will ask to take part in the spectacles
STERLING HELLO