New-York tribune., 1905-03-05
THE INAUGURAL BALL.
SCENE OF MUCH SPLENDOR
1t Brought to Close Exercises of
the Day-Ended at Midnight.
[FRoM THE TRIBUNE BUREAU. ]

!
| gural ball of this evening brought to fitting
| close the splendid ceremonies and constituted
fitting climax to the historical features of the
| eventful day.
Every nation in the civilized world. every
| State in the Union. every branch of the military
| establishment OF the United States, was repre-
sented among the 1900 guests who gathered to
| do honor to the Inauguration of President Roose-
| velts second term; and once more Washingtons
greatest social function will go down in history
| a permanent success In that vast assem-
| blage were men whose household
| words the country over, men whose fame has
spread beyond the seas, who control the
| destinies of great foreign states attended by
brilliantly uniformed staffs, and all accompanied
| by beautifully gowned and superbly jeweIled
women. presenting scene which could be ex-
celled IN its beauty and brilliancy in capital
| in the world.
| Shoulder to shoulder stood diplomats gorgeous
In the court costumes OF their countries; blue
| and gold warriors Of the army and navy who
have made history In their times, and uniformed
| cadets of both branches of the service who are
! training to make 1t in the future. Resident and
out OF town society was represented by its best,
| and mingling with all these official and social
| great ones were thousands of other men and
| women whom neither fame society
| convincing demonstration of the democracy Of a
| government that permits it's humblest citizen to
| participate every four years in the social
| installation of it's President-provided he cares
| to pay the price of admission.
The big work-a-day Pension Building had
| been transformed into an acre of fairyland in
| honor of President Roosevelt's first, perhaps
| only, inaugural ball. When the committee
| decorations decided to give the ballroom open
| air effect, topped by Italian sky, a prosaic
| man looked up at the peaked roof Of the Pen
sion Building and objected that as Aladdins
| day had passed 1t would be impossible to
| achieve radical a transformation. The mem
| Der forgot to reckon with the modern genius
| who works his magic with paint and bunting
and electricity and who, IN this instance
ceeded so signally in making the armament
| dered by the committee that every guest pres
ent noted its resemblance to a real Italian sky
though II is probable that the majority had
never seen one.
But it all very beautiful, and the sum-
merike effect actually achieved by artists and
decorators offered joyous contrast TO the black
world outside-a contrast heightened by the
| fragrance of tons of flowers, the pnngent odor
| Of forest of palm foliage and music's eutranc-
| ing strains by the famous Marine Band. as
| sisted by a great orchestra.
The Pension Building is vast court. with two
galleries running around the four walls each
! gallery supported by gilded pillars supporting
series Of arches A large stone trimmed fountain
| plays in the centre of the court, and the roof Is
supported by eight huge columns that look like
! so many rnonoliths Of ochre -colored stone. On
the upper gallery American cedars twenty feet
| in height alterneted with pedestals of white
! plaster. each surmounted by large white eagle
with outstretched wings The blue bunting
| walls were sprayed with vines, and the rails
| were transformed into hedge OF Southern
! s1nilax brought from the swamps Of Alabama.
| Through the foliage cleaned nayriads of incan-
! descent lights larger than the frefes that
| throng summers dusk. The gallery below was
| treated in like fashion, except that the vine
! sprayed hangings red. The base Of each
| gallery was defined by an electric cable studded
with lights-those above being smaller. so as to
| give the vague shadowy blue. of a summer
| nights sky. Jutting from both foliage covered
| galleries were fragrant masses Of bloom and
| gracefully trailing vines. The flowers used in
| these bursts of floral colors included azalea
| genestas, carnations and roses, pink white and
! crimson; all the buIbous blossoms OF early
| spring. together with graceful showers of bou-
| ganvia from the Philippines. This tiny mauve
blossom, for all it looks like floral personiica-
| ton of helplessness. has made grim history for
itself in its native islands, where it tangles itself
| into such impregnable thckets that more than
one soldier at the bail last night has had to cut
| his way through it with his boio. Americas
| new possessions We're also represented by
| army OF giant Porto Riean palms. with leaves
twenty-five feet long, which stood like sylvan
sentinels beside the west door, where the Presi-
| dent entered. and kept guard directly beneath
| the balcony from which, with his party, he
looked down the scene in the court below.
This state balcony, built out from the first gall
| lery was hung with crimson velvet and sur
| mounted by sunburst of partially furled flags,
| In the centre was the silk embroidered banner
| hearing the coat of arms of the United States
| and below was draped the splendidly blazoned
| flag ten by twenty feet, known THE Presi-
| dents Own" The face of the balcony trop-
| ical with foliage and garlanded with American
| Beauty roses caught with rippfes and bows of
| wide satin ribbon of the same hue. The COLI
| umns beneath were abiaze with electric lights
| and the national coiors glowed under tri-coored
| shields From the arches formed by the 1872 gilt
| columns that support the first gallery were sus-
pended blazing stars of light. and festooned
| around the entire interior were swinging chains
| Of incandescent hre interspersed with electric
| devices Of every conceivable design. Flreproof
| bunting was draped from every vantage point.
and the ceiling formed around the sides OF the
| court of the foor OF the first gallery was fes-
| tooned with garlands OF greenery radiating from
centre baskets of blooming plants and were then
| caught and wreathed about each column On
| the face Of each column also We're clusters of
| electric lights and the coat OF the vari-
Gus States ,..- ....
The music of the evening fioated down from
| the flag draped balconies meilowed and sweet
ened by the peculiar acoustics of the great court