The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-18
Brilliant Preparations for Bal
 Masque At the Club
SOCIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Notes Here and There of Interest and Social Gossip of the Pre- Lenten Season - Miss
 Finch's Novel.
BY ANNE kENpRlck WALKER.

lue evening Of SnrONe Tuesday VIII De the most brilliant event there in years, and in keeping with the carnival season so universally observed throughout the south.
 In New Orleans, as everyone knows, the carnival balls are events of the greatest splendor, and in Mobile equally as elab. crate preparations are made to celebrate this season.
 Society here, deprived of it's traditions that give such prestige to carnival balls elsewhere, has appropriately observed the carnival season in one or two very elabo- rate masquerade balls for the last few seasons, and considers itself somewhat historical in being able to point with par donable pride to these events.
 The members of the Southern club gave a masquerade ball last year. which afford ed much deseired opportunity for soc. ety to get itself up in fancy dress The ball was such success that the club gov ernors decided to make it an annual event. The evening of shrove Tuesday was to be ambtiously celebrated every year by bal masque.
 Little else is now thought of but the costumes to be worn at the ball of Tues day evening. Through a Birmingham tailor many orders have reached noted costume makers and many handsome cos tunes have already arrived. Modistes are busy putting the finishing touches to many ball gowns. Pretty women are deep in the intricaces of dainty lace masque, and the whole week will be spent in completing the details of the elaborate ball costume.
 A masquerade ball is the very embodi- ment of charming mystery. It has been given distinction in some of the most bril- liant novels; it plays part in tragedy as well as comedy. And to modern society, so frequently jaded with the common place. it is an oasis in the desert of en- hui pleasure.
 The season in which balls have been in conspicuous, when so few hostesses have been inclined to undertake a large ball. q bal masque will naturally be seized upon by the dancing world, and the gray dawn of Wednesday will flicker in all too soon upon the gay maskers at the club.
 Arrangements were completed yesterday for the musicale to be given on Saturday afternoon at the Country club for the ben- eft of the Boys club. Several well known | musicians have generously consented to | take part and the occasion in which 8 | number of fashionable young women are greatly interested will draw society to the cale will be arranged.
 Miss Lucine Finch of Birmingham, every reason to be gratifled at the cordial reception of her book, Two in Arcadia" !" recently brought out by Bretano. It is q striking instance of the author 5 well-known originality. Besides the po- etic beauty of the book the character of the illustrations makes it unique among the seasons publications.
 One of the most interesting points about these illustrations has not been noted in the reviews that I have seen, and that is the artistic possibilities of kindergarten principles, as applied by Miss Finch, irp the series of charming pictures in her book For some years Miss Finch taught in the kindergartens in Chicago, revealing peculiar capabilities in kindergarten work Designing pictures, little landscapes, with trees and delicate foliage, sunsets, dawn, ships at sea, sea guls and all done by the means of colored plotting paper, after the style of the impressonists, is now part of the kindergarten work Miss Finch, having taught the principles with such success, has been able to adapt these principles to her illustrations, which were photographed for Two in Arcadia" But so charming an adaptation was noth- ing short of genius of the highest order
 In review of Two in Arcadia Mir S. Mays Ball says in the Atlanta Georgian: To thoroughly enjoy and appreciate any kind of book the reader must nec- essarily be in receptive mood for that special class of literature which he happens to take up. It is not at all necessary to have that "artistic tenn perament" abused so often to enjoy certain books, but in all literature from Shakespeare down the reader must meet the author half way or at least be unbiased or open to conviction.
 That from heart little book of poems, illustrated by the author, Miss Lucine Finch, called TWO in Arcadia" is a most attractive production. And in speaking of the illustrations, 1t is not meant to say simply pictures which show only what the text has set forth, but illustrations which are really a part of the text, meaning that the pie lures read" along with the poem op- posite and have as much to do with the idea intended to be conveyed as the text itself. There are no men, women or children in the pictures, and no doubt the intention of the author Is that the reader will fill up the spaces with You and Me" At the first glance Miss Finch will be understood to have taken up most ambitious proposition. namely, that Of picturing or exploiting the light that never was on land ar sea-" but the author has approached and handled her subject in such a way that instead of any harsh feelings one might have at her temerity. the reader will instinctively feel that Miss Finch has been doing all of this work for "You and Me"
 Now, of course, if the reader does not believe in love- it Is great deal better, to be "7O years young than 40 years old' or that love Is the greatest thing in the world. why, then, Two in Arcadia is certainly not what that reader would desire or expect to un- derstand. But if the reader still has q