The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-16

TURNS OUT

| Also few somebodies.
Such a gorgeous gathering. All
the colors Of the rainbow and the
| beaux and bellies seemed glinting in
the lights in the Academy lobby, as
| motor car after motor car discharged
its load. Everybody, except the
| somebodies. apparently. had needed
! the Injunction TO dress. although why
| anybody in Richmond. who Is any
| body. needs an injunction to dress
| for such a gala night as the first
| KIrmess, Ia beyond the comprehension
| OF everybody except dull ordinary
folk.
| The men were as smartly groom
! ed as men may be with their limita-
tons in the matter of dress. but the
| women. Solomon in all his glory
| certainly was not arrayed like one Of
these, although Eastern kings were
| given to costumes not unlike gowns
| And anyway. Solomon, never could
| have possessed a figure to display
! gowns to advantage, no matter how
/ magnificent hts raiment.
To attempt to describe them would
be quite as absurd az futile. Think
| OF being told that one of the choicest
| creations was pink applfkay over
! condensed cream" or something like
| tHAt, ana you Will nave bCiIIc luSA
| how utterly Intellectual words are to
convey any idea Of the picture a
| radiant Richmond woman in a JOY
out gown makes. And then think OF
| great gathering OF them. amid bril-
| liant lights and with flowers and RIB
bons and ribbons and flowers and
more lights, and you are dazed by the
| dazzle or dazzled to a. dAxe. Dazzled
by the daisies, somebody adds. So
| let 1t go at that.
Beauty in q Bower.
Passing the ticket taker your eyes
| lighted on a bower. Merely booth.
| one of the benign creatures in the
| bower would inform you. booth to
sell things. to add to the great fund
| for the Associated Charities and the
| Association for the Preservation Of
| Virginia Antiquities. But you knew
better. You knew 1t was beauty in
a bower and were perfectly satisfied
TO be sure beauties In and out OF
the power sought to sell things. They
sold everything from programs to Gig
arettes and the cigars were not real
Vueta Cabbejo. either. They could
be and were smoked with satisfac-
ton during intermission.
| But to get to the Kirmess. which
means "A festival of dances according
NO one excellent authority. To be
sure there Is a kermes which Is "a
dyestuff which Consists. of the bod
les OF the female species you
have 1t. female OF the species. again!
But last night at the Academy 1t was
proved beyond all manner OF doubt
that the female of the species Is far
lovelier than the male. And thus.
down with Kipling.
The orchestra amid the buzz OF
the multitude, took its place. W.
Henry Baker. waved an authoritative
baton. and the strains Of his own
martial music served as an overture.
Then the curtain went up and re-
vealed a picture quite worthlspf Miss
Lila Agnew Stewart, and her assist
chairman of the stage committee
Festoons OF Chinese lanterns and
flowers overhead and the dancers
grouped. in splashes Of color below
made a scene that would have re-
Joiced the heart of NJ. Kiralfy. had he
been looking on, or the soul OF ar
. impressionist painter.
: The Dances Begin.
And then the dnaces began, one
after another and each just little
more enhancing. IT was wonderful.
the way the program was graded
1t led step by step from the little
ones to tint great climax Of the Hun
garian dance In the first part and
after the Tarantelle and the wonder
full dance by Miss Joynes. to the bois-
ferrous sextette in the second. The
applause. a .cold-blooded person said
lasted six minutes and six minutes
Is long time. Almost too long fol
a scene of Whitechapel or Hogan's
Alley.
To be sure the king helped some
from the very first. He had such
full, easy going way with him wher
he welcomed each group Of dancers
as they CAME to the front in turn
that the audience was prepared to b.
linq~the fullest humerx AS for. that
, there was real reason to applaud.
The first big spontaneous outburst
J came when Miss Binford and Mr.
Miller did their riding lesson" dance
right after Mrs. Hotchkiss had re-
ceived a whirlwind of applause fol
her song. But the choir boys Of St
! Peters school drew the CREATES
round when they chimed in the
J chorus OF Molly Shannon 1t wa.
great. simply great. 80 a man In the
fourth row said, and he only voiced
} the opinion OF the audience in gen
ieral.
, But to specify further would h,
only to eulogize each dance yet whel
: q vote was taken at the close Of tn,
. | performance Tor the most popular
! dance Of the evening. the 'Londol
Gaiety Girls and Chappies" won will
the fascinating polo dance second
Perhaps this was due to the effort
J OF Mr.. Alvin Smith, chairman of tn,
voting contest committee. Just a.
J the voting became a little slack. TO
every vote east cost ten cents an,
all were cast in blocks OF ten--an,
votes are sometimes slow when /
costs to vote instead Of paying-weI
Mr.. Smith stepped to the front an,
said.
Come. gentlemen. We must poll
fun vote. Loosen up. You all xonv
, that II Bob Daniel. who Is on hi
/ way here on the Titantic although sh,
hit an iceberg. was here he'd hav,
those figures boosted to the limit h,
+ now
A great laugh OF ascent greeted
this and once more the ballots bega,
10 roll In. London and the poll
dances. skipping on ahead.
II was well toward midnight wher
I the festival was over and II yo,
would see Just what you will see to-
nigh. r. YOU 20, why, the program
gives It fully. II feebly. And II tn,
little usher boy with bouquets fol
the pereSmers. wanders astray again
; you viii enjoy It fully az we'll AZ thl
audience last night. enjoyed all thu
numbers formally given here.
n~o~~uvr ~ fh~ Kiru,aas MOud. ~