The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-30

FROM PearSOnS weekly.
| 1t has become a craze for members of
the artisocracy to attend various garden
parties arranged for charitable objects,
and to help rake in the shekels at these
beneficent affairs. Needless to say, they
| leave all their society manners at home,
and make up their minds to enter fully
into any fun that is going, and to create
as much as they possibly can themselves.
| Kisses, of course, are very saleable
article at such affair. These fetch all
sorts of sums, according to the face
value of the lady who is selling them
or how much man is prepared to pay
for such thing.
One we'll known musical comedy lady,
/ who was perehed on the top of an organ
bearing the legend you may kiss my
ankle for half a crown" was doing roar
ing trade in her particular line.
One of the things which impressed Mr..
| p. Dolbleyou most of all when he was
present at one of these parties the other
day, was the amount of rag time dancing
which was going on.
This craze seems to have affected the
younger members of the Upper Ten" as
no other craze has, and, in spite of the
many heated discussions which have been
going on as to the propriety or otherwise
of the dances, they perform them before
the eyes of all without the slightest sign
of embarrassment 81
As rule large lawn is roped off and
this answers the purpose of a dancing
floor For charitys sake half crown or
so is charged for admission to this al fres-
co ballroom, and of course it is besieged
by those who wish to exhibit their skill
In the intricacies of hugs "trots' and
'tangoes."
For hours together couples dance to the
tunes of the latest rag time melodies, and
all the most eccentric of the negro and
cowboy dances-the Argentine Tango, the
Butterscotch Pull and scores of others are
gone through for the benefit of the onloolx-
ers. AS soon as the whirlwind move
ments of one of the dances tire them
they rest bit and then take up one Of
the less strenuous glides.
Another big feature of these garden
parties is the number of barrel organs one
sees. Lord So-and-So things it "devilish
fun" to hire one of these for the day and
then charge people twopence or so time
for the privilege of turning the handle.
AS is only natural, perhaps, rag times are
the predominating tunes of these organs.
and the fact that each is surrounded by
scores of swaying dancers is proof of
the assertion that you can't keep still to
rag time"
selves as amiable as they can at the par
ties, and so their actions in pursuit of
this desire are often very eccentric. For
the sake of novelty, most of the "Coster
Kings of London are invited to these
functions, and the Marquis of Lord
Knows What" is highly delighted when
he is able to introduce MY friend, the
Pearly King of the Old Kent Road to
his acquaintances.
Most of the games and exhibitions which
are seen at an ordinary fair can be found
at these charitable garden parties.
There are roundabouts, swing boats,
houp-la, and host of other things. al
kept by noble Lords and ladies' who do
their very best to beat one another in the
amount of their takings.
The keepers of these stalls have very
keen eye to business, and SO they seek the
aid of all the prettiest chorus girls 1t is
the duty of these fair ones to get as much
money out of their admirers as they can,
and they usually succeed very we'll
| AS such ridiculous sums as and 10
shillings is no unusual thing to pay for
a turn In the roundabout or swings, there
| is naturally no question of what Is lost
on the swings must be made up on the
roundabouts."
| Very often as much as $1,000 Is raised
for charity in a day by means of one OF
these garden parties, and so a great deal
| of good comes out of this summer amuse-
ment.