Evening star., 1914-11-29


Smart Dancing Clubs the United
Of Past Two Decades. M the W. Wssbinr- M
ton assemblies were some of the smart
est dancing clubs of the past twenty
years. The Bachelors had a much
longer existence and was the most i'm
portant organization of it's kind twen-
ty-five years ago, during the last win
ter of the Cleveland administration.
This prominence continued to the end.
The Benedicts cotillon was quite
modern affair, but only lasted a few
years. The same class of men officered
all of them. members of the Metropoli-
tan Club. or army and navy men here
on duty. The Dunblane Hunt and the
Chevy Chase Hunt also have given
fashionable balls. The last named con-
tinues to be an annual spring event at
the Chevy Chase Club.
One of the last of the Washington
assemblies was given the night of the
great blizzard. Venturesome guests
Wen. to the Arlington, before the snow
drifts got too high for driving, and
when the ball was over stayed in the
hotel all night. There were many
tales of the trouble experienced in
getting around the city and to the
ball that night.
The Bachelor cotillon continued it's
happy existence until the close of 19l.
1t did not reorganize last year
The Benedicts' balls We're held at the
New Willard. The Army and Navy
germans were fixed events for a num-
ber of years and were held alternate
weeks with the Bachelors, the National
Rifles Armory being the scene of both
at that period; The Thursday germans
were also ambitious occasions. official
and congressional society as well as the
residents contributing chaperons and
leaders. These parties thrived twenty
five years ago.
The Wednesday german, generally
considered an offshoot of the Bache-
long to late years, when all the balls
of their size were held at the Arlington
and later at the New Willard. The as
semblies were probably all given at
ant similar affairs of that time.
The dissolution of the Bachelors
which survived longer than any dane
ing club of which there is record
seemed exactly to precede the changes
in dancing-and the doing away of
These clubs had an important bear
ing each season. They were conducted
as elaborately as private balls, and
practically without subsequent news
of the hostess; the leader, with some
times a list of the guests. Invitations
to subscribe or otherwise to attend
were rated high Out-of-town guests
came here especially for them. and each
event in it's turn would have been rec
ognized at the moment as the best ex-
preston possible of Vanity Fair.
The favors were always elaborate.
Less SO. perhaps. in later years, when
taste in these matters had changed
somewhat. Twenty-Five years ago, at
a Thursday assembly held at the old
Rifles Armory. the souvenir favors
were such substantial articles as alli-
gator leather travelling bags for the
men and piano lampshades for the
women.
The assemblies distributed thousands
of hand-painted fancy articles, that be-
ing the great desideratum in favor
choosing those days. The souvenirs
were always something practical as
we'll as bright and pretty, with date
and suitable marking. The bachelors
always had simple flower favor, cor
sages for the women and boutonnleres
for the men, made in the color of the
evening. The first ball after Christmas
was red. the next pink, and for the