Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-27
CHARITY BALL DEPICTS
JOYOUS YOUTH AT PLAY
Debutantes Revel in Symbolic
Dances and Drills From
Fairyland of Childhood

wiz the eyes of American youth looking
forwa,L to the happiness Of peace and not
back upon the four terrible years which
have passed. Philadelphia rejoced and was
happy last night at the Charity Ball in the
Academy Of Music.
From the moment Sylvan II. Hirsch, as the
Yogi. stepped forward into the hall, carrying
the crystal which bore the MESA &c of future
Joys the abandon Of the youth who sees
pleasure ahead filled the hall.
1t was happy thought to build the
pageant upon this theme OF eternal child
hood at play, which war can mar only tenn.
porarily. In the wake Of the soothsayer
chorus after chorus of society girls and
young women followed dressed In the gay
colors and short frocks of chlldhood's happy
times
There were first the Kate Greenaway girls
| and boys, In the quaint and charming cos
tune immortalized by the famous illustrator
Of children's stories They danced as the
boys and girls of old England might have
danced on the village green.
Then came the children of Flanders, not
the forlorn tots who have been depicted often
during the last four years to awaken the
sympathy Of the generous Americans II
was rather the eternal Joy of childhood,
which, according to the soothsayer cannot
be crushed entirely by the hardships of war
but must again awake to the pleasures which
are their due.
Suggestive of chiIdhood's Joys
Candylands subjects. in festive little Co.'S
| tunes Of bright red and white stripes, them
selves suggestive OF the beloved peppermint
stick, followed next, the tall hats of the boys
and the hoop skirts of the girls bobbing in
playful spirit which was caught by the
| onlookers throughout the dance.
| Simple airs of nursery rhymes and toy
| land brought back keen association of child
hoods games TO mary ar older person in the
audience, and still further enhanced the
| atmosphere of joys to come. which had been
predicted by the Yogi and was the keynote
of the evening.
Nor was tho feeling of the joy of victory
| as contrasted to the sterner theme relative
| to war upon which have been based many
pageants OF the last four years. absent in the
| tableaux which followed each group OF
| dances. 1t was not the suffering and sor,
| rows inflicted by war, but the exhlaratio
and the glorious uprising Of the people which
| gained ultimate victory and was portrayed
in these momentary symbolic glimpses OF the
soul of the Allies
| "Britons Shall Never Be Slaves" "Italy
| Aroused" France Defiant" and America:
| Answer" suggest the spirit which has made
possible the fact that the crystal OF American
| youth now reflects clouds Of brilliant hues
and not the gray shadows which might hav,
been cast had defeat, not victory, been fore
shadowed.
| Dixie's Sons and Daughters Dance
Following the festive dance of the Dolly
| brakes and Bobby Blakes, and the Candy
land boys and girls, came the youth OF
sunny Dixie. one of the prettiest of the
a,.Ae, ,l.lN
| with great red tarletan hats. and blue sashes
the young girls presented afpicture OF dainti-
ness which delighted young and old.
From one extreme to the other, theil
place was taken in an instant by Major
| Gainor Baird and the National League sirls
| who drilled and were followed by Captain
Berwind and Emergency Aid aides, in
military drill which showed that the eX
| perience of the debutantes has run alonG
| new channels this year and that they have
| learned to obey orders and TO drill, as vel
| as to dance.
| The fascination of absolute regularity ir
| movement and costume brought much ap
plause from the audience and made the drill
| fitting climax to the pageant The white
| gloves and CATERS of the juniors were
| especially effective and many a soldier and
| sailor In the surrounding boxes was seen to
clap enthusiastically at the excellent work
| of the solderlike girls.
| "Victory," the final tabeau. and "The
| Star Spangled Banner" closed the pageant
| and the hall was then thrown open to
| dancers Between the costumed performers
| and the uniformed men of all branches of
| the SERVICE civilian clothes were the eX-
ception rather than the rule In the general
| ball
| Costumes Of Dainty Shades
The effect was quite different from the
| ordinary ball when the brilliant gowns and
| Jewels are set or against the contrast of
black and white In the mems evening clothes,
| for the costumes were the dainty shades of
| pure colors, the pinks, blue and yellows,
| such as children might wear, while the neu-
trail shades of the uniforms blended into the
| whole effect, instead Of furnishing the con-
trasting foil OF black and white.
The brilliant scarlets of the maidens from
| Dixie and the picturesque red and white tall
| hats Of the candy-boys furnished the needed
dashes Of marked colors to give gaiety in
| keeping with the occasion. The hall was
crowded, but little did the dancers care. The
men were back from the trenches and train
ing camps. happy indeed to forget the horrors
| In the jolity OF the occasion. Even those
| who walked with canes, or wore dressings on
eyes and arms. seemed contented to sit in
the boxes and watch the whlrling mass be-
fore them, 30 different from the sterner
| pageants OF war.
| And the girls? They were as happy as the
| children whom they had depleted in their
dances. The strain was relieved the men
| were back and again they saw, as the sooth-
sayer caught the irldescent hues of his
| crvstal hall the 'life that is one merry