Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-02
JUST GOSSIP ABOUT PEOPLE
Nancy Wynne Talks OF the Assembly and Many Tradi.
tions Connected With Ball to Which the Blue
Bloods of the City Subscribe

WELL, are you ready for the fray
w tonight2 Would you miss 1t for
ANYTHING? just to show that you can
% and to see who has been asked to
subscribe this year of the debs and who
has been invited from "Podunk" and be
amazed at seeing $50 and so, ~ and look
In n questioning manner at Thing um
bob and say under your breath "For
goodness sake, since when has she been
subscriber
fSOMEHOW the ball is so up to date
y since 1t has been held at the Belle
we, don't you think? In the old days
at the Academy of Music, when old
Doctor Cleeman walked about with dear
Miss Mary Coke on his arm, in her
quaint square necked gray or soft brown
gown, the ball seemed one of the rem
nants of the real old Philadelphia. Now
IT'S much more modern.
The Cleeman twins used to have so
much to do with the ball-Doctor Clee-
man and his brother Ludovic. One or
the other would stand on the first land
ing of the stairway as YOU went up.
rambling with the excitement of being
debutante at your First Assembly.
And then the wonderful supper on the
stage and foored- over seats. for in
those days the dancing was in the foyer.
Of course, there was never room to
dance comfortably, but it was pic
tnresoue and old fashioned, and the
men and girls used to sit out the dances
on the red curpeted stairs leading from
Tho main floors to the balcony floors,
where the patronesses were and where
the dancing held sway,
T1ARLIER than that there was old
T. Charles, the colored man, who used
N 90 from home to home of the sub
scribers with the book and the subscrip-
tions we're entered. And don't you
think for a moment any one who had
not subscribed all his life could get his
name on that list then. The story was
told how one lady. who was sub
scriber and whose daughter was going
as debutante, had niece whose
father had never gone and VINO was
therefore cut off from that privilege,
and so when the book came she sought
IN nut down the niece's name. Could
.beP Not on your life "No, ma'am,"
said he. "Dat name amt on de list,
and, believe me, that name never got
on the list, either.
TONIGHT will be an extra important
l. event. as it marks the first Assem-
j bly in three years. 1t has been the
4 custom to call off the balls when the
country has been at war. This hap
4 pened during the Revolution, the Civil
Il War and, of course, during tine great
4 world war. So since 1917 there has not
4 been an Assembly. Then, too, there viii
y be an unusual number of debutantes
+ there tonight. because there are so many
4 going out this year among the eligible
II ones.
NHE patronesses tonight are Mrs. A.
4 l J. Cassatt. who. unfortunately, on
account of illness will be unable to re-
ceive, Mrs. John B. Thayer, Mrs.
4 Trenchard Emlen Newbold. Mrs: o. II;
Perry Pepper. Mrs. Alexander Iarnall
and Mrs. Charlie Cheston. The latter is
the bride of last year. That's another
custom, You know. the youngest patron
ess is always chosen from among those
who have been married during the past
year.
A THOUGH some have been from
n time to time admitted into the
~ Assembly whose families have not
always subscribed, the managers and
ratronesses and the men asked to take
the patronesses in to supper are always
selected from the families of subscribers
whose membership in the Assemblies
II dates back to the first balls which We're
a held in 1747.
The managers of the ball this year
4 are Mr.. Henry Brinton Coke. Mr.. 5.
a Pembcrton Hutchinson, Mr., Gouver-
neur Cadwalader, Mr.. Casper Wister
Morris. Mr.. Beauveau Borie, Jr., and
N DR.. Charles ID. Hart.
There will be no cotilon tonight and
ri there will be plain water to drink, no
\, liquor, and have that on the authority
Fl OF the committee.
II A Nd from all l have heard of the
behavior of guests and those who
s'-| d them at the two affairs where
"a liquor was served this year, | don t
wonder that many who had intended to
u have it cut it out.
At one dinner the wee bird told me,
for | was not there myself. the guests
OF the male persuasion not being salts
fed with the amount of drinkables con :
g. tributed for their delcctation. essayed
TO enter the wine cellar of the host, and
it was finally necessary for that gentle
man to announce that there was no
more to be served"
Can YOU imagine. prohibition or no
prohibition, going to persons house
r. and behaving that way? You know,
whether YOU approve of prohibition or
not you can't stand for such things.