_The “Banner Ball”--How to prepare a Ball-room Floor--A curious
Costume and a sharp Answer--The Turkish Ball--Indisposition of
ladies to dance at a Public Ball--The Yorktown Centennial
Ball--Committees are Ungrateful--My Experience in this Matter--I
discover Mr. Blaine and introduce Myself._
In 1876, asked by a committee of eighty-two ladies to act as Manager of
a ball they were getting up at Chickering Hall, in aid of the
“Centennial Union,” to be called the “Banner Ball,” I accepted their
flattering invitation to lead so fair a band of patriots.
On examining the premises, I found that on a new floor they had put a
heavy coat of varnish; there was nothing _then_ to be done but to
sprinkle it thickly with corn meal, and then sweep it off, and renew the
dressing from time to time. It is well to say here that if a floor is
too slippery (which it often is, if hard wood is used and it is new),
there is nothing to be done but to sprinkle it with powdered
pumice-stone, sweeping it off before dancing on it; and again, if it is
not slippery enough, then, as above, give it repeated doses of corn
meal, and the roughest floor is soon put in good condition to dance on.
The opening quadrille of this ball was very effective. We formed in the
second story of the Hall. I led the way to the ball-room with the
“fairest of the fair,” the daughter of one of the most distinguished men
in this country (who had not only been Governor of this State, but
Secretary of State of the United States). We were surrounded by a noble
throng of old New Yorkers, all eager to view the opening quadrille. The
ladies were in Colonial costumes, representing Lady Washington and the
ladies of her court. As I walked through the crowded rooms, having on my
arm one of our brilliant society women, “a flower which was not quite a
flower, yet was no more a bud,” we met approaching us a lady in indeed
gorgeous apparel--so gorgeous, that the lady on my arm at once accosted
her with, “Good gracious, my dear Mrs. B----, what have you got on? Let
me look at you.” Her head was a mass of the most superb ostrich plumes,
Prince of Wales feathers, which towered above her, and as she advanced
would bend gracefully forward, nodding to you, as it were, to approach
and do her honor. Her dress, neck, and shoulders were ablaze with jewels
and precious stones, and in her hand she carried an old Spanish fan,
such as a queen might envy. The following reply to the query came from
this royal dame: “What have I got on? Why, Madame, I had a grandmother!”
“Had you, indeed! Then, if that was her garb, she must have been
Pocahontas, or the Empress of Morocco!” The war of words beginning to be
a little sharp, I pressed on, only to meet another famous lady, whose
birthplace was Philadelphia, and who had had no end of grandmothers. She
wore a superb dress of scarlet and gold, tight-fitting, such as was worn
during the Empire. Another young woman wore her great-grandmother’s
dress, pink and brown striped brocade, cut like Martha Washington’s
dress in the Republican Court, in which her great grandmother figured.
The wife of a prominent jurist, a remarkably handsome woman, with a
grand presence and a noble carriage, representing Lady Washington, wore,
to all eyes, the most attractive costume there.
During the winter of 1877, a Southern woman of warm sympathies, great
taste, and natural ability, having married a young man of colossal
fortune, was urged to take in hand the cause of the wounded Christians
in the Russian-Turkish War, and raise funds to send to their relief. To
do this, she formed the “Society of the Crescent and the Cross,” and a
ball was given under her auspices at the Academy of Music, remembered
in society as the “Turkish Ball.”
This lady did me the honor of making me the Chairman of the Floor
Committee of that ball. Consulting with her, we selected the members of
the opening quadrille, and took good care to choose the most brilliant
women in this city. My partner was one of the greatest belles New York
has ever had, a woman of such air and distinction, such beauty of face
and charm of manner, as we read of, but rarely see.
Our quadrille, formed on the stage of this large opera house, with the
guests of the ball filling the galleries and looking down on it, was no
sooner over than I found we were in this dilemma: Our little quadrille
was left in full possession of the vast auditorium, and the question
was, how to get the people to leave the boxes and come down to us. It
was not in any way a full ball, and as the ladies who had danced in the
quadrille at once retired to their boxes, they left me, as it were,
sole occupant of the dancing floor. However, I rushed around and here
and there collected dancing men, and succeeded in getting a respectable
number on the floor, and infused spirit into the dancing.
The trouble in such cases is the indisposition of ladies to dance at a
public ball, other than in an opening quadrille. The ball, however, went
merrily on to a late hour.
A few years later, I was asked to be one of the Floor Committee of the
ball to be given to the distinguished French and German officers who
came over to join in our celebration of the Centennial of the Battle of
Yorktown. This was the invitation:
_Office of the French Reception Commission, Room 7, Fifth Avenue
Hotel, New York, 28th October, 1881._
_Dear Sir:_
_The Commissioners appointed by the Governor of the State to extend
its courtesies to the guests of the Nation, request that you will
act as one of the Floor Committee on the occasion of the Ball to
be given at the Metropolitan Casino, on the evening of November 7._
_An immediate answer will oblige_,
_Yours very respectfully_,
WILLIAM JAY,
_Chairman of the Ball Committee_.
_To Ward McAllister, Esq._
Experience had taught me never to go on a committee in any social matter
unless the committee was formed by myself, or made up of personal
friends on whom I could rely, and who would second and support me in my
work; for I well knew that it requires hard head-work and hand-work to
carry through to success any social project. Sometimes it happens--it
has often happened to me--that you have men on a committee with you who
are wofully ignorant of the work they have undertaken to superintend,
who in one breath tell you “I know nothing about this business,” and in
the next criticise, discuss, and deluge you with useless and worthless
suggestions, and then, when they find they themselves can do nothing
turn the whole matter over to you and tell you to “go ahead.” You do go
ahead and do their work, and then, when they find it is effectual, and
they see your efforts will be crowned with success, they quietly come in
and appropriate the credit of it.
However, on this occasion I agreed to act, as my duties were confined to
forming the opening quadrille, and taking charge of the dancing. Picture
to yourself a huge hall, one mass of human beings awaiting the opening
of the ball, impatient of delay, anxious to dash off into the waltz,
tempted by the inspiriting strains coming from a perfect band of one
hundred well-trained musicians. Then, at one end of this vast hall, a
stage filled with ladies in brilliant costumes, and foreign officers all
in uniform; the Governor of the State, the Mayor of the City, and the
chairmen of the various Yorktown committees; then your humble servant as
one of the Floor Committee, flitting from one group to another,
instructing each of them what they were to do. The position was indeed
droll. I stood behind the Governor, who was to all outward appearances
conversing with General Boulanger, but was literally squeezing my hand
and asking me what he was to do. One distinguished German general
promptly said, “I go it blind! I will simply do what the others do.”
These were the forces I had to marshal and put through a quadrille. I
dodged from one to the other and called out the figures, and breathed a
sigh of relief when the dance was concluded.
Looking around the galleries and scanning all the distinguished people,
my eye lit upon a wonderfully bright and intelligent face. Inwardly I
said, “There is a man among men. Who can it be?” My curiosity was so
aroused that I went into his box, introduced myself to him as one of the
Floor Committee, and said, “I have never seen you before; I know you are
a distinguished man. Pray who are you?” Laughingly, he replied, “I am
James G. Blaine.” “Well,” I said, “my instincts have not failed me this
time. I have heard and read of you for years. Now I see your genius in
your face.” Beauty in woman, genius in man, happily I never fail to
discover.
The invitation to this ball was as follows:
[Coat of Arms of the State of New York.]
_BALL._
_The Commissioners appointed by the State of New York request the
honor of your presence to meet the Guests of the Nation at the
Metropolitan Casino on the evening of Monday, November 7, at ten
o’clock._
_New York, 19th of October, 1881._
Some of the distinguished guests of the Nation were M. Max Outrey,
Ministre Plenipotentiare de la France aux Etats-Unis, M. le Marquis de
Rochambeau, General Boulanger, le Comte de Beaumont, and le Comte de
Corcelle, representing the Lafayettes, and Colonel A. von Steuben,
representing the family of Major-General von Steuben.
FAMOUS NEWPORT BALLS.