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Show Where New Yorkers Wear Masks and Have Fun. AKIOX'S MAGNIFICENT AFFAIRS. Dollars Are Speut by Thousand, Wine Flows Like Water, Lively Boys and Giddy Girls Kick High and Often, and Kins; Hilarity Reigns Supreme. Jiew York's ma&k balls! They are the most important events of the year to a certain cer-tain class of Uotbamites. There is nothing like them; no one is ever like another, only in the facta that masks, wme, feverish hilarity, hi-larity, extravagance and almost total disre- ' gard of the conventionalities characterize them all. renaerea. me cosvawes, ornaments, weapons and musical instruments, the furniture and trappings were fac-similes of those employed in the early years of Hellenic history. So careful was the work and so close the "reproduction "repro-duction of historical facts that eveu the hair, beard and complexious were made up so as i to be faithful cophwof tho past. The grouping and posing wore of equal artistic merit. Each scene could have been photographed and would have mule a wonderfully won-derfully valuable picture of ancient Greek life. The effect upon the iiudieiiea was electric. elec-tric. Each tableau was applauded to the echo sedate old trerniau gentlemen increasing increas-ing the noiso by loudly shouting "lloch! Viva! Encore'' aud making a linguist id chaos that was as am using as it was sincere. The next great feature of the ball was "the dance of tlie llayaderes." A regiment of handsome girls had bceu hired for the purpose pur-pose and trained by masters until their work, individual and collective, ns faultless. The costumes were the most beautiful of tho kind ever seen in 2Cew York. There bavo txvu Eayadere dances and dancers time aud iiuie again in Gotham. Many have beau cf so high a character as to receive the praise of press and public alike. But none can be compared com-pared with the Arion's. Tho women were so youug, hand-soiuo and graceful, tlie dresses so beautiful, brilliant mid suggestive, that the entire audieuco wus holilrspellboiuid. It may be said at this point that tho Arion doiiemls more aud more every year upon hired tnlout. Originally its special features wore presented by its own members. With its growth and, above all, with theever increasing popularity of it balls, the members Iwniiir loath to appear ap-pear hefore the public and professionals were callod in to simnlv the ilerlriencv. Arrolml. tumblers, high kickers, fancy dancers, ballet girls, dnuseusats, stage managers ami art directors di-rectors have been the stopping stones, until today the most httractive part of the entertainment enter-tainment is that which is rendered lu whole or in part by profaionals. When tho entertainment wsj over the floor was given up to the dancers, who wait red and quadrilled through the night until early dawu. Until 1 o'clock lu the morning nearly all wore their masks; afU'r that hour masks wore generally dropped throughout the opera bouse. But the eneturaes. Thero was hardly any-thiug any-thiug art could suggest or mouey purchase but what appeared upon the dancing floor. Ihengrin, the mythic knight of the swan, was there in silver helmet, chain and plate mail, and violet velvet cloak, all ermine trimmed. Mophistopheles was present three or four times over. He was in fire colored cot to tights, in more costly woven wool, in expeu- COMMITTM COSTUMES. There are generally from three to six of these balls every winter in the metropolis. The fact that wine selling after 1 a. m. is now prevented by the police cast something of a damper upon the projectors this year; but it is probable that they decided that, inasmuch in-asmuch as everybody knew that they could not drink wine after that hour, everybody would proceed to drink as much as they wanted or as much as thoy could conveniently conven-iently carry before the clock struck. The balls, in fact, have gradually toned down for the last live or six years, as have most other things in New York of the kind; but it wonld be hard for a novice to suggest a way In which they could be mads livelier than they are even now. To tho Arion society must be granted the palm for producing the most magnificent results re-sults in the line of mask balls in Now York, although much more decorum prevails at the Arion's affairs than at the aunual event known simply as the "French balL" Because of the Arion's splendor and contempt con-tempt for money, an Arion ball is perhaps the best to describe. And a description of one will pass for a description of all. The balls occur, like all the great society events of Gotham, in the Metropolitan Opera Op-era house. The colossal building, a palace at all times, is so decorated as to be a dream of art Banks of flowers, walls of growing ferns, palms and beautiful exotics, electric and incandescent lights, silver and gold bird cages from which astonished canaries pour music at every moment, flags, streamers, wreaths and garlands convert the interior into a perfect fairyland. The Arion society is almost too well known to be described. It is the largest, richest and most powerful organization of its class in the United States, if not in the world. It membership, exceeding a thousand, includes nearly all the leading German aud German-American German-American merchauts, professionals and millionaires. mill-ionaires. Its balls became famous long ago for their Vast size, high artistic finish and an extravagance that to many would seem monstrous mon-strous or wicked. At one given at the Madison Madi-son Square Garden over 10,000 people took part. Tho receipts at the door, restaurant, wine room and bars were almost $150,000; the expenses of the organization were over t3o,000, while the costumes, private and official, offi-cial, were estimated to have cost a bait IK HWTOniCAL OABB. sire sillc and in luxurious velvet aud satin. The stage of today contributed a goodly share to the characters presented. Mrs, Potter as Cleopatra, Mrs. Langtry as Iuly Macbeth, Booth as Hainlot, Barrymore as Capt. Swift, Elsie Leslio as Little lrl Fauntieroy, Mary Anderson as Galatea and Louis James as the Juster, are amoni; tho more prominent of the reproductions. Some are not altogether appropriate. A buxom Teutonic belle with bluo eyas, yellow hair and an 180-pouud stalwai't frame seems a solecism sol-ecism when mads up as the immortal brunette, bru-nette, Cleopatra. Neither is there much poetry or beauty in a Little Lord Fauntieroy Fauntie-roy who is impersonated by an old maid of 35 who angularities obtrude themselves upon the spectator's vision at every point possible. a, There is, howrfvor, a very noticeable improvement im-provement in coBnmns this year. The Inartistic Inar-tistic combinations ami contrasts so common formerly are now exceedingly rare. The new school of art designing started by Joseph Keppler, the famous editor of Puck, and developed de-veloped by Hamiltou Hell, Dazian and KUi-ples KUi-ples Uowe is bringing forth good fruit under the fostering care of the Arion, tho Lieder-kranz Lieder-kranz aud the other great organizations of Now York. While Keppler dewy-vos crodit for tho idea, Bell in entitled to more for tho work. Of tbejaiperbraiinentworn that night he designed more thuti a hundred ciaUutnos. Some were perfect pictures in themselves. A lithe aud graceful brunette dressed in the directoire style seemed to have stepped out of the Reign of Terror luto the present Bgn. A Flemish lady might have been painted by Rubens or Vandyke. Two Polish aj-.U( might have waited out of the famous canvaK, "A Russian Wedding Koast." Of equal licauty were an Assyrian princess, a Roman senator's wife, a favorite of the harem, a Moorish emir's daughter and an Arthurian beauty. All of these were delightful studies. Beyoud their iutrinsio beauty tbey were conscientious reproductions of fashions long ago dead aud buried. . million. Tho ball described, while not so numerously numer-ously attended as those held ia the Madison Square Garden, was even richer and more dazzling than anything ever yet seen. Long before the official opening of tho night by the master of ceremonies, the great building was filled with a crowd such as only New York can produce. Bankers like Seligmaa and Belmont jostled against millionaire brewers like Ehret, Ruppert and Bochtel; city officials clinked glasses with men about town, famous gamblers and successful prize fighters. IMstinguished criminals bowed to equally distinguished lawyers. For the Arion society is nothing if not democratic. demo-cratic. All that it demands is that you have enough money to buy a $10 ticket and presentable clothes, and that you behave yourself as a gentleman during the time you are a guest. The rule works well. Kven in the early hours of the raornfBg, when everything every-thing is surcharged with chumpajrne, the behavior be-havior is as quiet and orderly as at the same time in the more aristocratic and exclusive Patriarchs'. 1'urim or Old Guard ball. But the cost of these costumes is something to make the frugal miuded stare aud shiver. It is now-Tjad form to hire adirgulse; the madicr mut, if be or she wishes to preserve iix ial status, have one designed by an artist, made from the fiuest materials and put together to-gether by a fashionable dressmaker. A Venetian Vene-tian droM made lu thin manner was cu t from the finest satin and embroidered with small pearls, bullion aud silk floss. It eutio cost was $rJ0O. Another suit, a Princess lirun-bilde lirun-bilde of silver armor, siik and velvet, cost $St0. No better commentary than those figures fig-ures can be marie upon the luxury if not the extravagance of life in the metropolis. FAiJUi-Ct-RTta. A GBOCP OF rAACT DASCSB3. Two great orchestras supplied the music for the occasion one for dancing and one for promenading. Before the formal opening the early comers were treated to a superb concert. con-cert. Bo powerful was the band that the music rose over the hum of conversation aud the turmoil fesse parable from the comiii" and movement of thousands. The selections, both here and during the remainder of the night, were more than admirable. Sot a piece was played which was silly, vulgar or vapid. On the contrary, nearly every dumber was taken from the works of some great composer and was rendered In manner worthy of the astbor. Shortly after 10 o'clock occurred the official offi-cial opening of the ball. The great curtain swayed and disclosed a series of superb tableaux tab-leaux vtvante, representing the lovely myth j of Prince Arion, one of the prettiest stories i of Greek antiquity. The handsome hero, who j combines in himself poet, singer and cythera j player, sets sad upon the Egean, is pursued and captured by corsairs and thrown into the sea by his savage captors. Here his muac entrances toe denisen of the deep and some benevolent and very well fed dolphins save him from drowning and bring him safely to the land, where King Feriander and his court welcome him in royal style. j The liviBat nietnres were, wonderfully weU |