A BRILLIANT FREAK BALL.

Evening Star, Issue 14932, 19 July 1912, Page 3

A BRILLIANT FREAK BALL.

GUESTS IX CAGES. HAIR DYED BLUE. Paris society no longer has anything to envy New York for in fancy-dress ball extravagance. Twelve fetes of the kind are to distinguish the season of 1912, and the first of the wonderful has just been given by the Comtesse de Chabrillan at her house in the Champs Elysees, at which countess-?? and duchesses were brought into the hall in cages. The programme of tho evening consisted of 12 numbers, which were described as the celebration of the Two Thousand and Second Arabian Nights. The ball began with a general gathering of all the 300 guests, dressed in the most varied Oriental and fancy costume, 1 !, with a lavish display of gold and silver cloth draperies, precious stones, and diamonds. _ Ambassadors and Ministers and their wives were to be seen with maharajahs in Durbar cost.we?, rnd the members of fashionable society in Persian dress. The first figure was that of the triumphal entry of Sheherazade. The Comtesse do Chabrillan appeared, preceded by a tioop of children in tiger skins and carrying 'wreaths of flowres. When Sheherazade was seated on a sort of throne, M. Andre de Fouquieres, dressed as an Oriental herald, announced through ;: trumpet the '' favorite animals of the Sultan of Baibars." These then defiled, and consisted of Comtesse diaries de Vogue, Mile de Levis-Mirepoix, and the Counts du Laun. de Pimodan, and de Beaufort, and M. Johnson.

The 'ipxt scene was the sixth voyage of Sinbad the Sailor, with an introductory dance executed by Comtesse Bertrand d Aramon. The Duchesse do Bisaccia, tho Vicomtesse de la Tour du Pain, and the Comtesse 0. d'Harcourt then appeared, dressed as Burman divinities, on a chariot drawn by dukes and princes, clad in white and green. A dance followed, representing day and night, which was a gorgeous display of colors. A subsequent scene was described on the programme as 'L'Histoire de la Jouvencelle, chef d'eeuvre des ccenrs, lieutenant des oiseaux." The programme explained the subject as follows:—Harun-al-Rachid, the Emir of the Faithful, overwhelmed with sadness in his palace at Bacrhdad, sends his favorite poet, lshel-el-Xadim, to tho distant country on the borders of the Yemen to fetch him some of the marvellous winged or feathered ladies, known as " women-birds." M. Francel recited the poet's song, a cortege then entered, consisting of women slaves and sultanas, to th-3 accompaniment of flutes. After this the women-birds appeared in cages, carried on the shoulders of negro slaves. The women-birds, when they left their cages, turned out to be the Marquise de Noaillen, the Comtesse de Vogue, the Duchesse de Clermont-Tonnerre, the Comtesse de Colombier, the Marauise de Selve, and the Piincesse H. de Polignae. After this came the scene of the magic horse of ebony and of the white elephant, followed by that of the golden mummies A procession entered, in which a number ot porters carried two huge blue-and-gold urns. When these were onened two mummies appeared, enveloped in gold cloth. They were the Duchesse de Grammont and the Comtesse Stanislas de Castellane, and as they advanced slowly, with a stately step, tho golden bands fell off gracefully, and they moved about in a mystic dance, with their hair dyed blue.