in the salons of the President of the French Republic
an accurate reproduction in miniature of the departed glories of
Baden-Baden and of Homburg--the shaded lamps, throwing a lurid light on
the "board of green cloth," the piles of gold, the shifting cards, the
intent faces of the players, and the groups of gazers looking on in
silence. Vast sums are, I am told, often lost and won in this manner
during a single evening. This, at least, is a reproach from which
American entertainments of the highest class are certainly free. John
Morrisey may take his seat in Congress, but he does not direct the
amusements in the back parlor of the White House.

But if French society is unexacting in the matter of refreshments, it
runs to waste in regard to dress. The toilettes worn at all
entertainments of any extent and formality far surpass in costliness and
beauty any festal garbs which feminine humanity can contrive to don in
America. In this birthplace of dress, dress is a pre-eminent and
all-important feature. Two great points are _de rigueur_ in a
Frenchwoman's toilette: it must always be appropriate, and always be
fresh. It may not be costly, it may not be elaborate, but those two
qualities must not be lacking. And they shade things off so much more
minutely than they do with us. A ball-dress cannot be a dinner-dress,
and _vice versa_; while in America the same toilette is considered
appropriate for both occasions. If a dinner-party is to number over
twelve guests, a low-necked dress is admissible; otherwise, the
dinner-dress must be made with open corsage and half-long sleeves. The
same shade of glove is not suitable at a wedding-reception that is
proper for a formal call. The handsomest of walking-dresses is
inadmissible to receive calls in or to wear out in the evening to the
opera or to a small party. The very length of skirt that is appropriate
for each festive occasion is regulated by the laws of fashion. A lady at
the Grand Opera or Les Italiens must not wear her opera-cloak after she
takes her seat in the theatre: it is considered only a wrap, no matter
how magnificent or costly it may be. Fancy jewelry of all kinds is
entirely out of fashion, and is seen no more: pearls and precious stones
alone are worn on full-dress occasions. This rule has, it is whispered,
caused a great increase in the trade of dealers in imitation jewelry,
those who cannot afford the real article taking refuge in the highly
_vraisemblable_ splendo