“The German” A Society Cotillion

“The Social Event of the Season: Dewitt Clinton Bosler Gives a German in the Armory” proclaimed the newspaper. The article described an event held in Carlisle on the evening of December 28, 1896. Dewitt Clinton Bosler, a wealthy bachelor, gave his third annual German. The Stopper and Fisk Orchestra from Williamsport provided the music for the night, and about forty of Bosler’s guests dined and danced from nine o’clock until four in the morning. The elegant refreshments were provided by a Harrisburg catering firm, and the decorations were splendid. Mrs. George Bosler of West High Street received the guests; many from out of town.¹

“The German,” or “Der Deutsche,” was a traditional German dance from the mid-18th century in which couples’ dance in circles (figures) to a 3/4 or 3/8 tune.² A description of “The German” was published in newspapers throughout the United States in December 1891. The article by Albert Edward Tyrell was titled “The Man of Fashion. Literary and Other Fads Have Gone to the Wall, and the German Cotillion is More in Favor Than Ever.”

Mr. Tyrell explained that not everybody knew what a German Cotillion was. “Outside of New York City it is usually called the German; within, it is now known as the Cotillion.” Tyrell said that “the man who can carry a German Cotillion through successfully will be in great demand” by hostesses such as New York’s Mrs. Astor. The leader of the Cotillion arranges the venue, the decorations, the musicians and the refreshments. He is usually a society gentleman. He “selects his partner and makes her envied. Sometimes he leads alone…and divides the honor by taking a different lady for each figure...” The leader of the German directs the dances “by the gentlest of hints, and never by calling his orders in the fashion of the country “shake down.” He gives directions to the dancers “by a gentle clap of the hands.”

Bosler continued to give his annual “German,” for his “society friends.” Music for his 1900 German was still provided by the Stopper and Fisk Orchestra, but now the catering was done by a Philadelphia firm, and the German was led by E. M. Biddle, Jr., Esq.³

DeWitt Clinton Bosler, died unexpectedly on December 22, 1903 in Atlantic City.⁴ His funeral was held from his parents’ home, “Cottage Hill,” on Christmas Eve.⁵ Bosler, the son of James Williamson and Helen Beltzhoover Bosler, had graduated from Harvard six years earlier and was building up large dairy farms near Carlisle and Boiling Springs. At the time of his death he was a member of the Union League Club of Philadelphia, the Harvard Club of New York, and several others. He is buried in Carlisle’s Ashland Cemetery.