Once the charity ball was a stately affair where the rich paid a large admission' fee for the privilege of dancing sedately with each other for the sake of the poor or the worthy. In many U.S. citiesSan Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Baltimore, Dallasit still is. But in Manhattan, charity balls have proliferated into a bustling industry where worthy charities engage in cutthroat competition, good intentions clash with social ambitions, and publicity agents prowl.
This year's calendar is clogged with more than 100 charity ballstriple the number five years agothat will gross about...