Birth of the Carnival Krewes -- Entries and Masques : Theater of Royal Power -- Events Before and During a New Orleans Carnival Parade and Ball -- Hierarchy Dramatized by the Old-Line Parade -- Hierarchy Dramatized by the Old-Line Ball -- Nature of Carnival Organizations -- Oral History: Arthur Hardy -- History of Carnival in New Orleans -- Structure of a Carnival Organization -- Carnival Organizations' Effect on the Social Structure of New Orleans -- Secret Political Societies, 1857-1900 -- Old-Line Reformers versus the Ring Machine -- Gentlemanly Indirect Power, 1900-70 -- Up the Downward Spiral -- Profile of an Old-Line Carnival Organization Member -- The Old-Line Carnival Mentality Today -- Metamorphosis : A Changing Carnival -- Oral History: Debutante C and Her Father -- African American Carnival Societies -- Oral History: Kim Vaz, PhD -- Today's Carnival -- Afterword -- Appendix.