Society: The Ball Game

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. cities—San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Baltimore, Dallas—it 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 balls—triple the number five years ago—that will gross about...