The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-09-30

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| We are Of opinion that much agreeable
and profitable social intercourse is prevent
ed by want Of moral courage in adopting
simple style Of entertaining ones friends
and acquaintance. Let US look around,
and what do We find To be the general state
OF intercourse between friends and acquain-
tances in the middle and upper classes Of a
commercial community! On the one hand
we see All entire abstinence from all social
intercourse Except, perhaps, with iranedi-
ate connexlons), arising from economical
motives, founded on the impossibility Of
complying with the supposed requirements
oil society in this matter. Onth other, we
Ind individuals giving, once OF twice a year
perhaps, an expensive and formal dinner
lpaTty, or stiff evening entertainment, az
neither of which does any one feel himself
at ease; where one is in the midst Of most
heterogeneous company. gathered together
without any earthly reference to fitness or
amalgability, and from which one at last
escapes, thankful to find himself again at
his own quiet freside-inwsrdly vowing
that nothing shall ever again tempt him to
exchange its genial precincts for any such
vain and Pro6tless visiting. During the
winter Mr.. and Mrs. A. have been in
vited to dinner by Mr.. and Mrs. B, or
the young people have had the pleasure of
their company requested &c, by the
Us. The As consequently feel
It incumbent on them to clear OFF the debt
supposed to be owing to the said B-s
and C-s. by inviting them in return: and
in order to have general clearing of Of
scores, they bethink themselves Of all and
sundry from whom they have received civil
ties during the past SIX or twelve months,
and without any consideration whatever as
TO the harmony Of the ingredient members
oil the company, great crowd Of persons,
for the most part utterly unknown TO each
other, are uncomlortably packed together,
the house is turned topsyturvy for a few
days, a great deal Of money is foolishly
sqnandered, no comfort or satisfaction has
resulted to anybody, and when the affair is
over, the givers OF the entertainment gener-
ally congratulate themselves that year at
least must elapse before they have again to
undergo similar trouble and expense. For
months after this event, the As would
as soon think OF flying as Of asking any Of
the BIS, C--s, or D., to drop
in upon them in a quiet way to spend an
evening. With such persons there is no
medium between formal tresome party
and an entire abstinence from all visiting
whatever.
The fact is, the true secret OF genial and
improving social inteTcourse-of anything
at all approaching even to the name-is
boa Little understood. and still less acted
upon. The very words visiting or meet
ings Of friends suggest to most minds the
idea of expense, domestic inconvenience.
anxiety, and trouble. Why should this be
50? All kinds Of social intercourse ought
10 be associated with the most pleasing
ideas. They ought to be easily attainable,
and readily arranged, and should entail lit
tie OF no disarTangement Of the usual do
nestle routine. When will a few rich
persons encourage their less wealthy brelh-
rem by Systematically adopting in their en-
tertahments a severe and almost Spartan
simplicity? Such a simplicity would do
them infinite honor. by tending to emsnci-
pate those less favored by the gifts Of for
tune from the supposed necessity of need
less profusion and unealled-for expense. II
such examples were to become prevalent,
the consequence would be, that the appar-
ent inequalities between rich and poor
would be much soliened down; there would
be an absence Of that painful, but irration-
al feeling. which constantly haunts many
otherwise amiable persons, lest their mode
Of entertaining those whose incomes are
ten or twenty times larger than their own
may not be quite ooHime Il faut-we should
have less thought taken about mere eating
and drinking, and more about matters OF
higher import.-FrOm he Companion, q
series of pleasant rational Essays IN the
Manchester Examiner.