Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-06-21

of the plant.
Host and Guest.
WE Americans are by no means such a
visiting people as our cousins over the
water. In those great feudal houses of
England, each one of which Is stack of
villages in itself, 1t Is supposable that the
dwellers might just fall short of death by
loneliness without their circle of guests,
while In our little houses we more frequent
ly fall short of death by the guests. And
whether it is the fault Of the house or the
fault of the guest Is an open question
among us still.
| 1t Is possible, however, that the diff
Guilty may be quite equally distributed,
| for there are three things that make hos
pitality burden-a little house, q churl-
ish host, an exacting guest. And there
are unbearable varieties of all these.
| There Is the guest who comes days after
the appointed time; the guest who en-
croaches on the time of the next guest (;
the wretched guest who dares to fall iii
the guest who demands all there Is and
more too. There is the host who well
comes the coming, but forgets to speed
the parting guest; the host who vexes
the patience Of his visitors with his atten-
tions /; the host who cries. "G Good Lord,
here comes that terrible Queen of Sheba
with her conundrums l--Ah! my dear
Sheba, how glad am to see you'll"
OF late years a great disposition to
adopt all the English ways in our power
has been evincing itself among US, rang
ing from ecclesiology to ragged schools;
let the sea and the distance filter away
such portions as it might be to our advan-
tage to lose. Because our cousins use the
word "nasty" for every variety of un-
pleasant thing, and the word nice" for
every variety of the pleasant thing, our
whole conversational vocabulary bids fair
to simmer itself down to these two adiec-
tives. We hear of nice men and nice
manners, and nice dogs and nice dainties,
and we hear of nasty day and nasty
sermon. "Mrs. Mayfair" said young
lady who affected this style, the other day,
speaking Of person whose mouth was
never soiled with any thing worse than
the cutting repartec just given to the
young lady" Mrs. Mayfair does say the
nastiest thingsl"
Among all these Anglican affectations
there Is one which is way of receiving
guests, and according to which we let
them severely alone. Having heard that
our foreign cousins, when their houses
are full Of people, pursue their previous
avocations uninterruptedly, and leave
their company to follow their own sweet
Wills, we at once think that nothing can
be more elegant than similar proceed
ing; and having invited our solitary guest,
we leave her, as ifit were honor and de-
take care Of herself as she can. Our house
az <,f n Ixo
and kitchen, and the sleeping apartments.
Perhaps we live In the city, and have no
grounds about the house; perhaps we
live in the country where people can
stroll across the fields If they win, and II
they are not afraid of the cattle there. We
have piano; we have few bo0ks-not,
1t is probable, the very newest. Our
pictures are soon exhausted; and when
we coolly inform our friends that we are
off to committee meeting of the Society
for Supplying the Tahifians with Para
soils, and hope she will enjoy herself In
our absence, or leisurely walk up stairs
for our afternoon nap, or withdraw with
our favorite book, we simply leave her In
q condition where she might almost Is
well be In the Desert of Sahara.
The natural corollary of this demon
stration Is not thar In order to have the
pleasure of entertaining company one
must have suits of rooms for various en-
joyments, library, q bilIiard-room,
drawing-room, retinue Of servants,
half dozen ofhorses, and q dozen guests at
once; but that, having guest at all, our
house and we ourselves are hers - long
as she stays; and If we have invited into
our house person accustomed TO rich
and better order of things than that pre-
vailing there, 1t Is all the more imperative
upon us to accord her the absolute devo-
ton of ourselves.
But, On the other hand, we must admit
that guests have some duties Of their own
as well, which, frequently as they are as-
In few words. And the first lesson is
that It Is duty not to be guests at all un-
less they are very sure Of their ground,
always remembering when invited that
any day means no day.
But, once guests, although their host
may serve them with Oriental hospitality,
and be at their feet with all that hosts
should render, IL Is their place to remem-
Der that, when all Is done, they still are
not In q hotel; that 1t is necessary polite
ness to ascertain the household hours II
possible; that 1t Is no property Of their
part to set up hours Of their own for rising
or retiring, feasting or fasting; and, Of all
things, that It Is their role to 90 conduct
themselves that every servantin the house
shall not give warning on account Of
them-very simple directions on their
face, but. judging from the general failure
to follow them, very impose BILE to prac-
tice. Indeed, guest can do nothing bes-
ter than TO understand that In receiving
cordial welcome the gates Of the inner