Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-04-15
Social Usages.

convenient and burdensome, as to de-
mand public denunciation. Nobody
likes them, everybody desires to be re-
lieved of them, and all seem to be pow
erless to reform them. Their burden
someness forms q serious bar to social
intercourse, and their only tendancy is
to drive men and women out of society
altogether, and to worry and weary
those who remain subject to them.
A person is invited to an 'sinformal"
reception. Special pains may be, and
often are, taken to impress him with
the idea that such a reception is, in
deed " informal" The idea is very
good. The proposition is to bring to-
gether circle of friends in familiar
way, without expensive dress on the
part of the guests, or al expensive
entertainment on the part of thehostess.
It is an attractive sort of invitation, but
woe to the man or woman who accepts
it according to it's terms. The man or
woman who attends in anything but
full evening dress will find themselves
singular, and most uncomfortable.
They have taken their hostess at her
word, and find, instead of party of
familiar friends, who can sit down and
enjoy an hour OF social intercourse, a
highly dressed ''jam' which comes
late and departs late, and which finds
itself treated to an elaborate supper
People have, at last, learned that if
there is anything that must be dressed
for deliberately, it is an informal recep-
tion,' and there is really no greater
cheat than the invitation which called
them together. The consequence is
that we have really no informal gather
ings of men and women in what we call
"society." H..1 ..#
Again, when we invite guest to din
ner at six, we expect him to come at,
or before, that hour. It is counted the
height of impoliteness for guest to
keep dinner waiting moment This
is just as it should be; but when we in
vite guest at eight o'clock, to recep-
ton or party, what then? Why, we
do not expect him until nine, we do not
ordinarily get him until half-past nine.
and are not surprised at his entrance at
any subsequent hour before the compa-
ny breaks up. Why the rule should be
good for the dinner that is not good for
the assembly does not appear, except
that IL. the case of the dinner it is a
question of hot or cold soup that is to
be decided At eight the host and host
ess are IN their vacant rooms, be-gloved
and waiting. They are there for an hour,
wishing their guests would come. At
last one makes his appearance, and with
a guilty look whips up stairs. Then he
waits until another joins him, and an
other, and another, and so at last he de-
sends. All have lost the only oppor-
tunity they will have for a pleasant
chat with those who have invited them
lost, indeed, the only chance they will
have of a look at the flowers, at the pic
lures, and the enjoyment of an undis-
turbed chat, with comfortable seats and
surroundings. All dread to be first,
and SO all wait, and thus thrust far into
the night their hour Of departure. The
company that should be at home at
eleven, and in bed at half-past eleven,
do not find their beds until one the next
morning. ..a s,...- f... a,-...1irsr
To the man of business such hours as
mingling in social life imposes are sim
ply killing. They are the same to
women who have family duties to per-
form. They wipe the bloom of youth
from the cheeks of girls in from one to
three seasons; and thus social life in the
great cities, instead of being blessing
and delight, as it should be, becomes
4 a burden and bore. Many are driven
by considerations of health and comfort
out of social life altogether, and those
who remain rely upon the rest of sum-
mer to restore them sufficiently to stand
another campaign. We submit that
this is an unexaggerated representation
of the present state of things, and pro-
test that it demands reform. ea-- esssa.
| Every hour that a man spends out of
his bed after half past ten at night is
/ violence to nature. They have learned
this in Germany, where, in many
towns, their public amusements ter
inmate at half-past nine, and, in some
cases, even earlier than this. It is in
this direction that reform should be
effected in America, SO far as every va
riety Of public and social assembly is
concerned. An invitation at eight
should mean what it says, and be hon
ored in It's terms. In this way social
life would be possible to many to whom
it is now practically denied, and be-
come blessing to all. s# 90
It is not hard to institute reform of
this kind. All it wants is leading
and half dozen of our social queens
could do the work in a single season
It used to be deemed essential to a
social assembly that huge, expensive
supper be served at it's close and this at
an hour when no man or woman could
afford to eat hearty meal. We have
measurably outlived this in New York
It is "quite the thing now to serve
light and inexpensive refreshments.
The man who dimes at six needs no
heavy supper before he goes to bed.
He not only does not need it, but he
cannot eat it without harm. It's expen-
siveness is constant bar to social life
and let us be thankful that this abuse,
at least, is pretty well reformed al
ready. Other abuses and bad habits
can be reformed just as easily as this,
because reform is in the line of COM
mon sense and the common desire.
The leading, as we have said, is all that
/ is wanted. and when we commence