The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1874-04-16
SOCIAL VsAGU.

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mand a public denunciation. Nobody
likes them, everybody desires to be re-
|lieyed of them, and all seem powerless
to reform them. Their burdensomeness
forms serious bar to social inter
course, and their only tendency is to
drive some men and women out OF SO
ciety altogether, and to worry and wea-
|ry those who remain subject to them.
A person is invited to an "informal"
reception. Special pains may be, and
often are, taken to impress him with
the idea that such reception is, indeed,
"informal." The idea is very good.
The proposition is to bring together a
circle of friends in a familiar way, with
out expensive dress on the part
of the guests, or an expensive en-
tertainment on the part of the hostess.
1t is an attractive sort of invitation,
but woe to the man or woman who &C
cepts it according to its terms. The
man and the woman who attend in any
thing but full evening dress will find
themselves singular, and most uncom-
Portable. They have taken their host
ess at her word, and find, instead OF a
party of familiar friends, who can sit
down and enjoy an hour of social inter
course, a highly dressed JAM which
comes late and departs late, and which
finds itself treated to an elaborate sup
per. People have, at last, learned that
| if there is anything that must be dress
ed for deliberately, it is an informal re-
ception," and that there is really no
greater cheat than the invitation which
called them together The consequence
is that we have no really informal gath
erings of men and women in what we
call society"
Again, when we invite guest to
dinner at six, we expect him to come
at. or before that hour 1t is counted
the height of impoliteness for guest
to keep dinner waiting a moment.
This is Just as it should be; but when
we invite u guest at eight o'clock, 10
reception 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 en-
trance at any subsequent hour before
the party breaks up. Why the rule
should be good for the dinner that is
not good for the assembly does not APP
pear, except that in the case OF the din
ner ii is question of hot or cold soup
that is 10 be decided At eight the
| host and hostess are III their vacant
rooms, be-glovcd and waiting. They
are there for an hour, wishing their
guests would come. At last one makes
his appearance, and with n guilty look
whips up stairs. Then he waits until
another joins him, and another, and an
other, and so ut last he dcsccnds. All
have lost the only opportunity they will
have for pleasant chat with those who
have invited thcm-lost, indeed, the on
| ~ chance they will have Of look at
the flowers, at the pictures. and the en-
ioyment of an undisturbed chat, with
comfortable seats and surroundings.
All dread tn be first, and SO all wait, and
thus thrust far into the night their hour
of departure. The company that should
be Mt home at eleven, and in bed at
halfpast eleven, do not find their beds
until one the next morning.
To the man of business such hours
as mingling in social life imposes are
simply 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 bless
ing and delight, as it should be, be-
comes 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 summer to restore them sufii-
GENTLY to stand another campaign. We
submit that this is an exaggerated rep
resentation ofthe present state of things,
and protest that it demands reform.
Every hour that man spends out of
his bed after halfpast ten at night is a
violence to nature. They have learned
this in Germany, where, in many towns,
their public amusements terminate at
halfpast nine, and, in some cases, even
earlier than this. 1t is in this direction
that reform should be effected in Amer