Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-06-11
The Guest Chamber.

EVERY house should have its guest
chamber. One of our most beautiful
and delightful social obligations is the
duty of exercising hospitality gladly and
freely.
Mrs. Whitney, in one of her most
charming books, speaks of the great
difference that exists between people in
their ways of receiving visitors.
With some there is perpetual show
ing off and trying on, as it were, be-
coming manners and conversation. The
atmosphere is not like the air of every
day life and every thing is pitched in
too high a key.
Others feel as if an entertainment of
friends were a social convulsion, so to
speak, in which nothing should 90 on
or be done until the intruder has de-
parted.
The true hostess takes you into her
own home-life and air, frightened, if
you are loved, by your presence there,
varying only from the beautiful daily
order and warmth by numberless pretty
little attentions which every one has
leisure to pay on the busiest day, and
yet WHICH make one feel so welcome.
The kind questioning about the welfare
of the guests own household, the ready
interest in her domestic stories-of the
sayings and dOings of the little ones, or
of her own plans and work; the easiest
chair brought forward to the warm and
cosy place by the fire, or if it is sum-
mer the gathered flowers at the plate
these, and a thousand other tfihing
courtesies give your visitor the good of
her change of air and place, her social
intercourse, from which she may return
home refreshed and strengthened, and
glad to give to another the same kind
of pleasure and welcome she has re-
ceived.
Such hospitality as this comes so near
the home-life that it may be long sus-
tanned and frequent. The guest cham
ber should not long be empty. In
winter, warm and cosy and bright; in
summer, fresh and cool; ministering to
the bodily needs, yes, and TO something
higher.
The great empty rooms of preten-
tlous house are often swept and gar
nished for the abode of such evil spirits
as pride and covetousness, GOODNESS and
self-absorption.
FIJI them with cheerful human pres
ences, and let them be glad with human
voices, and how soon your own especial
grievance or disappointment will have
completely vanished away, lost among
more unselfsh and brighter thoughts.
We need one another for help and
for pleasure and for mutual instruction,
for it is in the world, not out of il, that
character is formed and disciplined and
the great battle of life is fought.
There is no working class more ac-
tire, economical, self-denying and pru-
dent than the French. They display
their marked ability for practical bust
ness in the payment of their immense
war debt, in the prosperity-notwith-
standing the revolution after revolution
and continued political disturbances--of
their artisans and small farmers.
Nowhere does one see the abject
squalor of the London poor, but the
peasant children are warmly clothed
and shod and suitably fed. Yet their
working hour last long beyond ours, and
every expense is carefully regulated and
all superlluity avoided
But no one in France is too poor for
recreation aftor work is done. In the
evening kinspeOple, friends and neigh
bors meet together in homely manner
for little music, perhaps little read
ing or recitation, at any rate for lively
and friendly talk together.
No matter how many drop in, no ex-
pensive preparations are made; at the
most, cake and tea, or something of the
same light nature may be handed, but
generally the guests come after supper.
The result of this is that the hardest
and most untiring workers are never
overworked. They rest each other, and
bring together new ideas and smiling
faces until the whole atmosphere is one
of hopefulness and kindliness. Would
it not be well for us to initiate their
courtesy and cheerfulness, their unfail-
ing hoSpitalityP 1t is hard to measure
the good that may be- 50 given and re-
eeivqd,-- Country GeHtIemaa,