Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-02-02
WHOLE NO 2O04


IN some chhth the hpatehs pa' w"
nlsh a pleasanter and more comfort
able home 10 her guest Than mat
guest can command elsewhere Ia
some cases less comfortable home.
But IN every case Tho hostess may
Justly feel that whatever guest accepts
her hospitality Ia bound to be content
while accepting II, with the best her
hosisss eau do for her, aud not only
oonleot but gfateiul-else the guest
should change her quarters.
There are many annoyanees 10
country homes which city people do
not have aud which country people
cannot well avoid, These annoy
ances, when inevitable, must be pa
tiently borne and rot made by guests
an occasion of chagrin to their en-
terainers, III cities there are plenty
oil annoy4nues which country people
know aothing about, but which they
must patieblly submit to so long as
they are guests at city houses
Every family has i,s own peculiar
regime, and guests have no more
right 10 meddle with this than citizens
Of this country have 10 NEEDLE With
the customs and laws oi European
country. In q family where, for In
stance, the Sabbath is ngidly kept
after Puritan standards, the guest
should conform, outwardly at least, TO
the rules Of the family, and equal con.
cessions should be made by the family
to the right of the guest TO hold his
own opinions undislurbed. ...a
When there are an abundance OF
servants In the family and the pres
ence Of guests does not impose ad-
ditional manual labor upon the host
ess, gnes,s are no, expected to share
il. the labors OF the household. But
where ,heir presence does materially
increase the toll Of the hostess, they
may with her consent, and often very
gratefully to her, take care Of their
own rooms and help in those lighter
domestic tasks which occupy time and
consume strength, such as cleaning
away tables, wiping dishes, sweeping
and dus,ing, and similar work. No
guest demeans herself by thus l'ghten-
ing the labors she imposes, even
though at home she do absolutely
nothing of the kind.
1t the guest has any accomplish
ment which may contribute to the
pleasure of the family where She is
staying she will OF course exercise
that accomplishment. City people
can tell their country cousins how to
make great many pretty things tor
the decoration of their homes, can in
struct them in many arts and direct
them in many ways how to improve
in personal and social matters. This
will be impaired, OF course,
only to those who desire il, and then
in the most delicate manner and with =
no affectation OF superiority on the
part of the Instructor. The guest is
not under obligation to weary herself
in her efforts to be entertaining to her
hostess, any more than the hostess is
under reciprocal obligation. We have
known instances where guests. have
been invited purely because they made
themselves useful and where they have
been so heavily taxed chat their visit
was very little pleasure or rest to
hem. The Golden rule carefully
studied will serve very we'll as a guide
n all these matters and those who are
'ealIy anxious to do in all things as
hey would he dohe by will not be
likely to offend, whether they occupy
he place of host or guest.-Es.