The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-02-05

put an extinguisher often on the most
scintillant of her sex. If her acquaint-
ance is sought, she will show herself
charming, but she will not seem to So
licit recognition, though the alternative
is dreary silence and isolated state.
The hostess, at ease in her world, may
think this foolish reticence. But since
shy or obscure women are afraid to
speak without authority, she should
make it an invariable custom to intro
duce. The law is very simple. What
ever puts her guests most at ease is her
obvious duty. There is certain social
law of centripetal force which may be
trusted to send the right atoms together
if the artificial retraints are removed.
And it often happens that the richest
friendships of ones life ensue from
these chance encounters, while, on
the other hand, if both parties
to the occasion feel, like Slender,
that ''if there be no great love
at the beginning, yet Heaven may de-
crease it on better acquaintance" a
civil bow on meeting is the only future
recognition which courtesy requires.
Perhaps the form of introduction
There are certain fixed rules, of course,
based on sufficient reason, which every
body is supposed to understand and OBJ
serve. 1t is proper, for example, al
ways to introduce a gentleman to a
lady, a younger woman to an elder, a
stranger or a newcomer to the longer
resident. But beyond this the phrase
and tone employed might convey an as
surance of rewarding acquaintance,
or simply imply a courtesy of the mo-
ment. Suppose, for instance, the host
ess were to say, "Mrs. Blank, L am so
glad of this opportunity to introduce
to you Mrs. Dash," or, cit is such
pleasure to introduce two peo-
pie who ought to know each
other" or any other agreeably uncon-
ventional sentence, there is ground of
liking and a sense of familiarity estab-
lished at once. If, on the other hand,
she sees that there is not likely to be
any common interest between the two
strangers, the usual form, ''Mrs. Blank,
pray allow me to present Mrs. Dash to
you," merely means, Snow you two
women, who happen to stand together,
may leave off your futile attempts to
look unconscious of each others exist
ence, and become as agreeable to each
other as your limitations will allow" A
woman must be ponderous indeed who
can not find few words of graceful
commonplace to bestow on her new ac-
quaintance, or, having offered them,
who can not easily and inoffensively
glide out of the conversation.
But if it be the duty of the hostess to
introduce, it is not less plainly the duty
of her guests to speak to each other
without her intervention. The law of
kindness, which precedes and underlies
the code of etiquette, commands them
to assist her in her effort to give them
pleasure. ga jest's prosperity" says
the all-perceiving Shakespeare, slies in
the ear of him who hears it, never in the
tongue of him who utters it." And it is
equally true that all social successes de-
pend on the spirit of the guests far more
than upon the skill of the hostess. She
is but one. They are many. Schiller
complained that the gods themselves
must fight in vain against stupidity, and
there is no stupidity more hopeless than
that which makes woman in society re-
gard her own preference, prejudice, or
timidity as of more consequence than
the pleasure of the rest.-Rarper'S Ba.
2lT