The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-11-04
Conversation at Calls.

Morning calls are a great test of in
dividual capabilities, as morning call
signifies neither moro nor less than
| quarter of an hours conversation with
the person called upon and mauUdiS
quart dheure it is to those who are ut
loss what to say or what to talk about.
But to those proficient in tho agreeable
art of small talk, morning calls are
among the pleasantest of duties, when
the conventional quarter of an hour of
a conventional morning call is length
ened out into half an hours easy and
delightful talk, chat or conversation, rs
the case may be.
Tho weather is never-failing topic
to the unimaginative; but this is weak
resource after all and is very speedily
exhausted. Wet weather admits of q
few more remarks being extracted
therefrom than does fine weather. Wet
days and cold winds can be deplored
and regretted, but remarks on fine
weather admit of little but assent. The
topic of bad weather carries the con-
versation but very little further and
those depending upon this frail CONVEX
sational bark find themselves very soon
stranded.
Conversation, to be agreeable, should
not partake of the nature of q catechism,
meaning mere string of questions
questions not led up to or in any way
originated or evolved from the fore
going conversation, but put abruptly
and aprOpOs of nothing. There are
several topics that are handled in this
uncomfortable manner by certain COM
monplace people. until there common
place questions are anticipated almost
before they are uttered.
These and similar subjects are very
suitable ones upon which to construct
light conversation, but they should be
introduced and welded into the chain
of talk rather than be treated interro-
gatively and should be given rather as
a personal experience, combined with
an apparent wish 10 gather an express
sion of opinion from the person to
whom the remarks are addressed. This
mode of treating these ordinary sub
| jects divests them slightly of the COM
monplaceness with which they are too
often preached.
After the first preliminaries of well
coming visitor at morning call are
| over. the ball of conversation would be
set rolling. A lady by mentioning her
own movements or arrangements, or by
referring to any matter connected with
herself and family, if not of too private
a nature, gives lead or opening to her
visitor and affords an opportunity for
her to take up the thread of the dis
course and to carry it into wider chan
nels, far beyond the range of the operas,
| hn tl,aatrao hn AID -,
proportion as the conversation DIVORCES
into friendly or domestic talk, so do the
two ladies become more ut ease with
each other, gaining in short time
clear insight into each others character
and pursuits.
To touch on the actual topics of the
hour demands both tact and cleverness
and topic of ordinary interest that has
become common property through the
medium of the morning papers or the
society journals should never be intro
duced as an item of original news.
Many people contract the habit of max
ing conversation out of the intelligence
supplied by the morning papers
slightly forgetful of the fact that this
mine of information is open to all; this
is peculiarly Irritating to q well-in-
formed listener. When the public news
of the day is important enough to be
referred to, it should be brought for
ward as public news" only for discus
sion or argument, or as matter of
general interest, surprise or regret.
| When one or two callers are present,
unacquainted with each other and but
slightly acquainted with the hostess, if
not intending to make n formal intro
duction. she would endeavor to render
the conversation general, incidentally
mentioning the names of the callers,
that each might become aware of the
identity of the other. A hint, q sug-
gestion or an expression dropped from
either of the ladies would, in the hands
of clever woman, be all-sufficient for
the basis of conversation. Even be-
tween the merest acquaintance some
slight fact must be known which would
serve as an opening for the making Of
conversation and the opening thus
given would admit of q higher fight
being taken than the trivial fact whics
had given rise to the conversation.