St. Landry democrat., 1883-01-06
True Hospitality.

Il don't believe in good -natured
husband said lady to a friend, sit
makes him bring home too many friends
for dinner, and if there's anything ]
hate it's that"
1t is presumable that the above para.
graph embodies the two extremes OF
hospitality; that of the husband who
recklessly invites guest home without
knowing whether there is anything in
the larder, and that of the wife who
could not welcome either husband or
guest on such an occasion because she
did not have her table in holiday dress
and the best the market could afford
upon it, and yet it is doubtful if the
guest would not rather be the recipient
OF plain home dinner gracefully dis
pensed than to be invited to a table
loaded with silver and china and elabor-
ate cooking but chill with company air
of fatigue and preparation. The ethics
OF true hospitality are very simple, and
so far as viands go slice OF sweet
bread and cup of milk can easily be
glorifed into feast by the manner in
which they are presented. A good
hostess can make her guests believe they
are partaking of Angels food when they
are only eating very ordinary dishes, if
she will entertain them with a har-
monious recital of other matter, another
method of utilizing the old proverb
which says: .Chatted food is half d.
gested." 1t is not necessary to well
come to have finger bowls and napkins
even. The sweetest hospitality now in
existence is that which is found in the
home mind | do not say house in the
country, where the plain, practical far.
mer bids the transient to .'sit by and
his wife, who is great in her; hospitality,
waits upon him. Many a stranger who
has Toasted at his kindly board on plain
and palatable fare has echoed the senti.
ment Of the song:
+" God bless the man who sows the wheat,
Who finds us milk, and fruit. and meat:
May his purse ne heavy, his heart be light,
His G 1T lie and corn and all right
God bless the Seeis his hand letfal1,
For the farmer he must feed us all.
There is living to-day in Washington
a gentleman in high official position
whose house is magnificent, whose
table is the envy OF all other members
of the cabinet and whose wines are
specially imported from renowned vint-
ages Of France. He used to be a plain
country youth before the war and his
father kept open house for everybody,
and at his plain and comfortable table
neighbors and strangers were alike
welcome. They didn't have any style
wouldn't have known a finger glass
from dumb waiter, and when they
had finished their meat and vegetables
they scraped place on the same plate
tor the great section of apple pie or a
dose of the sorghum which was just
coming into use. remember that
Colonel --- always took the ..molas-
ses'' and broke great hunks Of white
bread into it for dessert. He doesen't
know molasses now, nor beans, nor
country neighbors He talks OF his
brothers who died in the .'wah, but if
they were alive and came in their home
spun clothes to visit him. he would
close his house and put sign scarlet
fever on the door. Yet this man has a
statue OF Jupiter in his dining room
and verse from Homer extolling
hospitality over his sideboard, while III
his daily life he is not actuated by q
single impulse born of that barbara
virtue Detroit Post and tribune.