The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-05-19
LEAVING CARDS.g
The Significance OF visiting Cards and
How They Should BE Distributed.

pected in return. The routine Of card
leaving may thus be briefly explained:
One lady calls upon another, and, ON
finding her mot at home" leaves q
card, saying: For Lady Jones'" If
the lady calling is married. she also
leaves two of her husbands cards with
her own. She leaves two of his cards
because one is intended for Lady Jones
and one for Sir John Jones. IL Lady
Jones has grOwn-up daughters. the lady
calling turns down q corner of her
yisiting-card to include them in the call
made to their mother; but if a mar
ried daughter were on a visit to her
mother separate card would be left
for her. and also for any other visitor of
Lady Jones with whom the lady calliag
is acquainted.
If mother has grOwn-up daughters,
Their names are printed on her card.
''Miss Smith, Miss Ethel Smith," and
whether with her or not when calling
the card is still left with their names
upon it, Young ladies are not supposed
TO have cards of their own during the
lifetime of their mothers. and if while
still young they lose their mothers their
names appear on the cards of the ladies
who take them out, whether it be an
aunt, married sister, or . sister-in-
law, or even a grandmother. If they
permanently reside with one of their
relatives, their names would be printed
on the cards; if only temporary, merely
penciled. When young ladies live with
their fathers, who are widowers, and
who chaperOn them, their joint names
are printed on lady's visiting card.
Until 9 young lady has attained what is
termed certain age, it argues no little
independence of action to have . card
OF her own, but when she no longer re-
quires chaperoning she is entitled to q
card of her own, being clearly her own
mistress, and able to choose her own
acquaintance.
lady is at home to the lady calling upon
her, she must not on any account leave
her card on taking her departure, rs
the fact of having seen her friend does
away with the reason of leaving q card,
viz: to intimate that she has called;
but she leaves two of her husbands
cards on the hall table, presuming that
he, her husband, is not with her. Even
if she had seen the master of the house,
she still leaves the cards as q mark of
civility on the part of her absent hus-
band. She does not leave more than
two, whether the master of the house is
at home or not
People who do. not understand the
meaning of card-leaying arc frantically
anxious to send visiting-cards by post
to their scquaintarces in lieu of calling
upon them. Only the greatest ignor-
ance of the usages of good society can
excuse such an idea If distance is too
great to keep up calling acquaintance
there Is no ciyility in sending names
and addresses on visiting cards by post;
they convey nothing and they mean
nothing. unless left in person, and it is
difficult to imagine how the notion of
sending visiting-cards by post could
enter the heads of any one pretending
to be IN society.
Cards of inquiry are another stumb-
ling-block to the uninitiated. These
they are also anxious to send by post,
which would entirely do away with the
politeness intended; they must be left
In person, as a matter of course, and
the words TO inquire after Mrs.
Brown should be written on the top
of the card. When q card of inquiry
is left by lady she does not leave her
husbands cards on that occasion, a
call not being intended, but simply an
inquiry after health, to evince sympathy
and interest. The same applies TO
cards OF Return thanks for kind in
quirieS" These words are also writ
ten on the top of the cards, and the
cards are left by a member of the fami-
ly. when not by the invalid herself,
when the invalid is the husband or son,
it is still the wife or mother who returns
thanks for kind inquiries.
As regards 2. P. c. cards, the same
rule holds good; they can not be sent
BY post, they must be left in person.
The letters P. p. G. signify pour prendre
congo, and are left on the eve of de-
parture for any length of time.
Visiting cards are left when q lady is
not ct home, when time does not admit
of making q call, when the acquaint-
ance is too slight to warrant making
call, when it is not desired that the ac-
craftsmanship should develop into
calling acquaintsnceship, when asked
by a mutual friend tocall on stranger,
when an invitation is sent by .
stranger through mutual friend, when
leaving a letter of introduction on .
stranger, and after entertainments.
Cards can only be sent in when pure
ly business calls are made, and between
people unacquainted with each other.
Cards should never be sent in when So
cial calls are made. 1t is quite sufa-
cient for 8 lady to give her name to the
servant
Wedding-cards and memorial-cards
have long been out of date, and are
hardly worth abiding to in this place;
still, they have existed, which is res-
son for referring to them at all.
A lady's visiting-card is printed in
small, clear copper-plate type, and free
from any kind of establishment 1t is
n n II Al