Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-12-17
An OLD FASHIONED CUSTOM.


Our Ancestors.
The old-fashioned custom, whenever a
new house was built, of celebrating the
occasion with what was called a rOusing
house warming grew out of a hearty rec
ognition of the fact that, even after
architect, carpenter, mason and decorator
had done their best, the house was still
no fit place for human beings to live i'll
till all the rooms in it had been set aglOw,
not merely with fires in every chimney
place, but with faces radiant with happi-
ness and hearts thrObbing with love and
cordially. Till that was done the build
ing was felt to be mere affair of brick,
mortar, lumber, and nails, and no more
like true abode than dead body is like
a living, loving man or woman. 1t Is
pity that so many of these old customs
have been given up, for they served to
emphasize from the onset, and in pic
tUresqun way, never afterward to be for
gotten, ideas that always ought to remain
fresh and warm in the mind. Like chris
tening the baby, this christening the
house was a religious act of defeating it
to a high and beautiful end.
The man is a poor churl of a fellow
who, having a home, however humble,
does not feel that one of the happiest of
all life's privileges is that of playing
the host in it. So far as the house goes
it ought to enable him to sympathize with
what must be the highest blessedness of
diety itself. True, it is not the wide,
glorious universe with its starry heavens,
mountains, seas, lakes and groves, but
still, though a small thing, it is own, and
gives him something royal to bestow on
others-a warm welcome, the contest seat
by the fire, the best cheer he can com
mand on the table, and dainty, springy,
inviting bed to sleep in.
No wonder then the word hos pitality
has in all ages secured itself such fond,
nesting place in the human breast, for
never Is man or woman seen to more ad
vantage than under the aspect of truly
cordial host or hostess. Now, there is
great deal of this kind of hospitality i'll
the world, and no end of the happiest
recollections of a long lifetime are bound
up with delightful experiences of hours,
days, and weeks spent in just this sunny
atmosphere. But ought not so essenti-
ally generous an idea as this of hospital
ity to have a still wider and more gener-
Gus Interpretation put on it? No doubt
1t is fine thing to make guest welcome
to fireside, table, armchair, and sleeping
room, but is not great deal more THAI
this essential in picturing the full char
acteristics of the ideal host and hostess?
The essential mark CT hospitality is, of
course, quick and delicate perception
of the wants of the guest, together with
delight in ministering them. If he is
hungry, feed him; if cold. warm him: if
sleepy, speed him to bed. But how about
entertaining his ideas ond sentiments, as
well as his senses. and giving these, like
wise a generous welcome: The host or
hostess that knows how to bring these
finer and shyer visitants out, and smile
upon and cheer them as they begin to
flow, will not such a one warm and eXhil-
arate the spirits of the sojOurner under
their roof as no mere blazing fire-side
can: Indeed, ministering delicately TO
the senses of the welcomed guest, what is
this at best but kind of preliminary for
making him comfortable and setting him
at his ease; while the highest and royal
est form of hospitality only begins when
bright, sunny welcome extended to the
wisest, sweetest and most charming ele-
ments in the mans mind and heart!
Perhaps he has no great measure of any
of these. Well then, to bring out the
best he has in him and help him to set it
More than one of the wisest and great
est of men have put 1t on record that
they never yet met anyone in life from
whom they could not learn something.
Now, what clear comfort for any poor
fool of fellow like the most of Us to
have been the guest of one of these New
tons or Bacons and to have seen
the fine smile OF satisfaction
hgh up his wonderful face
to our actually telling him
something new and interesting. We
would remember the fact years after we
had forgotten whether the bed he gave Us
was hard or soft or the steak tender or
tough. Indeed, it can be depended on
that no home ever gets the best kind of
house-warming till it has become a place
to which friends long to flock because
they feel that an atmosphere pervades it
IN which they talk better, laugh more
cheerily, revel more freely in their richest
sentiments than they can anywhere else.
For welcome after this fashion they
will forsake the dowriest of touches and
the most delicate of viands, and go gladly
where, though the fare is scantier, the
hospitality toward thought and feeling is
a thousand fold more cordial.