Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-10-26
THE SOCIAL CALL
A Cynic Who Throws stones Mt
Fayorfte Dlverst.u ""

SeoHes AT
Favorite Diversion. nan's
The cynic wants to know wh..
gained for any rational being whaa
city full OF women undertake to ra
and receive formal visits with persaA
whom for the most part, they do nas
wish to see. What is gained, ba .. IO'
by leaving cards with all these peonl'
and receiving their cardsp Wbonp
woman makes her tedious rounds ~,
Is she always relieved to find neor,'
not in? When she can count upon t ''
ten fingers the people she wants to %" F
why should she pretend to want IN ~
the othersp Is any one deceived hv IL,
Does anybody regard it as any thin.
but sham and burdenp Much IS
cynic knows about it! Is it not naoa'
sary to keep up what is called soco,~,
Is it not necessary to have an authan.;,
list of past board acquaintance to ~
wife to receptions? And what wouls
become ofus without receptions? Evarr
body likes to give them. Evervbod'.
fiocks to them with great alacrity
When society calls the roll, we all know
the penalty of being left out. Is tb,ra
any intellectual or physical pleaspro
equal to that of jamming SO many nao
pie into house that they can hardlv
move, and treating them to a babel .,
noises in which no one can make hon
self heard without screamingp Than
is nothing like a reception in anv nm
civilized country. It is so exhilaratinc,
When dozen or hundred people ara
gathered together in a room, thew all
begin to raise their voices and to shout
like pool sellers in the noble rivalry ~
''warious langwidges," rasping tbei,
throats into bronchitis in the biddinc
of the conversational ring. If thew
spoke low, or even in the ordinary tone
conversation would be impossible. Int
then it would not be reception, AZ wa
understand
But does society-that is, the inter-
course of congenial people-depend
upon the ella y ate system of exchauO.
ing calls with hundreds of people who
are not cOngeuial? Such thoughts will
sometimes come by winter fireside of
MISUNDERSTANDING friends or at dinner
party not too large for talk without a
telephone, or in the summer time bv
the sea, or in the cottage in the hills,
when the fever of social life has got
down to normal temperature. We
fancy that sometimes people will give
way to real enjoyment of life and
that human intercourse will throw off
this artificial and wearisome parade,
and that if women look back with
pride as they may, upon their personal
achievements and labors, they will
also regard them with astonishment.
Women, we read every day, long for the
rights and privileges of men, and the
education and serious purpose in life
of men. And yet, such is the sweet
self-sacrifice of their nature, they
voluntarily take on burdens which
men have never assumed, and which
they would speedily cast OFF if they
had.
What should we say of men if they
consumed half their time in paying
formal calls upon each other merely
for the sake of paying calls, and were
low-spirited if they did not receive as
many cards as they had dealt out to
society," Have they not the time?
Have women more time? and if they
have, why should they spend it in this
Sisyphus taskp Would the social ma
chine go to pieces-the inquiry is
made in good faith, and solely for in
formation-if they made rational bust
ness for themselves to be attended to,
or even if they gave the time now
given to calls they hate, to reading and
study, and to making their households
civilizing centers of intercourse and
enjoyment, and paid visits from some
other motive than clearing off the
list?" If all the artificial round Of
calls and cards should tumble down,
what valuable thing would be lost out
of anybody's life?-Harper's Weekly.