St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-01-07
CARING FOR GUESTS.
Row They Are Made Decidedly Uucora-
Portable by Tactless Hostesses.

Row Ihey Are Made Decidedly Uuco,z,-
Portable by Tactless Hostcsses.
May | name few of the MANS 20.
sorted to by well-meaning, but mis-.
taken people, to make their homes so
oeclaedly unattractive to any one, that
the time required for social pleasures.
takes almost nothing from their life
time. One of these WAYS is the habit
OF constantly calling attention to (bv
excuslnG all the short comincs and
drawbacks to the hospitality being dis.
! pensed. The hostess who habituollv
does this, is a troublesome person to-
visit, whether she 'fears that the
smallness of her rooms must cramp
you, or deplores ''the shabbiness Of
the furniture, or is worried ..lest the
noise of her children will make YOU
long to be at home again" or excuses
the manner in which meals are served.
1t may be that most of these things
would pass unnoticed, or trouble YOU
| very little, if only the mis-
tress of the house would
not plaintively proclaim them, tax
ing the powers of the polite guest to the
very utmost to protest that they were
not noticeable, OF to coin some little
fiction as to the disorder being excusa-
bic, and growing tired and worried
over the effort to cover up the poor
management OF the hostess, and her
lmpollteness also, for it is impolite to
tax guest in this double way; she has
her own share as we'll as that of tho
hostess to bear, and it is little wonder
if in future she keeps away from such
tax. Perhaps we enter a house where
draperies of cobwebs seem to be the
order OF the day. What do we care if
such is the state of their walls? Very
few of us care at all, if only our homes
are neat. If such is the taste of the
jewellers there you are willing it shall
be gratitied. But to be told to only
look at them!' and to be asked .'if this
is nota digraceful condition of things9'
or told, Il am sure you will tell how
carelessly we live, now, won't you?" is
rather embarrassing.
So, intending to make yourself
agreeable, you observe that "cobwebs
are rather pretty and quite graceful,
and you rather like Them" and such
like inanities as this; "they do collect
so fast this weather." knowing these
must be the collection of months, and
then you collapse, for the effort is Sc
we're, and the hostess keeps on saying:
Perfectly dreadful! You are not
used to such things, and l shan't sleep
tonight for thinking Of the condition
in which you found my rooms.'
If you are fond of careless house.
keeping, it is entirely your own affair,
but to impress it on your guests is an
experiment you will not find success
full, for they will not stand it often.
The eScusing hostess is particularly
annoying at meals, and often obliaes
her guests to eat of unsavory or ILL
cooked dishes, in the effort to save the
feelings of one who deserves little (oR
no) consideration.
Unless you eat extrayagantly she is
sure the meal is GLADLY prepared"
mot 70 your taste" ''oVerdone,"
''underdone," and she "just knows
you will starve." Don't make people
at your table eat more than they wish
to; particularly don't urge on them
any thing that is one atom questiona-
BILE, by debating its merit, and so send
ing challenge to q polite person to
accept more of it Gas proof of its SUI
perior quality than is agreeable or
profitable. Even if an entire meal
should prove a failure it is better to.
order it quietly away than to load the
stomach of your victim with UNBEATABLE
food. The temporary discomfort OF
being little unsatisfied is soon cured,
while eating undigestible food carries
it's reminder in physical suffering for
several days.
There is another very common form
of victimizing your guests-talking
about things or people they don't
know, never have known, and under
no circumstances will ever be likely to
come in contact with. It leaves the
visitor so entirely outside of any chance
to interest himself in the conversations;
leaves him so entirely alone. that if he.
is not intimate enough to take book
or a nap, so as to wait for q change IN
the topic of talk which he can under
stand and join in, his position is often
embarrassing, always tiresome, and
not one to accept willingly many timeS
Good Housekeeping.