Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-08-18

That little concession to Old World etiquette is
like an Insult. We must avoid being fussy. which
is the worst excess OF amiablltty As for all our
great people, President for instance, we should
we should not call him "Grove Cleveland"
ENTERTAINING THE PRESIDENT.
In inviting him to our houses for q reception we
should be careful TO see that he and his wife are
conducted first to the refreShment table. No one
should, either from carelessness or Indifference,
oegln 10 eat at reception given to the PI esdenI
before he has been helped This we owe To the
common decencies OF life. On the arrival OF the
resident and suite at small town In the interior
the business OF receiving him properly Is often
laughingly discussed by the Inhabitants The
nroper etiquette would be for delegation OF the
irsI citizens to meet him at the and 70 con-
duct him In one or their own private Carriages to
the mouse where he Is to stay unless public cere-
monies should interfere, and he should be privately
consulted as TO his desire for rest and refresh
ment before he Is compelled to receive the good
people who wish TO see him. II he consents TO a
reception. let one he given to him, OF course Each
person who enters should be presented To him. first
Dy host ami hostess, but there should always be a
Thought for the private rest and rerreshment OF an
Ii Is always an agreeable thing for a great man.
Travelled man, much hand-shaken man, to be
taHen 10 some quiet, luxurious, private house,
now 10 treat him with dignified courtesy. He
SHOULD DC iet alone, occasionally, FOR the hour OF
resi-, and the not being obliged TO talk are boons
nlShly priced by the public man.
sNoBBIsH AND DREADFUL BoREs
To appear In the front rank OF his worshipers
to follow with reflected luster the star which
shines, these are the attributes Of the snob and
the bore, and scarcely ever do we see a public re-
ceptlon 70 distinguished luminary that the
lesser satellite Is not present also There are men
VINO nave no sense OF delicacy on this point and
tnere are women who make themselves into no.
tOriet1es as lion hunters and as the most dtsa-
greeable OF bOres, because they cannot be nut
down and out as men can; their sex, unfortu.
nately protects them. But If they could hear the
ThnU
Their TOO oncious manners. The snob is fortu-
nately thoroughly mall plated with his own con-
celI, OF ne would not have AN agreeable expert
ence In trying TO get In where he is not wanted
He IS ever the marplot Of these public attentions
70 distinguished people and is particularly TO be
dreaded. Like mad dog In not weather. he
cannot De OF any use, and he may be very dan
gerous
II a family wish to entertain a president or a
prince, an ambassador or duke, senator or a
clergyman, they should be particular in so issu-
Ing their Invitations that the card be xpcit and
the wording In good grammar.
Many such Invitations read abSurdly as ssMrs
Brown, at Home, TO meet President Hayes" Now
II MRS. Brown thinks she has asked you 10 meet
President Hayes she is mistaken; she has merely
recorded trueism In which the rest OF the world
10 meet President Hayes
Mrs. Brown
at Home
Tuesday, 11th, etc.
or better still, she should have said:
Mrs. Brown
requests the pleasure OF the company
OF Mr.. and Mrs. Smith
on Tuesday, May 18th, at O'clock
TO meet
the President.
In our republican way OF doing things It is
proper 10 say:
Mrs Brown requests the pleasure Of your com,
pany, to meet the President.
Putting the name on The right hand corner of
the card.
TIE USE OF FOREIGN TITLES
While 1t Is always proper to call a foreigner by
his title, we must remember that in England they
avoid using the title as much as possible, when
talking TO very exalted person. He can easily
lind out, by consulting any English book OF ell
Quctte, now TO address prince, duke or an ARCH
U snop; put we are republicans and are not ex-
pected 10 know all the details, and IL our manners
are respectful but not too excruciauingly revereD-
tiaL we sinai be forgiven for little unintentional
lapseS. NO matter now polite they may be 10 us
a TOO great familiarity and appearance OF init
macy should be avoided with a titled foreigner
However courteous an English duke may appear,
ne resents any attempt at familiarity. Never Sian
a 70 eigner on the back, or put your hand on his
arm 10 arrest his attention.; remember that abroad
Is considered the highest insult 10 touch the per-
son.
In entertaining distinguished foreigners let US
ind out II they are genuine.
Oscar Wilde has no funnier stories to tell his
London circle than the amusement which II caused
him. a mere boy, dressed as an actor, TO stand and
receive the homage OF a respectful circle OF wOr
shipfuI ladies who mistoOk MIN for a Celebrity
He mad to take the reverse and come to a New
YORK reception, where, although invited, he was
TO be amused at both. He was punished for the
first folly OF his hosts. He was masQuerading and
he did not particularly care, so that he had lark,
and so that
HIS LECTURES DREW.
1t was hardly worthy exploit for the genius, the
oxford scholar, the extremely clever poet the witty
man-which Oscar Wilde is-but it was boyish
frolic. He could not do 1t again, but he brought
out the poorest side OF the American character and
always laughed at a slavish worship OF celebrity.
so for the female reformers and lecturers, who
come over here, and who often are women without
own places at home, they are received as guests
In good houses, made much OF In society, "lion.
ized !" In fact; It is not very dignired perform
ceiving distinguished foreigners, let US at least
md out II they are genuine. or one thing we may
snony Troops Matthew Arnoid and IouS A AIo
Frederick Bremen, that the more kindly We treat
them the more they will abuse US. Lord HOughtOn
was the only literary foreigner who was slngu-
larry fair singularly gracious, and truly respectful
IN MS tone toward his American entertainers.
But then LORD Houghton Was gentleman.
Z. A. FREENAN's KIND CRITICISM.
We should always remember to thank Edward
A. Freeman for his kindly, Just and sensible
papers, called "some Points in American Speech
and Customs"
He speaks of the difference of local usage in
language, without assuming that we are In the
wrong. In each case he says, 'sThe word which
has been chosen, sounds odd TO those who use the
msrc. IN r sDgsnd they S. speak Of ran ay in
II
and we say car. They made sort OF stage Coach
and put 1t on the track. We have something IKE
| o steamboat cabin, and therefore say "Aboafd Of
| the cars" when we get into this cabin which is
He objects to our use Of the word .depotn for
station, and indeed We begin to object to it our
| selves. An kng1shman does not know what we
mean by block OF houses, nor does he call q shop
q store. lt Is what Is in the shop-that is the
store, or storeA They do not know what we mean
/ by "town lot" or city tot The word 'scity,n TO
| "town" OF New York. tow ship may contain a
city, out It Is not all CITY, New York calls itself
| metropolis, which means only the seat OF a Roman
Catholic archbshoprtc. We have no metropOli-
| tan. Real estate and real estate once have no
meaning. To an English eye a man who buys
lands and houses In England calls it property no
/ Freeman IL looked % strange as II some one had
/ advertised "Fl0lsam and Jetsam once" to him.
| When hts virgtnian entertainers, said "n0e' for
noor and "d0e for door, he thought It truly acase
Of dialect In the strctest sense. He found that IL
| sounded queeriy TO English ears 70 tax OF the
balance OF the day or 70 say II endorse your
wordA He, however, has the fairness 70 Offset
these differences with reference 70 local neces-
| sity, and he says Each side OF the ocean, I'm.
luckily, l1nds Il easier TO copy the abuses OF the
other side, than 70 stick 70 tho noble heritage
which u common TO BOTH
m QUE OWN wAY.
there are 20 many things which are different
on the two sides OF the Atlantic, how much must
our etiquette differ; and therefore how wise for IA
| ~ receiving great man or woman. TO receive
| them N our own way. We can never begin OF
pretend 70 master al there dt1srence& We can