The Dickinson press., 1889-06-29
WOMAN AND HOME.
A NEW YORK LADY TELLS HOW TO
CONDUCT A MUSICALE.

an = Itll -NruVu
Words for the Mothcr-in-Law Littlo
Stories About Women-Hints on Health
and the Household.
The strictly fashionable correct New York
musicale is as solemn as an evening funeral,
and as stupid rs Il love scene in the original:
no one enjoys it but the performers. | think
without question, that you can manage to
spend more money and mako a larger pro.
portion of your guests uncomfortable at n
musicale than at any other form of enter.
tain,ncnt yet devised. In tho first place there
are the invitations, which must be engraved
and read something like this:
MIR and Mrs, Smith request the pleasure of
Mr. and Mrs. Jones' company on Monday Mt
* gsvr Music
You send three invitations two or three
weeks ahead to insure the presence of some of
your guests, for people always avoid a must
Gale if possible, as they do an appointment
with Il dentist on an interview with n credit
or. Then you set about procuring your tai
ent for tho occasion, and mortgage most of
your property to pay them. You must send
n carriage for every artist separately, for
lliCN III hNNtlIiS XVI va tAitto
they couldn't he expected to ride the length of
the block in the same vehicle. You furnish
them with flowers, add your unbounded graf
itude to the modest sum you pay and dress
yourself in some quiet home dress, with no
bonnet or glove, to receive your guests. Some
times YOU give q musical luncheon, where you
vary the programme by inviting asmall num-
Der of your most intimate friends to luncheon
aud have the music afterward, to which it is
quite commc il faut TO invite us many people
US you can accommodate, in your rooms,
though they We're not present at the luncheon.
Musical breakfasts are on the same general
order. occurring Il little catlicr in the day,
though | O'Clock is the fashionable hour
Sometimes the music prccedes the breakfast,
and frequently Il band of concealed musicians
play through tho meal as well.
The style of music is extremely classical
IN very heavy. We arc so cultured and
melodlous now that we don't enjoy any har
mony that We really can understand, and we
talk very knowingly of shading and motives,
touch and phrases and expression, though, of
course, we don't know what any of it really
means. The others donot understand either,
so it doesn't signify; no ono knows if you
make a mistake. y. stylish musicale is hard,
" complete now without the Hungarian
band, and the leader of that peculiar institu-
ton has been SO ilattcred and fetcd i'll Amcri.
ca that lie forgets sometimes that he was
once hired as n kind of upper servant by the
Countess I,sterllazy's father, who employed
him to entertain his guests us he hired the
butler to pour their wines. Mrs. Hicks-Lord
was convcrsant of the fact, and when, on a
somewhat recent occasion, she paid $500 or
$500 for his services, and he asked in addition
to be presented to her guests, she aired her
knowledge of his former situation with great
promptitudc.
If you really want to spend money on a
musicale you can invite your personal friends
to entertain the guests instead of hired
operate stars. or course, they don't charge
you anything, as they arc not professional.
you just make them some little t~ritling pres
cnts of a brown stono block, Il carriage and
horses, II diamond tiara and some other little
things of that kind, and remain forever under
Il burden of gratitude besides. 1t is like hay
ing tickets sent you for the theatre OF opera
by n friend; you have to give them some
thing in return that costs moro than n box in
the grand row.
\ musicale returns any kind Of an obliga-
tion-a dinner, luncheon, reception or tea
and costs more than all of them i'll one. Some
people give a series of musicales, three or four
in number, but one handsome musicale in the
| season is all that is really required or often
given.-Interview in New York Sun.