Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1890-02-13
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Having invited our g1estss ahd beins
really glad to see them, let ~ not make
such adsplay of our best china, napery
and elaborate menus that We shall be
obliged either to do . large amount q
extra work ourselves, thus deffaudine
ourselves of our guests society, or TO
bring in an additional servant for the
occasion, who will be sure to break and
spoil more that she costs otherwi,e.
None of these things add to household
serenity, and no right-minded guest can
b made comfortable and happy when
he sees that his hosts are suffering an.
noyance. #
Let us not make our friends SO very
much at home" as to compel then, to b
witnesses of any family disagreements-
If such there unfortunately are or to
conform their hkings 10 our own. ffor
ourselves we require only coffee aud rolls
for breakfast, we need not take it for
granted that our guest would not like
other things if they were provided in
such abundance that he would not fancy
them destined for himself alone. five
prefer to sleep in unwarmed rooms, We
should not compel him to dos so Itian
easy matter for him to cool a warm room,
if he does not fancy it; but he cannot
command a cold one to be warmed for
his benefit.
Guests should never be left to take care
of or to amuse the children of their host
They may be very fond of children in tho
abstract, and of some children in particu-
lar, but the society of children should b
sought by, not inflicted upon. our guests.
While we would not agree with the
Spaniard, who declares that his house
and all that is in it belongs to his guests,
we should certainly remember that while
. guest is with us his room is sacred to
him. If he chooses to spend his entire
time therein, we may have our own ideas
about his politencss, and may have our
mental reservations about inviting the
fellow to come again, but We
have no right to intrude upon him un-
asked. He has also a perfect right to
call upon persons whom we do not know,
or to receive visits from such persons;
though, of course, no guest Of good
or of delicacy of feeling, would
wish to receive calls while in the house
of another from any person with whom
his host did not wish to maintain social
relations
Be merciful. OF course a guest of
right feeling will wish in all things to
conform to the usages of his host as far
as possible, while the courteous host
should seek to make them as little burden
some as circumstances will permit. But
there are people who seem to have made
a set of cast-iron rules about their house.
hold matters, to which not only their
own family must conform, but also tine
stranger that is within their gates. We
know family whose head-a man Of
great wealth, and maintaining a small
regiment of servants the within of
insisting that every member of his family
should appear at the breakfast table at
precisely 6 a M, both winter and
summer. One winter he had invited q
to make his homo with
him in New York city while undergoing
medical treatment for rheumatism. The
poor invalid was not exempted from the
avs which governed his hosts family,
though pain often kept him awake until
those early morning hours when, as every
person accustomed to observing illness
knows, gentle sleep seems just ready to
descend and close the weary eyes At
quarter before the early breakfast hour
the poor fellow'scrutches were beginning
to falter down the long flights from the
third story, SO that, though often nearly
he never offended his host by
arriving later than the moment required.
This was endured for one fortnight when
the invalid made the excuse of needing
water-cure treatment, that he might be
able to leave his hosts house without
giving offense.
It is never necessary, and seldom de-
sirable, to devote ones entire time to the
of guests There are
homes, charming in all other respects,
where a guest is hardly allowed to take
proper rest, SO anxious are his kind en-
tertainers that he shall see everything.
While the different members of the family
are taking turns in escorting their wis.,
itor, they forget that the physical endur-
ance of one is not equal to that of four or
five.
Let us by no means fall into the con-
trary extreme, and neglect our guests
Let us give him every pleasure that We
can afford to do without everlasting his
strength, but in SO doing let US always
consult his tastes, which may differ from
our own. One man thinks it the greatest
Of privileges to be allowed to sit before
library fire with book, while another
thinks it SLOW" if he does not attend all
the places of amusement within reach,
Or make the acquaintance of all the neigh
borS
Let US never forget that the true host
invites his guests for their pleasure and
more than for his own.-[Har-
per's Bazaar.