Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-07
HOW TO ENTERTAIN.
Distinguished Ladies Give Some
Valuable Suggestions.
FIRST LADIES OF THE LAND.
The Condition of Society Ripe for New
Amusements-The Combining of
Harmonious Elements One of
the Chief Essentials.

| Copyright, 1891 for the Gazette and ali
rights reserved
There are few women who are not al
some period OF their lives called upon to en-
tertain guests, and therefore the question
OF how the various functions of society may
be best performed is one of absorbing In
terest to the feminine world. Recognizing
this fact determined to elicit from several
distinguished ladies their views on this
subject.
MRS. PRESIDENT HARRISoS'S VIEWS.
s,Before we can inteiligently discuss the
subject OF how to entertain" said Mrs.
President Harrison. 1--WE must have an in
telligent understanding ofwhat is meant by
entertaining. Webster defines the word
entertain as a transitiye verb Signifying TO
receive and treat with hospitality, to
amuse with conversation l think it very
frequently happens that when people are
said 'to entertain in the sense in which the
word is used in the fashionable society of
our time, the social festivities designed for
that purpose utterly fail to realize the
meaning of the term as given by the great
photographer.
''If to entertain is TO amuse by converse
ton, as Webster says, there is certainly
very little entertaining nowadays. How
much, or, rather. how little, conversation
that is amusing do we hear
at the so-called entertainments Of
SONiCtS. EouGil COH fCISdlAC-i. IOi CA
ample, as that of Dr. Samuel johnson
ana his friends, which, as reported by Bos-
well, has amused generation after genera
ton and will doubtless continue to do so
until the end of time. Boswell tells US that
DR.. johnson regarded conversation as an
intellectual contest in which every one was
i'll duty bound to do his best 10 win SUI
premacy.
The best way to entertain guests by
conversation is to set them talking them
selves and that may be most easily done by
leading them to talk of themselves, their
belongings and their own affairs generally.
1t Is striking proof Of the innate selfish
ness of human nature that we would all
rather talk about ourselves and our own
concerns than any other subject Once set
your guests to talking about themselves
and listen with attention and seeming in
terest, and they viii go away declaring you
the most brilliant and entertaining CONVEX
sationalisJ they ever met.
MADAME DeStael the most brilliant
woman of her time, was once introduced TO
q deaf and dumb man without being made
aware of his infrmity'. She talked to him
for two hours without discovering it, and
then told her friends that he was the most
brilliant and delightful talker she had ever
met. Once have your guests interested in
conversation and they become oblivious to
their surroundings.
benjamin Franklin tells US how his
father always used to invite some learned
man to dinner aud set him talking upon
some interesting subject at the commence
ment of the meal so that the children of
the household. having their interest and at
tentiOn absorbed by the conversation,
would not oyereat or become gluttonously
attached to the pleasures of the table.
Sydney Smith, the famous clerical wit,
used TO invite Coleridge, Lamb, De Quincy
an M barS nf that hpilli1pt ontar.io To din
ner and as soon as his guests were seated
he would introduce some topic which he
knew would set them all by the ears. He
would then Immediately withdraw from the
violent discussion which inevitably euSued
and would sit devouring course after course
of delicious viands while his guests, alb
sorbed i'll fierce argumunt, entirely neg
lected their plates. At length when he
had finished his dinner he would rise and
saying, 'Genhemen, l trust you have dined
to your satisfaction, would conduct his
famished guests from the table.
4 think that in the entertaining of fash
ionable society there is too much dancing,
card playing and other amusements of a
non-intelluctual character, and not enough
amusing conversation. BY all means let US
in our entertaining try, as Webster puts it,
TO amuse by conversation
MRS. yICE-PRESIDENT NORTOS'S POINTERS
The general method of arranging and
carrying out the various social festivities
which are included under the head of en-
PERTAINING is much the same" said Mrs.
Levi P Morton, wife of the vice-president
THAT is, whether the entertainment be
wedding. reception, or a ball, the sending
out of the invitations, the arrangements
with musicians, florists and caterers are al
ways similar in character
THE invitations to any social festivity
should always be delivered by man serv-
where distance renders this impracticable,
when they may be sent by mail In making
out a list of those to be invited to we'd |
ding, especially, we should always cheer
fully sacrifice those we might ourselves |
prefer TO those who have 4 claim upon US,
and we should always strive to do what is |
lfsht and kind in this matter.
simplicity is always preferable to os- |
tentation. The purpose of entertaining is |
to give pleasure to our friends, not to |
dazzle them with vulgar display This |
every hostess should constantly bear in |
mind. She should also remember that |
the requisites for an agreeable ball or |
are good ventilation, good ar |
a good floor good music, and !!
by good lighting and proper |
colors, and the Illusion of fairy-like |
scene may be secured by judicious man. |
agement and the concealment of everything |
that does not strictly accord with the |
gaiety. These ends may often be COM
passed without any very elaborate ex- |
penditure Instead of paying some |
fashionable florist fabulous sum to |
decorate your house You can secure |
a striking effect of freshness and beauty by |
Yourself arranging shrubs, plants and |
flowers. You can readily weave the |
balustrades of your staircase with ever
green or smilax and conceal all your fire |
places with Towering plants.
Six musicians are quite enough for |
private ball or reception. If your rooms |
are not large perhaps it would be well to
dispense with the cornet. The clarionette
is less noisy and marks the time quite
as well. Yet if your house be large a
larger orchestra may be introduced TO
great advantage.
''The simpler the refreshments the better.
am told that the society leaders of our
sister republic, Mexico, set US a good eN-
ample in this regard. When Mexican
ady opens her house to company she iou
not feel bound to provide her guests with
an expensive and abundant variety of re-
freshments. She presumes they come to
lance, converse and enjoy themselyes-not |
70 discriminate between rich viands and |
hen complain next day that everything |
was scantily supplied and SO stale that it
made them sick all night. The Mexican |
hostess simply has her servants hand |
around trays OF glasses filed with spark
ing water or with what IS called sangria-
very refreshing draught. composed of
EQUAL portions of wine and water, with |
sugar ad libitum and sufficient lemon Juice !
@ give ii pungent flavor
7 |