The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-20
RossINI Or GOETHE.

RoSSINI OR GOETHE.
All these might be written on a dinner card,
and will open the flood gates of frozen
conversation.
Let each dinner giver weave net out of
the gossamer threads of her own thoughts.
Ii Will be the web of the Lady of Shalott,
and Will bid the shadows OF pleasant mem
DRY TO remain, not float ''forever adown the
river" not even toward lowered Came
lot" where they may be lost.
some opulent dinner giver once made
the dinner card the vehicle of a present,
but This became rather burdensome. 1t
was trying and embarrassing to carry the
gifts home, and the poorer entertainer hes
ltated afterward perhaps at the expense.
So the outlay had better come out of
ones brain, and the piquing of curiosity
with contribution like this take It's place.
"A lady gave me gift, which she had not,
And received the gift which / took not
And if she take If back, grieYe not"
But there is something more required to
form the intellectual components of din
ner than these instruments to stimulate
curiosity and give flip to thought We
must have variety.
Mrs Jameson, the accomplished author
Of the Legends of the Madonna gives
the following description of an out-of door
dinner, which should embolden the young
American hostess to ''go and do likewise"
Yesterday we dined alfresco in the Fam
| Mi gardens lin Rome) and. although our
party was rather TOO large, it was well as
sorted and the day went off admirably.
The queen Of our feast was in high good
humor and irresistibly charming, Frattino
W lively and clever, j mild, intel
llgent and elegant, ", as usual quiet,
sensible and self-complacent, l. as alb
surd and assiduous as ever.
Every body played their part well, each
/ by tacit convention sacrificing to the
amour I1rOprc of his neighbor. Each indi-
yidual really occupied with his own pecn-
liar role, but all apparently happy and
mutually pleased. Vanity and selhshneSs,
indifference and ennui were yelled under a
general mask of good humor and good
breeding, and the tiowery bonds of
PoLTTENEss AND GALLANTRY
held together those who knew no common
tie of thought or interest.
| Our luxurious dinner washed down by
a competent proportion of malvassie and
champagne, was spread upon the grass
which was literally the tlowery turf, being
covered with yiolets, iris and anemones OF
every dye.
'For my own peculiar taste there were
too many servants, too many luxuries, toe
much fuss; but, considering the style anC
number of our party, it perhaps was al
consistently ana admirably managed. The
grouping of the company, picturesque be
cause unprecedented, the scenery admir-
able, the arcades and bowers and columns
and fountains had an air altogether poeti-
cal ard romantic and put me in mind o.
some of Watteau's beautiful garden
pieces"
! Now in this exquisite description Mrs
Jameson seems to me to have given the in
Jellectual components OF dinner.
The hostess, good humored and charm
ing, Frattino very fascinating, T. caustit
and witty, w. lively and clever, j. mild, in
telligent and elegant, Y. as usual quiet
sensible and self complacent L. as absurd
and as asslGuous as ever"
There was variety for you, and the thre
last were undoubtedly listeners. In tn
next paragraph she covers more groun,
and this is most important
Everyone by a ticit convention sacrifiC
ing to the amour propre Of his neighbor''
That is an important phrase, for Their,
can be no pleasant dinner when this unset
tishness is not shown.
, II was said, by witty Boston hostes
that she could never invite two Bostol
well KIN own diners out, to the same dinner
for they always silenced each other.
You must not have too many good talk
ers. The listeners, the receptive listeners
: should out number the takers. How fortu
In England, the land of dinners, the
have of course, no end of public, semi off
cial and annual dinners, as those of tn
; Royal literary fund, the Old Rugbyans
the Artists benevolent fund, the regimen
tai dinners, the banquets of the Libers
: and Golden clubs, and the nice little din
ners at the Star and Garter, winding u
with the annual fish dinner, and all the PR
vete dinners which are endless.
, N0w in all thase the most nonular N
sought after is the annual dinner of th
Royal academy.
: Few qualifications are more desired b
mortals than an invitation 10 this dinner
The president, Sir Frederic Leighton, is
so HANDSOME AND so POPULAR.
The dinner is representative in ch aracter
one or more members of the royal famil
are present; the church, the senate, th
bar, medicine, literature and science. tn
= army, the navy, the city, all these clail
their right to this illustrlous company.
Who would not say that this would be th
most amusing dinner in London!
Intellect at its highest water mark
present. The menu is splendid
But have heard one distinguished CUES
say that the thing is over freighted, th
ship is too full, and the crowd of goo
things makes a surfelt.
Dinners at the lord mayors are said to b
pleasant and fine specimens of civic cheer
also the grand nights at the Middle Tempt
and others of the Inns of court are occa
slons of pleasant festivity.
But we have nothing to do with these e.
ceptlng to read of them and to draw on
conclusions. ! know of no better use
which we can put them than the same re
reading of Mrs. Jameson's well-considere
menu.
Zach individual really occupied wit
his own role, but all apparently happy On
mutually pleased. Variety and selfshnes
or indifference or ennui well veiied under
general mask of good humor and goo
S breeding, and the tiowery bonds OF polite
ness and gallantry held together those wh
knew no common tie of thought or inte
est.'
a 1t requires very civilized people to We
their indifferences and ennui under a gen
. eral mask OF good humor.
q But to have unity, one must first hay
units, and to make an agreeable Dime
, party, the hostess should invite agreeabl
= people, and her husband should be GOO
host, and here, we must again complimer
England. An Englishman is churiish an
r distant, self conscious and prejudice(
everywhere else but at his own table Their
, he is model host and
: THE MOST AGREEABLE GUEST.
He is the most genial of creatures after tb