Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-22

always courteous and
G@- without being the least
gushing in manner, to
speak pleasant word in a pleasant way to all
her guests. to set them at ease and make them
feel that their presence is welcome. never to be
vexed or annoyed by small mishaps, to make
the very air seem brighter to those around her
.this would be perfect hostess, but even a
8iited woman would require certain degree
OF age and experience to reach such a standard.
young a. stess has much to learn. vet if she
wiA have the memory and the unseifshness &c
DO Tor others what she would find it pleasant
and comfortable to have done for herself under
Similar circumstances, she cannot fail to be
popular, even i'll the face Of occasional mis-
takes There are some women shy and
awkward that. from their nervousness and re-
serve, they are tolerably sure to do the wrong
thihg. They may not be unpopular i'll them
selves. FOR their friends may understand their
good intentions, but their blunders are SO
miserable and they themselves are 80 conscious
OF them, that unless they have all immensely
good cook their invitations will not be much
sought after. The inex perienced hostess should
study and conform to the rules OF etiquette.
Many OF the most charming women of the
world, who have the real courtesy that comes
from the heart. never have looked into u "book
OF etiquette" while some Of the authors of such
works are so peculiar i'll their daily lives that
the most comprehensive description of their
manners would be the term ..bookish." Yet
the rules Of etiquette have been formulated for
the better maintenance OF politeness and good
manners, and to study the written authorities
and follow their rules may save the novice from
some mistakes, even il its fail to bestow charm.
Whatever Is done for the pleasure Of guest
should not be prominently made an obligation.
An incident will illustrate my meaning. A
lady, whose tact and grace had not kept pace
with her increasing wealth. had invited to dine
with some distinguished people lady friend
In reduced financial circumstances, but OF
aristocratic birth and Of the best social asso-
Citations. The hostess assigned to her for dinner
one OF the lions OF the party and rather con-
descendingly remarked to her az thoy we're
going TO the dining room, ''Do you appreciate
the honor Of being taken out by Sir Edward
--?"
The ready reply contained dash OF compli-
ment for both hostess and escort. but added to
her own dignity she Significantly said,
smiling with sweet amusement, II realize the
pleasure"
A hostess should resolve to keep her face
calul however her heart may rage within her.
1t has not been granted to women to win vic
tories on battlehelds. but always have had an
intense admiration for the clever New York
hostess that outgeneraled her cook a very
trying occasion. She had invited to dinner an
Englishman Of title and had veutured to give
minute directions to the queen of the kitchen
in regard to the dishes 20 be served. This was
considered by that dignitary very pre-
sumptuous and meddlesome and she resolved
to teach her mistress lasting lesson by send
ing up dishes that should be fiat failures
As the dinner progressed she made inquiries
of the butler, who the confidaut OF her little
scheme as to the state of mind of the lady Of the
house. and was baified to learn that the latter
did not seem in the least crnshed. On the con-
trary she was in the brightest, gayest spirits
and the guest of honor charmed with
her wit he was quite unconscious of the very
inspid quality Of the entrees and dessert. The
following morning when the cook received q
message to come to the library she prepared
herself with brlstling defiance for a stormy iu-
tervew and a dashing victory. but her fair
haired, blue-eyed mistress met her with a
steady look and said:
"You were recommended to me- Jane, as an
excellent cook, and you have done very well
usually, but the dinner last night proved that
you are not equal to your claims. and. as / can
not run the risk Of such an inferior dinner
again. shall have to give you up. Your
month expires tomorrow and you may consider
your engagement with me at an end. am
sorry not to be able to give you a RECOMMEND
dation." "Jane" discovered that youthful
form and giriish face could not he relied upon
as material for imposition, and she retired de-
feated.
What the Echoes Say,
At recent English race meetings white satin
glistened abundnntly in the bright sunshine
white satin gowns and large white satin hats
covered with many feathers.
very plain woman might modify her ugli-
| ness with such a toilet, but it is difiicult to
comprehend how even handsome women can be
brave enough to test their compilations wi th
grass-green silk. Yet green is very fashionable
| tenderly nterblended with reptile colors, also
| with blue. Imagine pretty woman martyred
| to fashion in grass-green sstir bodice emerg-
ing from sleeveless jacket of dark blue, with
bands Of the same satin round the blue skirt
and yot that WAS the toilet of an ultra smart
| woman at a recent social function. Such hero
| ism is wasted in this era. She should have
| lived in the days OF the early Christians and
| hair shirts.
| Hardly more becoming are the black satin
gowns, the uniform OF the year. which one
| woman out of every twenty IL adopting, worth
| lily called sticking plaster" dresses.
Fashion is to be commended in one respect
certainly. When it spreads out in one direc-
| ton it is usually considerate enough to shrink
in another. Now that our sleeves and skirts
are inflated to the last degree a strike at an av-
| erage is made by returning to the telescope
fans of twenty years ago. This proves that
convenience will occasionally assert itself.
Delicate Jewelry.
In Jewels the modes are not al all snaky. or
heavy. or gloomy, but exqusitely delicate.
One Of the newest tiaras is Diana's bow in
diamonds. the pretty wavo of the hunting god
dess weapon being particularly becoming on
the head. Another is a bow made to resemble
the most delicate point lace, tied with triple
ends, each loop entirely Of brilI;ants The
stones are set clear in invisible metal rims
light but strong. 80 that each individual stone
asserts its beauty. A guest at q recent ball,
considering one tiara insufficient, wore two,
divided by thick roll of hair. One was q
band of white pansies in pearls and diamonds;
the other a band of yellow pansies in topaz and
diamonds. The Marie Stuart heart in dia-
monds is beautiful, too especially when the
pendent red heart Of Douglas goes with it in
rubies.
The Antelope Skin Bad.
Ono Of the late manias is for antelope skin.
Not only belts, bags and book covers-generally
finished with ormolu mountngs-are made Of
this lovely fawn-color skin, but gloves and shoes
also
The announcement Of the royal engagement
made by the Prince of Wales in response to
toast to the Duke Of York at dinner at the
Middle Temple was very happily turned. His
royal highness said: II think may express the
thanks Of my son for the toast you have lust
drunk. Perhaps l ought to explain his deep
regret that he has been unable to fulfill his
promise to be present here this evening am
sure it would have given him great pleasure to
be with you, but, As he has been engaged for
only two days to very charming young lady,
you can readily understand his absence'
novelty in glass for floral table decora-
ton is "mgnonette' glass. so called from its
hoo,, x,,I