The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1894-11-17
THE CHEERFUL CALLER.
Gr.ciousness and Tast in the Ezehaage Of
Sxpcaal CoureNalOn.

THE CHEERFUL CALLER.
Gr.ciousnsss and Tact In the Ezehange Of
Social Coareesiss.
No social pleasure is enjoyed SO sadly
by the average woman as that OF pay
ing calls And the worst of II is, she
is At no pains to dissemble her sadness.
Nine times out of ten she tells the
friends on whom she is calling that she
has been meaning to come and see her
this long time, but It is 10 hard to get
started. And then she goes on TO say
that it is such an EFFORT to Pay calls.
and her list IL 80 large, and she is ap-
palled when she thinks of the calls she
owes, and she never likes to make very
formal calls, and 10 she does not ac-
complished anything To speak of in an
afternoon; some ladies whom she
knows land evidently envies) can make
twenty visits in one day. but she can
not. Then she says, as she takes her
leave:
Now, please, do not be 50 long
about coming to see me- did not
mean to be 30 slow, but ] waited for
my cousin to come with me. 1t seems
- ,,,rch ..s;.r IN nav calls With soune
ona love to see INV fr;ends at INV
home hut must confess that I make
b.ra work of vo;n1 visiting mvself Do
come SOON,
such speeches state. in more or less
n,.;n terms that tb. visitor fands call-
;ng a .ti1 dull burdensome tall: but
no o1ense is meant and generally none
is taken. Nevertheless Il ia . breseh
of noliteness To tell vour hostess that
Il wa. An EFFORT to come 70 see her or
that Won have so much else TO do that
Won can hardly make IL convenient to
Visit her. or that. while it was almost
too much trouble to 20 to see her, you
erpect her To he more energetic about
coming to see YOU. or words to this sf-
feet.
Ifs courtesy is worth paving 1t all
IL In worth paving Rracefuliy and Rra-
ciousiy. The woman who realizes this
has mastered an important secret of
social popularity. When paying . visit
she does IL cheerfully and brightly.
ehe does not apologize for not having
come before. In the mistaken idea that
this sounds friendly and cordial. She
is sufVicieutlv desirous of being friendly
and cordial to take pains to say the
right thing. A few momept's study OF
her hostess tells her what are some OF
the lady's present interests, cares On
tastes. and IL in essy TO ssv . sympa.
thetic. pleasant word about them. II
she feels in her heart that she has been
remiss in DELAYING the visit, she says Il
herself that actions sneak louder thar
words. accordingly she makes NO ex
cusaa. hut extends to her friend some
rle...rt invitation or other attent tion
She act. A Il the visit were a pleas
ure ~ her and she makes IL 4 pleasure
40 her hoste... She does not discus,
th. .erort that II i. to make calla. O,
The hired girrs l.uses from ideal stand
ards Of cooking and couduct, or he,
hu.band's dvspep~ia. with its usua
and distressine symptoms, or the trial
of spring house-cleaninR. Not tha
she avoids comuouplsce subjects. sh,
knows that thew are universally inter
estinR. but she tries to seize upon tn
ori0inal and entertaining side Of them
and when the commonplace details O
a commonplace subject are interesting
70 NO one but herself she has the sens
70 realize Il. and not to tire any ON
with them. She deserves and wins nd
miration and friends because she
cheerful and interesting. OF course
not every woman can be cheerful an
interestine. but women fail in thos
qualities far more often from lack o
effort than from lack of natural gifts
One would not think of giving
, present and saying: ut was = quo
deal of trouble to 70 down town TO II
this" or II had 70 sconomixe . Ion
time before I could buy this" or =
, meant tn have given Won this littl
present a long time ago, but coul
not and time to attend to it." howevs
true these things might be. There
NO excuse for making equally unRr,