The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-03

said: Come. 90 home and lunch with
me-" This was declined on the plea OF
an engagement for that day. The Eng
lish woman then saf5:-"I am extremely
busy preparing for new production, but
/ am always at home at / o'elock. and I
shall always be glad 10 have you lunch
with us quite en- famiile at 80" The in
vitation was accepted, and the acquaint-
ances parted. There is no compliment in
giving big entertainments at restaurants
10 people. There is much in the asking
one into ones family life. A few days
after this meeting. the American woman
dropped in at the English WOman's house
and lunched with her. She displayed a
remarkable curiosity. wanted to be told
much about the house, its furnishings
and the method Of life followed by the en-
tire family. She never even limited that
she was a newspaper writer Fancy the
horror of the English woman, who had
meant TO be kind and polite, on receiving
a clipping, descriptive Of her house and
her home life. with this dirty-one can
call il nothing else-expression in 1t.
Mrs. Y. Y. Y. was extensively entertain
ed when she visited America. In return
for this she gives an ordinary home lunch
con. I went. expecting to meet some
celebrities, and I only saw her pug-nosed
daughters" What do you think Of that
as a return for a pohteness? 1 do not
hAAOW AliG WblAlaAl WIZ WAoNN 1-+A@t -
am exceedingly sorry for her. Sorry that
she outrages hospitality, and more sorry
that she is an American woman, who VIII
be accepted as a type of all the other
women who write.
When you come to Delmonico's with
me you can criticise the cooking, the SER
vice, and whatever the hypercriucal
spirit may induce you to discuss, though,
as 1 pay for it, that is not quite kind ;
but when you come into my house ana
l give you share in my home life, you
have no right to criticise anything, and
you have less right to be overwhelmed
by curiosity and desire to know that which
does not concern you. When will we over
come this vice? When will we learn how
vulgar it is to question people about their
affairs? When will we learn that Ameri-
cans are laughed at as walking question
marks, and that the world at large-the
educated world-scorns the questions
and laughs at the questioner. Our coun-
try is so big and fine, and produces so
much that is beautiful, that it is a great
shame its people do not represent IL as
is certainly ones castle, and into it the
demon of curiosity should not be allowed
to enter.
There are people who believe that. every
thing that is printed is true. This is not
always so. And TO prove this i will tell
you another story. Bye-the-bye, what 1
say is true, because 7 know the people
A young woman was sent by daily
paper to interview well known actress.
She sent up her card at O'Clock in the
morning. The actress was awakened to
receive il. She hesitated for awhile as
to what answer she would send. and at
last concluded, as she was q kind-hearted
woman, that she would SEE the young
lady and give her the information she de-
~-evs "a
for little while She took her bath, and
of course her hair was wetted and
needed to be combed out and dried. She
threw on dressing gown, as she did
not wish to keep her visitor waiting any
longer than possible, and went in to see
the caller who had come at such an un-
civilized hour in a clean, but plain, fan
mel gown, and with her long and beauti-
full hair spread out over her shoulders.
Her maid brought in, in a few minutes,
the breakfast tray. and the visitor was
asked as she would have been in an
English home, to have a cup of tea. 1
think it was declined. However, the next
day, this woman's feelings were hurt
by reading: Mrs. X. Y. u. has always
been thought to be at least a clean
woman. But it is a fact that she break
fasts in an untidy wrapper with her
hair uncombed." This purely feminine
stab was the thanks for the courtesy
shown a woman who got ap two hours
before the usual time, and gave 10 a
stranger, simply because she was d
woman. the information she asked for
When it was suggested that the woman
in question should deny this, the answer
came from her manager that it was not
in the least likely her denial would be
published. This is how mountains are
made out of mole hills. This is the re-
suit of the never-ceasing greed for news,
news being represented too often, by
petty gossip and small meannesses.
An American actress told me that one
of the best known critics in this country
would never say one good word about
her work; and when he was asked by a
friend why this was so, he said: Il dis
like her both as a woman and as an
actress" When he was asked to give
the reason, he said he had no reason;
he simply did not like her; and no mat
ter how good her work was, he would
not say a good word about it, And yet
this mans writings are widely read, and
called criticisms.
Are we going to be brave enough to
grow bigger to fit ourselves to the couns
try we live in? To grow bigger in mind
bigger in ideas. bigger in heart bigger in
ability, and smaller in the vices Of .brag-
ging and curiosity? 1t is a mean thing
to want to know" to want to know
what does not concern us. To want to
know peoples private affairs To want to
know about their money affairs. To want
to know about their heart affairs To
want to know about their little things
that go to make up life. as lived by the
man or the woman in their homes and
hearts, the life that doesn't belong to
the world at large. 1t belongs to the peo-
pie who live in it, and the. God who judges
it, and be very sure that He will judeg II,
and that he will look, without mercy on
the base, mean little sins that make the
sons and daughters of this great republic
the laughing stock of the whole world
1t is true, every word that have written
You know it Isl you who are reading It,
as we'll as I who am writing it, and, to
which, in token of good faith. put my
seal and my signature. Bah.
A school for Statesmen.