The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-21
OUR Bah.
a WRITER WHO Is EVER PIaUANT
AND EVER BRIGHT.

She Answers a Number of Her Fair
Correspondents = Afternoon Tea
Etiquete-HOw 90 Serve Dainties.
Dressing for Dinner. HANDWRITING
and Letters of IntrOdueton-Why n
Witty American over in England
Referred to His Letters of Intro
ductiOn rs "sOup Tickets"
New York April 20.-It never entered
my head that I should write book OF Ell
| quette. II has been my doubtful fortune
3 TO read a number of them. and / came 10
the conclusion. as they invariably contra
Z dicted each other. that good manners
were the result Of kindness and sympathy
/ That so-caIled social laws differed in
every city. and that the women who We're
counted as social leaders made laws for
themselves. I had no intention Of start
ing an Answers to Correspondence" bu-
reau; but it has been forced upon me. 1
regard it as greatness, but as a greatness
that is not to be longed for. inasmuch as,
when you tell somebody that certain
rule exists where you live, you are at once
! cOntradicted by somebody else. who SAYS
that they don't do it that way in Phila-
delphia or Kalamazoo. in Boston, or ST.
Jo Now, it is to be understood in answer
ing these most interrogatory letters"
that 1 am telling what they do in New
York
The thing that troubles women most is
the simplest function in the world--the af-
ternoon tea. She who Is invited wants to
know If she must send an answer. To
this I most certainly say. no. Her APP
pearance is enough; but, if she doesn't
co. and is married woman she sends, by
post, in card envelope addressed to her
hostess, one OF her own and two of her
husbands cards. If she goes, she leaves
the same number OF cards and she makes
no after call. If she is asked to a dinner.
her note of acceptance or regret must
be written at once. and she will certainly
never be asked again if she sends such a
note as this. which was received by a well
known woman:
Mrs. Norfolk Howard regrets that
cannot accept your kind Invitation. but
my husband has made an engagement for
me, and If when he comes home he can
pIedk IL then Mrs. Norfolk Howard will
| be very glad indeed TO come Yours
| truly Mrs. Alice Norfolk Howard
Shades of Grammar, defend the writer
| OF this! You, who asked me about sig
natures, must know that there are no
circumstances that permit the prehxing
OF your title to your name business
and formal notes are written in the third
/ ENtNRAts All OAutl notes are signed. Mary
Edwards Brown" And If Mrs. Brown
fears that the person getting this letter
VIII not know her title, she writes in
p Der .RSs IN the lower rght-hand cor
10 return to the tea. The wise hostess
mas her tea table In the most convenient
room, possibly the music, possibly the
dlning-room. If in the dining room, the
table Is larger than In any other. II she
should eject IL TO be in the drawing
room, 1t is a small table having upon il
I "A white cover made ella bnr9 uyif
broidery and drawn work: then the brass
Tea Kettle with its alcohol lamp under H.
uhe teapot, the tea caddy, an array of
cups ana saucers, platter of waters ur
Iny sandwiches and a pile Of napkins
Ihere Is wisdom in inviting a friend to
serve the tea, and neat maid, wearing
apron and cap. should be trained 10
quietly removes cups that have been
used and replenish the tea table with
When a table is spread in the dining
room, more elaborate meal Is offered.
foye the oye, never use the word "re-
Ireshments, II is intensely vulgar Here
there may be tea served at one end and
chocolate at the other. Cut-glass dishes
may De nlled with strawberries for
whlch powdered sugar and whipped cream
are offered as adjuncts, while sandwiches
tlny cakes and very small biscuits split
and buttered while they are hot are
counted good form. From i o'eiock on
people may drift in and out of the dining,
room as they please. In London, they
say 1t is only Americans who shake
hands. Here, that rather embarrassins-
fashion, is limited to the greeting of he
hostess, while simple bow is considered
sunclent Tor new Acquaintance and an
old one gets a bow, smile and a few
words. Those hideous jars advertised bv
me Dig shops as cracker Jars" and
meant to hold small biscuits and not as
might be supposed, fiery trifes suited
Tor what a small Quaker boy called
1.-THE Fourth day of Seventh month are
longer seen in good houses. for thew
are too suggestive of the pantry. or the
grocers. If you are asked to dinner you
pay your hostess the compliment of
dressing in your most beautiful gown
and wearing your richest Jewels You
cannot overdress for a dinner, for your
appearance is always a compliment to
your hostess. Even at the most informal
dinner the host heads the procession 10
the dining-room. taking with him that
lady who is of most Importance while
the hostess comes last on the arm of the
man of most Importance, who sits on her
rlght, as does the lady escorted by her
husband on his right. The question Of
being seated and the leaving the table
can be made easy by watching the hos
tess, who suggests by a look 10 each
lady, where she wishes her to sit vvhile
her husband acts in the same manner TO-
ward the men. Here an after-dinner call
should be made within ten days although
II Is not considered necessary in Lon
don.
AS a nation we are too prone to make
presentations where they are not de-
sired, and forgive letters OF introduction
10 acquaintance OF recent date. A wo-
man of the world will consider well be-
fore she vouches socially for one ana
then, when she does, her friends realize
that she means all she says, and that She
wishes them to show courtesy 10 the
stranger, who comes in her name IN
England, a letter of Introduction IS Al
once met by dinner invitation, and for
this reason, funnily enough, a witfv
American called his numerous letters
Soup tickets" The next letter is abouf
cards. The received cards for ladies' is
quite thin, pure white, not as large AZ
before, and with the name address ana
lat home" day engraved in Ordinary,
script. There is no excuse for a written
card, nor for, horror of horrorsl a mink
one with a rose painted by hand, in one
/; corner! A young woman who graduated
with high hQnors at a well-knoWn COL
lege. who rthd Hebrew and Greek 81
huently as she did English, Mortified .
young Englsman who had visited AZ
her fathers ranch by sending him. for :
wedding Invitation, a rose-colored printa1
card, having in one corner a picture Of the
herself and in another a picture Of Inc
bridegroom. Seeing her in the woods
where the conventionalities scarcely es
tsted, he had admired her wit been az
tracted by her beauty. and never dreamed
until he got this abOmination how utterIS,
ignorant she was as to all social laws
young girl who is just out has her
name engraved upon her mothers card
Z and does not possess one Of her own lin,
til she marries. Ones Christian name ie