The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-28
CURIOsITIEs OF MEANNEss.
IL Assumes Many Forms and shows
Men and Women at Their Worst.

From the Hartford Times.
Meanness assumes many forms. There
is the mean man who is generally despised
by his interiors because he invariably
omits the little extras and gratuities which
are customary at certain seasons and oc-
casions; and there is the other mean man
who earns the derision of his equals by
petty acts of meanness which enable him
to make a small living ridlculously dis
proporuonate to his expenditure.
II Is, for instance, rather shock to
visitors who stay at a certain palatial
country seat belonging to a very wealthy
man to find that the wine which is served
to them at dinner is by no means above
SuspiciOn-a doubt which is disagreeably
confirmed when it becomes evident that
the hostess, though apparently drinking
the same wines, is served out of special
bottles or decanters which are offered to
no one but her. For the sake of saving
few shillings, in short, the host was willing
to suffer himself and punish his guests in
the palate, but had not been able TO in
duce his wife to submit to the same dis
cipline. Rather however, than lose the
petty saving, he was content TO endure
the open contempt and loss of friends
which this conduct produced.
Or similar type was wealthy man
VINO recently gave a most sumptuous
and expensive dinner party at a fashion
able restaurant Everything was well done
and the wine was of the costliest kind.
10 the disgust OF the guests, however,
the champagne was only taken round
once, and by this maneuver the giver of
the feast no doubt made very considera-
bic saving, for many people do not drink
wine till the champagne comes and most
people take two or three glasses Of that
beverage. The result was that he totally
ruined the effect of his dinner, and in
stead of praising his hospitality, the
guests are all denouncing his meanness.
Another wealthy man, who supplies his
guests with the very finest cigars after
dinner and in the smoking-room, has
a curious and undignified weakness. With
the cigars and the lights is handed
round cigar-cutter of a box shape, like
of the ends of their cigars. More
over, this is no mere convenience. The
guest who attempts to use q knife for
the purpose will find that the hosts eye
is upon him and the hosts voice win
tell him in anxious tones that the cutter
will come to him directly.
If he persists, he will find to his amaze
ment that the host is appealing to him
not to spoil such good cigar by
sion is that the host is eccentric on the
subject. Keen observers noticed, how
ever, that the cutter possessed a lock
and at last the mystery leaked out. Mine
host carefully collected these cigar ends
and sold them at so much a pound to
tobacconist, by whom they were ground
up into the finest snuff, and by this
means he recovered a few dollars out of
the thousands which he spent for cigars.
Another man of position and wealth,
VINO udd no possible excuse IOr MS con-
duet but a naturally mean nature, was
in the habit of staying downstairs In
the dining-room after the men had
gone into the drawing-room. 1t was
long suspected that he did so in order
to drink in private
One evening an inquisitive guest lin
gered behind the rest and watched him
through the chink of the door. He saw
him collect the "heel-taps which re-
manned in the glasses, and pour them
into separate decanters. The story crea-
ted general disgust; and from that time
the master and mistress of x have
found it difficult to fill their house with
guests