The morning call., 1895-01-14
NEITHER TOO SOON NOR LATE
In Social Functions an Arrival Should
Be Thoroughly Well-Timed.

Much experience of social functions,
large and small, is needed to enable an
arrival to be thoroughly we'll timed
neither a moment too soon nor too late.
To arrive. Say, little before, or even pre-
cisely at quarter TO o'clock hour
named on dinner Invitation card-hss
quite provincial air on the face of il, and
is embarrassing to both hostess aud guest.
1t was not intended that the hour should
be taken literally on the stroke of the
clock, writes a contributor to the Times of
Philadelphia. On the contrary. it was
meant that a quarter OF en- hours grace
should be given to insure punctualty.
Occasional diners out, fearful of being too
late. or little late. have a knack of ar
irving painfully early, before either host
or hostess have descended to the drawing
room, and the walt to these guests. how
ever short 1t may be, appears to them the
longest five minutes ever spent. Tho host
and hostess are ruffled at not being found
at their post, and the guests fnll of apollo
gies for having called them to il. There is
no time III the day when a few minutes
one way or the other possesses more sig
nifcance than those that precede the din
ner hour, and SO thoroughly is this under
stood BIZ society that no one wishes for an
enforced teie-a-tete with host or hostess
by being over punctual and arriving be-
fore the orthodox quarter OF an hour has
begun its course. So strictly Is this IN
written rule with regard to these few min
utes observed that hidden guest VIII IN
dergO much Inconvenience rather than in
fringe it.
a man who knows his world and the
exact moment to arrive will relate how
during a cab strike he allowed a good half
hour in which 10 walk from his own house
that of his host; but Unexpectedly meet
ing hanson he thoughtlessly engaged it
and found himself landed at the door
good twenty minutes before the dinner
hour. Rainier than transgress fashions
law or explain his presence at so early an
hour he walked round and round and up
and down. and at length aroused the sus-
picons of a policeman, who kept a watch
full eye upon him until he disappeared
within the portals of his friends house,
making, as was his wont, well-tned
arrival, neither dsconcerting his enter
tanners by arriving too soon Dor causing
them annoyance by arriving too late.
This rule in the matter of arriving does pot
apply in the same way to invitations to
balls and dances. The hour named on the
card Is the one at which hostess would
be most pleased to welcome her guests,
but they, on the contrary, have decided
distaste to warming rooms as it. is
termed, and prefer TO make moro dis
tingue en- tree some half to thIee-Quarters
OF an hour later, when the rooms are CON-
paratively we'll filled.
To arrive at an afternoon "at home"
punctually az the hour named on the cards
would not surprise the hostess, but it
would be unfaShi0nable-a word which
means much-snd decidedly disconcertng
to those who thus arrive. 1t generally
leads to dull half hOurOt isolation which
might have been avoided. Early arrivals
are usually those very intimate with
hostess and with whom she has much in
common; these are privileged to arrive
early aud pay no penalty for so doing,
that of cons picuous solitude-a thing quite
distinct from solitude in a crowd.
The obligation to arrive within FIVE min
utes of the hour named when an invita-
ton 10 luncheon is concerned is impera-
tive. No latitude is Implied in this case
and punctuality is a compliment and
necessity, on the ground that the time
alo wed for luncheon is brief, and that the
meal would be all but over If an arrival
is long delayed, it not being customary to |
wait for luncheon guests, and 80 or 2
o'clock signifies that the guests will sit
down 10 luncheon without moments
delay.
Again. the hour named in an invitation
to be present at wedding ceremony must
bs taken literally, and If 2:30 p. NJ. Is
stated, 2:30 P. NJ. is actually intended
and here also the arrival should be before
the hour, not after 1t, say within ten or
fifteen minutes, to allow time for finding
seats before the ceremony commences.
When to arrive Is 10 itself perhaps but
a small matter. but one of SONS Importance
when taken in the aggregate.