The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-09-20
WOMAN'S WORLD.


Syndicate Article by Mrs. Grover Cleveland)
Before we can intelligently discuss
the subject of How to entertain we
must have an intelligent understand
ing of what is meant by entertaining.
Webster defines the word entertain
as "a transitive verb signifying TO re
ceive and treat with hospitality To
amuse with conversation. L think 1t
very frequently happens that when PEG
Pile are said to entertain In the
sense in which the word is used in
fashionable society of our time, the
social festivities designed for that pur
pose often fail utterly to realize the
meaning of the term as given by the
great lexicographer | have quoted.
. If to entertain is Ito amuse by con
versation," as Webster says, there is
certainly not much entertaining nova
DAYS. How much, rather how little,
conversation that is amusing do we
hear at the so-called entertainments of
society? Such conversation, for ex-
ample. as that of DIR. Samuel Johnson
and his friends, which, as reported by
Boswell. has amused generation after
generation and will doubtless continue
TO do so till the end of time. Boswell
versation as an intellectual contest in
which every one was IN duty bound 10
do his best to win supremacy.
The best way to entertain guests by
conversation is to set them talking
themselves, and that may be most
easily done by leading them to talk OF
themselves and their belongings and
their own affairs generally. 1t is Il
striking proof of the innate seltshness
of human nature that we would all
rather talk about ourselves and our
own concerns than any other subject
Once set your guests to talking about
themselves and listen with attention
and seeming interest, and they Will &c
away declaring you the most brilliant
and entertaining conversatlonallst they
everfmet.
NMadame de Stael, the most brilliant
woman of her time, was once INTRO
duced to deaf and dumb man with
out being made aware of his intirmlty.
She talked to him for two hours with
out discovering it, and then told her
friends that he was the most brilliant
and delightful talker she had ever met.
Once have your guests Interested IN
conversation and they become oblivlous
to their surroundings,
Benjamin Franklin tells us how his
father always used to invite some
learned man to dinner and set him
talking upon some interesting subject
at the commencement of the meal So
that the children of the household,
having their interest and attention
absorbed by the conversation, would
not overeat or become gluttonously at
tached to the pleasure of the table
sydney Smith, the famous Engllsh
clerical wit, used TO invite Colerldge
Lamb, De Quincy and others OF that
brilliant cotere to dinner, and as soon
as his guests we're seated he would in
troduce some topic which he knew
would set them by the ears. lie would
then Immediately Withdraw from the
violent discussion which invariably
ensued. and would sit decourlng course
after course of delicious vlands, Whlle
his guests, absorbed in tlerce argu
ment, entirely neglected their plates.
At length when he had finished ms
dinner he would rise and say, Gehtle-
men. | hope you have dlned to your
satisfaction, - and would then conduct
his furnished guests from the tahle.
Is it not possible that in the enter
tanning of fashionable society there
is too much diversion OF a non-lntellec-
tual character and not enough anus
ING conversation? BY all means LET us
try To correct this and strive TO
alnuse " as Webster puts 1t, by con
yersation." Indeed the greatest need
of those who entertain at the present
fine would seem to be some new
method, since the diversions OF socl,
ety have become SO monotonous ana
hackneyed. Surely the fashionable
world, like the bride in the familiar
old ballad of The Mistletoe Dough
lis weary of dancing by this time
and of card playing as we'll. me
spirit of unrest and the desire toi
something new in almost everything
else. now so dominant throughout the
world. must inevitably exert It's lnfiu
.ence upon the diversions Of society
That it is doing so is proved by the
new departures which have been made
in fashionable amusements of late. ii
is not very long ago since an amateur
circus entertainment was given IN the
harm of prominent gentleman's coun
try seat, the performers being wen
known society men. 1t would seem
that the hostess of the future VINO can
most successfully entertain her guests
will be she who is most fertile III orig
mating new diversions
Errances Cleveland.