The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-04-14
ideas TOR UWonaen.

an enjoyable guest. Stress is laid upon
vhe duties of the hostess and her atti-
tude toward those invited beneath her
roof. but the attitude Of he guest is not
less important
1t is only when hostess and invited
ones airs equally vel, poised that the real
enjoyment is reached.
A woman who is totally without re-
sources for her own entertainment should
never indulge in vhsiting-until at least
she has cultivated the resources in ques-
ton. For fifteen minutes. half an hour
or even an afternoon, a good hostess is
able and willing to devote herself 70 her
guest.
These short calls do not mean visiting
the general sense of the term. And
i hostess WHO for days has upon her
hnds a guest utterly incapable of bsing
Vlone and content is In ~unenviable wom-
an In English country houses, where
long visits and many visitors are the
usual thing, the hostess makes few ef-
forts to entertain her guests after tho
primal point of bringing together con-
genial souls. And every woman invited
for a long stay should study ways to
avoid monopolizing the private life of
the woman whose guest she is. Books,
fancy work, sketching, collecting one
thing or another, from leaves and shells
to autographs, are excellent AIDS in the
art of being a guest, and, above all, a
cheerful temperament n a disposition
to enjoy ones own company.
The really clever hostess has infinite
tact, and needs it. The clever guest
needs it not a bit the less. II love to
have Miss Edith here chirped a small
youngster recently. speaking of a favor
lite guest "She make things go so
smooth"
Try how she may it is not always in
the power of the hostess to keep the fam
lily skeleton in the closet. Now and
then the ugly creature will show its
ugly head and disturb for a moment the
even tenor of domestic affairs. To be a
really comfortable guest a woman mus
know how to deal with this visitor.
Whether the management consists in ig-
noring it easily and completely or in fore
ing it back with some tactful manoeuvres
she must be capable, as the child said,
of making things go smooth"
If the hostess and family are ma
tutinal of habit, a woman should not be-
come a visitor under their roof unless
she is willing to rise early. Your kind
hearted hostess will urge that it really
mattsrs nothing whether you appear at
the family breakfast at eight o'clock, or
whether you indulge in a private repast
at eleven. But if few servants are kept
it Inconvenience quite a little to prepare
the table for an individual meal. And
if an entire corps of retainers were kept
it is hardly a h~ospitable thing to do. If
your hostess will not consent to have
you awakened at a matutinal hour in
dulge in an alarm clock.
In the same way it is announcement for
q hostess to entertain a que who al
lows long walks, rides or other occupa-
lions to interfere with meals or appoint
ments. A golden rule fer a guest re-
ing the dictates of this unfailing monitor.
There are SO many little arts which
a woman can cultivate in order to make
herself a welcome guest.
There are those small attentions to the
aged members of the Misunderstanding or
talking to the old people, who nave a
right to these friendly acts and who are
lonely without them. The children form
another Item for the employment of a
guest A woman making lengthy visits
might consider it her especial charge to
keep these factors of home life amused
and happy.
There are moments in which the at
tention of the men of the family are to
be diverted from little household per-
plexities. If dinner, through some in
adyertence, is a half hour late, the at
tention of critical members must be
diverted from this distressing fact.
Above all, the guest herself should be
as eyeless as Cupid concerning little
blunders and distresses which will arise
in the household of the cleverest hostess
living.
The art of making use of all ma
terials at ones hands and of turning
all things to useful account is one in
which the housekeeper must needs ex-
Gel. unless she has the purse of Fortu-
natus. It is an excellent plan to make
a s~emi-yearly ''rummageT' of the prem
ises previous to housekeeping.
Sort u carefully everything in the
way of furniture, dishes, clothing and
any belongings of the house which are
not in use. Do not attempt to save any
thing that is not worth it, but examine
everything carefully before you reject
1t as valueless.
Old furniture which has become too
much worn to appear down stairs may
frequently. after having been scraped,
mended well and treated to a coat of
Ananel he made 70 sarua for :, aor