The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-08-26

GgEANAJ ~ the barDarlanS. In
NDh the Old Testament
GO9 Scriptures it is
illustrated by many
fine examples, as we'll as precepts, en-
joining it, while the New Testament
affords both example and prscepts, of
the most winning kind. Hospitality has
thus been a well-standing virtue; it has
been commended of all men, and prae-
ticed everywhere. In the early times
in this country our fathers established
hospitality in it's noblest forms, and
adopted it as an American virtue. The
log cabin was open to the stranger,
with a place at the fire and at the
table, while the neighbor had almost
all the privileges of the owner. In the
early farmhouse conditions were the
same, and in the town and in the city
every one kept open house, according
to his means. In the south, especially,
this grew to immense proportions, UNI
til it ov~ershadowed all other virtues.
The homes Of the rich, particularly,
were constantly crowded with neigh
bors and friends, so that life was one
continual round of entertainment and
being entertained. That state of things
has not altogether passed away; hospi-
tality has not been entirely dethroned,
or, at least, it has not become an out
cast; but we are compelled to believe
that the signs of the times indicate it's
decadence. This change started in cit
les, with the development of hotels;
! city people began to consider the adj
visibility of having relatives and
friends from outlying places find lodg-
ing at obstetrics. The city man began
to close his doors upon the host of
relatives and friends, who might make
a convenience Of him, in their tours
to the city. There was good reason for
discrimination here; the city man could
not very we'll entertain his whole ma
tive town or interrupt his business
hours for every Indifferent person. AS
our civilization lost simplicity it be-
came more and more necessary to draw
lines of classes, and to discriminate
according to character and attain
ments, SO that one could not continue,
in a city, to recognize his neighbor as
a guest simply because he lived next
door. Neighborliness lost it's meaning.
AS the struggle of life became more in
tense, the selfish qualities were de-
veloped. These reasons, working to
gether, modified the old idea of hospi-
tally. Then came the idea of enter
tanning as a means to an end; the old
idea of hospitality had been to share
ones home and loaf and heartiness
with others. The modification of it, in
cities, came to give it a certain market
able power; one nan would open his
home and spread his table and invite
his guests, expecting from them in re-
turn such social honor or prestige as
they could give; he expected that they
should invite him and his family to
their homes in return. He hoped to
win or hold a place in a good circle,
and when his entertainment surpassed
in splendor that of his friends, he ex
pected to have credit in praise and
glory for that. So that hospitality
generally speaking, in the cities has
now become an exchange of social
honors; n does not give anything
without expecting something for it
That there are many individuals who
maintain the old hearty hospitality is
true, but the standard is no longer uni.
yersally recognized. In the towns The
change has also been felt. The ole
spirit has died away; ever entertaining
for the sake of receiving an equivalen
is not so general as in larger places, 81
; that the social life Of towns, with tn,
exception of exchange of calls, ha,
largely fallen to pieces. There ha
country where the life of the people il
our towns has been SO much like tina
of isolated atoms as now, or when tn
individual families have been like S.
many creatures in their own lairs
a Men have never been so little gregar
ious as now in our towns. In thes
Q places. it is an exceptional thing TO
even neighbors to eat in each other
houses; at least without specisl prer
Q aration and invitation. Whereas i
t the olden times exchange of these hos
It pitalities were of the freest kind. Hos
g pitality, however, has made it's strong
hold in the country places, and particr
: larly in the south. The spirit of chang
and selishness has been felt there ais
g hut there still exists in the rural par
p more of that free hospitality that a
ways keeps a place at table and a be
y for a neighbor or friend than anywhel
u else, In the south hospitality is sti
= recognized as a virtue, and its GER,
Z monies are of the good old kind, an
=, one might be led to conclude that tt
Il south has not changed at all in tn
: respect; yet there are signs of tt
spread of the new spirit even there.
;. the olden time the scarcity of inns al
hotels made necessary a greater degr'
- of willingness to admit travellers al
- friends to ones house thar now.
- those times a travelling minister W;
:, J expected to put up with his reside
= brother minister, as a matter of cours
=" Now hotels have made private ente
- tainment no longer necessary so far
comfort goes; the traveller can readi
find lodging and board. Formerly Ii
" was more isolated; the increase of pc
a. u~lation, the growth of towns, the mt
t~iplication Of papers and books ha'
la given much more variety and intere