Evening star., 1897-01-30
ENTERTAINING.
What In Necessary to BE n Successful
Hostess.

What In necessary to BE Successful
Hostess.
From Harpers Bazar
Every sort, variety and species of enter
tainment is now In full swing. Women
who have large list of acquaintances are
kept very busy simply in jotting down
record of their daily engagements. Each
mail brings budget of cards to announce
afternoon teas ot days at home Notes of
invitation to dinners, or to the opera or
dance, come by the same mail, and of
each of these various things must be made
an immediate and careful note. so that
cards may be sent On the proper days, or
calls made, or Invitations accepted or de-
clined as the case may be. This all seems
simple at first glance, but it is a COM
plex and exacting daty, which is impera-
tive and must be performed, unless one
rudely disregardS all the common laws of
civility. Mistakes ARE occasionally made
by absent-minded or careless persons, which
cause much annoyance and discomfort.
Nothing can possibly be more disagreeabie
than to srriveJat q house on certain
evening prepared for dinner, to find that
one has noted the wrong date, and that
the place Is dark, and eyidently no guests
are expected. .l55' - t,fH. .is
Persons have even gone 30 far as to ap-
pear in drawing rooms when a dinner was
about to be ssfved to which they had not
been hidden. The servants who opened the
uOOf were, OIL cOArSe, UNCONSCIOUS OF the
fact that they were not among the in
vited guests The ilostess must have a
great deel of tact when she sees these un-
expected ones appear. Knowing as she
does just how many were to come to the
dinner, and having ordered for this exact
number, she finds two. more added to the
list at the last moment. Good breeding
forbids any expression of surprise on her
part, anu yet she is at her wits end to
plan how she can hide this mistake SO that
her guests NAV not be conscious of their
awkward blunder. 1t is truly embar-
ra assing moment for her. and calls out all
the tact ard thoughtfulness of which my
lady" Is possessed. Happily the American
woman is as Il rule. an adaptable person,
and she rises to almost any occasion in a
remarkably clever way.
Novel entertainments in these days are
without number. each person vying with
his neighbor in the effort to get up some
thing original But the model entertainer
is rarity To be a successful hostess one
must efface ones self. In the "oid times,
which we are all SO fond of quoting as
being the ''best times" the lady of the
house considered it her duty personally
to look after the entertaining of her guests
She made ii an invariable rule to dress
simply, lest by some chance one of those
invited might wear plain gown, and find
ing every one else arrayed in splendid
fashion would feel embarrassed. Thus,
bayins donned a simple but appropriate
toilet, the hostess of other days made
up her mind to devote herself for the time
| to the guests beneath her roof, regardless
as to whether she herself was amused OF
! not She felt that she must get her pleas
ure from the satisfaction of seeing her
guests enjoy themselves. A good hostess
| seldom has an enjoyable time at her own
| entertainments unless she Is SO consti-
| tuted as to be happy in making others
| happy, and Is pleased at the pleasure OF
| others. This should be the acme of her
! desires. .3