The times., 1897-09-05
HOW TO INTEREST.
Hints Whereby Any Girl May Be
come a Clever CouversationaIist

Hints Whereby Any Girl May Be
come IA Clever CouversationaIist.
Many would-be summer girl has found
to her sorrow during the season that Ia
row nearly over that in spite of all her
natural and acquired beauty she aIuiostfa-
variablT fails 10 attract attention in q
company of young men and women, whiIs
annther with far fewer physical attrao-
tions Is Ionfzed before her very eyes. This
is mortifying in the extreme 70 any girl.
and most of al to one who is conscious OF
a cou.ely face and figure. The real secret
OF the trC uble Is that she is nOtinteresting.
Young men grow tired OF Just merely
boxing at u pretty girl. They want TO
have good tiuie and be entertained
It's too sate, OF course, toimprOye oneself
as a summer girl. All one can do now-bus
that is even more important lis 20 prepare
for the season soon to open
Young women who expect to enter so
ciety for the first time this winter WIFI
find it wcrth while 70 devote the inter-
yening months between August and De-
cember to the n after OF becoming inter-
eSting, for while beauty is a great advan-
tage. the ability to entertain counts for
much more.
said Oae young woman TO another: How
envy ycG your gift o f entertainingi Ycu
always seem TO have sonnet hing bright aud
interesting to say People gather around
you at receptions, and parties, and you
are alwa ) in demand"
MY dear, il is perfeetly simple" she
said. Anyone can DO It who possesses
the average degree of intelligence. 1t
is merely matter Of proper arrange
ment Of ones forces 4 general may have
twice Is many men as the opposite COM
mander anu be defeated. because they
were not in the right place at tile right time.
Train yOar forces to be on call, III y dear.
II you want 10 be able To talk, have some
thing ready To talk about That is the
whole secret.
To begin at the beginning. The i'm
PRODUCTION IS crucial test TO many peO-
PIE Cultivate the ha bit Of saying some
thing that invites reply OF causes d smile
Anything viii do when once VOC get the
trick.' Why, I have made the weather
serve as prelude TO an enjoyable ten
minutes conversation at a reception.
Il remember meeting d very solemn
person, last winter, who waited for me to
say S'metbIng without any attempt To be
entertaining himself I said, very seri-
| ously; win You be good enough TO give
re Your olinIOu on tie weather as a Sub.
ject for conversation? l am collecting
views He looked surprised, as well nd
| might, end L Went on l think you know,
that We are really indebted to il on such
| occasions as this
| Now, that happened to amuse him Hs
answered with an attempt at suitable
| frigolity, and ia a moment we were get
ting On beautifully.
AS regards chatting with people IN gen
eral, nothing is easier. You have two or
three goOl newspapers every day. and "a
many OF more goou nagaZines every month
| Those are Eirply sufficient 20 post you
| thoroughly regarding the topics that are o {
| interest 10 people OF your own set To not
| try to absorb and digest the entire c,sn-
tents al one fell swoop. Make a dozen
| different lists for different occasions OF
| course, they are the stock subjects, but
they viii serve TO help you acquire self
pCsSeSsi III, which is the principal point; an i
| before You know it, you viii find yourself
| expressing some original thought that takes
| the topic eva OF the commonplace.
rKipli1g's latest story or poem, the
! exhibition of pictures now On a. gallery
or academy, the play that is attracting
most attention, the book that every one is
reading. tie latest fad in any direction.
make good collection for, say. recep-
tion, where you probably cannot exchange
more than two dozen words with any on,.
| person Yea Will he surprised 10 find how
much may he said upon any OF these
/ themes Y hen properly started.
For ether ecCasions other methods are
desirable. Whenever you see a short,
| witty versa or poem on social topics learn
it. Above all, get a supply of bright
stories committed to memory good
way TO inemorize is to write the story you
have teard or read in brief. note fashion
Tell these stories briskly. with no super
fIuous Words TO make people wonder when
you are Coming to the point. Stories about
well-known people are always desirable,
as they are likely to be apropos.
you cOUId not recite poem to save
your life7 Why, Hly dear, nothing il
easier You do Dot need any elocutionary
powers; all you require is intelligence
Read r. verses ceFefully, so that you get
the most delicate shades of meaning. and
you viii rind il simple matter to convey
is meaning To 0thers-and that Is ali that
cTatiOn demands. You do not want
lengthy dHC serious poems, You know
!usl the vers de societe sort of thing. If
you keep your eyes open you ca n find them.
THAT sort Of things always takes al
littlc dinner or supper.
After a while YOU viii find that YOU
carefully arranged topics will arran gt
themselves You viii instnctively note
and remember the story or verse or bit ol
|
almost unoousciously come to your though
at the right moment You Will not b
obliged to look for it,