The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-03-23
ENGLISH SOCIAL LIFE
Peculiarly Of ths Custom Ob'srvsd a
DInnsr Parties.

Peculiarly Of the Custom unserNea ~
Dlnnsr Parties.
From London letter by Eiwgn Bar
ron: RcvertlnG to Mr.. Gladstone, let
mo reproduce tho Incident OF his FIRST
meeting With Mrs. Gladstone. That
was about 1887, and the young lady was
then one OF "thG handsome MISS
diynnes," daughters of Sir stephen
Glynnc Of HaWarden pronounced Har-
den), singulRriy bright and charming
young women. Miss Glynne SAT oesluc
4 clergyman at dinner party, who d.
rooted ber attention to q young man
sitting opposite, saying In half 1pcnllr
half prophetic way. THAT Is Mr. Glad
etonc, an NJ. p, who will some DAY
be prime minestcr OF England" Pic.
lures of Gladstone at that period leave
no doubt In the behOldcrB mind that he
was strlkinEly handsome, and II may be
assumed that Miss Glynne regarded
him with proper approval. They DID
not, however, become acquainted until
the winter following, when they met
under less formal conditions IN ltAlH'
That meeting was to such K0od puriloSe
that they were married In 1883 ana pe-
gan married life that viii be hislorl-
cally celebrated as one OF the longest,
hnpplest and most influential of which
there is public knowledge. give this
incident. not because 1t Is new or even
| unfamiliar, hut for tho reason that II
aDtly illustrates 4 popularity OF Eng
fish social life. Invited TO a dinner
party, one mag not know three per-
sons present besides the host and host
css and be quite ignorant OF the identity
AT the lady or gentleman With whom
one Is in lively conversation.
Ordinarily the only person TO whom
ono IL introduced Is the lady one Is TO
take down 10 dinner, though In favor OF
Americans an iudulgent host or hostess
may make occasional exceptions to a
rule that imposes no little StiHneSs upon
many choice and select gatherings that
would otherwise have an ideal charm.
An Admiral Crichton scarcely could
avoid making some mainpert remark In
the course OF an evening II he were IN
varied conversations with different per-
sons. of whose very names he was IgnO-
rant: and average laundering humanity
Il kept in painful state OF trePidhtlon
lest some unGuarded remark nave
tone too personal. Naming a serial In
a magazine. lOdy asked OF Gentle-
man on her right: Have you read that
Jrearllv tedious thIng?" "Worse than
that, madam" he answered With q
good-humored smile, 81 wrote 1t. II
one Is to hazard no criticism OF lItera-
ture for the fear that the person Ad-
dressed be the author, one OF the very
cardinals OF cultured talk Is annihllated.
Yet that Is the effect upon comparative
strangers OF this custom that leaves you
TO guess the forte or fancy OF your
drawing room or dinner table aid 10
conversation. Moreover, though the
table be narrow one, conventionAIism
demands that you confine your speech
10 those upon your right and your left
hand, your vls-a.VIs being none OF
your conversational property. Hence.
Enough Miss Glynue may have looked
across the table into the eyes OF the 2d'
n1IrinE youug Gladstone, with a will
ingness 10 make merchandise OF words,
sophistlcation forbade her, and It re-
ouIred the soft airs Of harmonious Ita.
iy to correct and subdue the. chill OF
English draWing-room convention.