Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-01-26
SOcietY's Late Hours.

To what lengths society will carry the
late hours which become later and later
every season, it is impossible to predict;
for when we consider that even decade
ago z o'clock was considered late din
ner hour, and guests were hidden at least
nominally to balls at 9 o'clock, the pres
ent ultra-fashion of $50 o'clock for din
ners and IL O'Clock for dance, seems
great change, and old fogies cannot but
ask, What next? as they remember,
with a shrug and sigh, the day when s.
o'clock even was considered an innova-
ton, and when they donned evening
clothes once a year at 10 o'clock in the
morning and made New Years calls until
dark.
"What barbarians we were!' thinks the.
tines 1t is London that is setting us
the fashion in this, as in many other up
to-date social fads. Some of these are
desirable, where others are not, but these
late hours in way may be said to be to a.
certain extent advantageous; that is, they
make many things practicable which 9th
erWise would be impOSsibllities. Iney
certainly extend the time. A man Of
business may now come up town and go
to his club, or take a cup of tea with a;
friend, Or make a call or two before din
ner, and it is always possible to llngeT
over the post-prandial cigar and after
ward rejoin the women in the drawing
room, before hurrying away to make
ones bow to an awaiting hostess. Nor
do these late hours mean necessarily DIS
sipation. In old days dances were pro-
longed into the wee sma' hours, just as
much as now; they are simply shortened
in duration, that is all, which is also an
advantage.
Another London fashion which has
been adopted Of late is the length of time
elapsing between a dinner invitation and
its celebration, a month or SIX weeks
L RI
seem that our society must cry HALT!
And that progressive ideas could go no
further, unless indeed, entertainments
become so late that they result IN over
stepping the boundaries, and we return
to the primitive habits Of our forebears'
the next day.-New York Tribune,
Foreign Bug Pests in England.
Reports of English argriculturists show
that not only are the native insects, whichl
are the enemies of all farmers, holding,
their own, but that their efforts have been,
outdone by insects of foreign Importation,
There is, for example, maggot that
comes from North Africa, which, under
favorable circumstances, develops into the
Angumois moth and is making efforts to
become naturaliZed member of the Eng
fish Fauna. But the worst domestic pest
is said to come from Germany. Hitherto
the English cockroach has enjoyed we'll
deserved reputation for its philo-progeni-
tive qualities, and for its success in thirty
ing upon viands, which unappreciative
housewives have laid own as poison. But
there is some fear now that this inter-
esting creature will soon become scarce.
being eaten out of house and home by q
German rival, which, though inferior i'll
bulk and less attractive in appearance has
an unrivaled power of living on next to
nothing, which is accompanied also by an
astonishing gift for multiplication In
the meantime the North African maggot.
while not yet hardy enough to trust itself
to the fields, is carrying on a work Of de-
structon in the corn crib and barn.