The age-herald., 1898-08-26
Observing the At Home Day.

Society has very generally ignored the "at home" days, but the coming winter there is probability that ones day" will be more strictly observed. The advantage of an at home day is so delightful in every way that it's popularity ought to be in cluded in the usual routine of the season. A number of women here are anxious to have their day. observed and they are thinking of sending cards in the. beginning of the season for a series of small after noon affairs instead of having one after noon when there is a general crush. These large affairs every one knows are charm ing in every respect and have been so popular here that they will again form feature of entertaining this winter. But there are few women here who intend having a series of afternoons, by which they hope to make the at home days more popular, and more generally observed. A young matron who wants her day ob- served, tells of an afternoon last winter when she felt unusually deserted by her friends.
 There were some people passing through Birmingham whom she had known at summer resort the previous season. They swere on their way to StAugustine, and
 
 know that they were in town until just as she was stepping into her trap she recog- nized them in a carriage that drew up be- side the curbing
 She prevailed on them to go in, and the ladies In the party were genuinely sur prised to see her dressed for the street and going out. One of them said to her: we were afraid that something serious had occurred to take you out, for we remem- bered that it was your day." and thought 1t quite coincidence that we should be in Birmingham. We felt, however, that we would not be given much opportunity or seeing you"
 The hostess, when she was recalling 1t the other day, declared she felt perfectly friendless for a moment and as if she had been ignored in the fashionable whirl. "When, of course, on my off days people make it a habit to come in streams"
 She could not explain the fact that she was popular on every other day except her at-home day, and she could not invent an excuse of being summoned to a remote part of the town for there were no evil dences that she had been receiving that afternoon.
 She only stated somewhat indifferently that ones day was not generally ob- served in Birmingham.
 A majority of the women here will tell you that if there is day when they feel at liberty to go out, it is the day that is engraved on their cards, for it is ignored season after season.
 The advantages of having one's friends observe the at home day are 10 many but particularly does 1t do away with waiting for one to come down. Then one is always sure of seeing ones friends, and the visiting list is kept up without having to make a memorandum of all the calls that hang over from season to season. The universal custom of visiting the at home days will brighten at once the burden of mak- ing calls In a city of distance like Bir- mingham for the ladies in the same neigh borhood to decide upon day" and send their cards out would add to the delightful routine of the winter season.
 The clubs take up so many afternoons that 1t will be hard to claim one for the at home day, but the club assembling in the early part of the afternoons, makes 1t possible for the club woman to drop in for few moments chat after the club hour The pretty custom of having day for receiving and of one'e friends respect ing ones wish in the matter. will recom- mend itself very charmingly in the social calendar this winter.