The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-08

in New York. I'll get him to write you
letter to some of them And 1 am SO
glad he did for otherwise 1 shouldn't
have met you!
Letters of introduction are an admir-
| able courtesy to all concerned when they
Introduce desirable acquaintance. A
| young woman going abroad or going to
| live IN a strange city is made happy by
| the consciousness that she can look for
| ward to meeting a congenial and desira-
| bic acquaintance at her journeys end.
| Such a letter of introduction could never
| become unpopular. for who is there who
| does not like to meet really pleasant and
| well bred people? But women as rule
| should bring letters from other and older
women to women. 1t is a much sUrer
way to the good grace to the recipient
| than letter from man and very
l. justly so.
"A woman elocuttonist came to New
York q few seasons ago and called on
several women with letters of introduce
tion from a New York club man. She
was DESTROYS of giving a recital at a
fashionable hotel. At least that was her
real. object, although she. sat in draw
ing rooms and posed and talked of art
and her high ideals until one impression
istic woman carried away by the speaker
said enthusiastically:
" You should meet Mrs So-and-So!
She has just the same broad-minded way
OF looking at things. She is noble
woman
one IS lnQ6GQ, answered the 6lOcu-
zionist, dropping her .up-stage manner for
a moment. She was i'll when I called,
but she sent down her maid with a check
for ten tickets when she read Mr.. IS
letter. a4l,,i
"At all events, the young woman sold
several hundred dollars worth of tickets
for her recital and through more letters
sine secured a lot of advertising and even
credit at her boarding house. The recital
never took place. for the fair elocutionist
fell Ill and left town with her box Of
flee receipts, which had all been collected
in advance.
''It is hardy necessary to say that If
she had given the recital not more than
a dozen of her patrons would have been
there, for she was quite unknown, and
suggested tiresome ranting in her con-
versation; but people object to barefaced
Victimizing in this way, and they bounced
on the club man for an explanation.
He was very grave, and then he re-
mem bered that she had come to him with
a letter of Introduction from some chance
acquaintance in the South. He said that
she wished to obtain footing in New
York, and as she was a woman 1 wanted
to help her along he said regretfully.
$50 in this way women have grown a
trife distrustful of letters of introduction
brought to them by women from men and
positively forcing an acquaintance on
them. These letters used TO mean
something, and the bearer of one was en-
tertained and made much of, but they
have grown to be only matters of form.
LAS to p:omiscuous verbal introduce
tions what dreadful things they have
grown to bel Names were shouted above
the road of trains or the clang or trolley
gongs and never We're properly under
stood. 1 know one old lady who lived at
a certain hotel and made practice OF
introducing everyone who dined with
her to the head waiter. After that TO
enter that most desirable dining room
meant to be overwhelmed with attention
from the head waiter. The old lady liked
attention, and she never fancled that 1t
might cloy on others of more retired
tastes less socially inclined.
"An introduction in a drawing room Is
quite different affair. In fact, the fash
ionable brushes where introductions are
tabooed are very unpleasant functions
where one wanders embarrassed among
equally miserable guests. Peo2ie are sup
posed to dispense with introductions on
these occasions, but they rarely do so
with grace.
But many of the pleasant old customs
have changed absolutely. In the south
we have a delightfully."- informal way OF
dropping in for dinner, or Tor breakfast
even, on friend after a morning ride
or an afternoon drive. 1t Is custom
to fit in with the life Of the South. In
the Northern cities such informality
would be considered an Intrusion tx
plicit invitations and acceptances are the
only proper form. What is the differ
cree? 1t is hard to say. The people
are different.
Here in the North a general dinner /
invitation means just the opposite.
When you hear somebody say: Now
come In any night and have dinner with
u.s. in society; it means, 1 do not intend
to invite you to any of my dinners this
season take this means of letting you
know, for If you drop in on any of my
dinner nights you will be told that
am entertaining, and on the off nights
l go out
1T is too bad that this sort of thing has
become so general. 1t would be better
If women had more open wars socially,
but they keep fencing and saying all sorts
of insincere things and writing insincere
notes, and while they continue this they
are spoken of as having charming man
ners. That is to say you do these things
IN the North, where you are all rich and
clever and successful, but in the South
we are poor and lazy and lots of other
things, but we are more direct, I think,
in our ways, socially.
'tAS to pushing in the South, 1t would
be impossible. Wealth doesn't count for
so much there, and any woman who
should try to force her way would be
cut directly. without any chance to rein
happen, somehow. You know we South
ern women have our own established
type and we all try to live up to 1t. Have
you noticed how frightfully pronounced
the Southern accent is with all of our
girls who come to New York for the
horse show or the opera? We have our
own little ways, you know, only we are
not a bit like you Northern girls