The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-07
hostess paragon among charming hos

hostess a paragon among charming hos
tesses.
At no time and under no circumstances
Is the good breeding of a woman put to a
greater test than when receiving in her
own home, where she must forget herself
and sacrifice her inclinations that she may
give every moment to crafty those of her
guests.
There are so many snarls, despite the
thought and care given to preparation. that
one can never guard against, and at best
and under the most favorable auspices, a
| hostess must be or less a prey to
| anxiety. She may have drilled her servants
for weeks only to find them awkward and
forgetful of the very lessons that she has
labored so hard to instil. Consequently.
she must depend upon her own personality
TO relieve any unforeseen situation Of en-
barrassments. An entertainment that bids
| fair to prove disastrous failure may be
| rescued by the tact of an accomplished
| hostess. 1t is no small matter for her to
| preserve her splendid poise when every
nerve may be shaken by some unexpected
| faux pas.
The hostess who betrays a preference
among her guests is lacking in the most
| essential qualities that tend to insure So
cial success. She must maintain perfect
| equanimity, particularly when presiding
| over formal functions.
| 1t is rather trying, no doubt, to receive
| with the same cordiality bestowed on
| friends the woman you do not like, but
| whom you are constrained to invite be-
| cause of the business affiliations of your
husband with the lord of the diStaSteful
| woman. Such one may have risen only
| lately from the ranks and the husband
| may have been recruited from the Land of
/ the Nowhere, yet policy demands that
woman should receive those who, i'm
| measure. are factors to a husbands COM
| mercial success. OF course, there are times
when IL goes against the grain most dag
| onally. but good breeding demands and
| makes the task easier. The better bred a
| woman Is the easier ii will be for her to
| accept gracefully the exigences of the mo-
| ment
The accomplished hostess should be bull
| let-proof against shocks and surprises.
| There may be times when, among a host
| of friends whom she is greeting, she raises
her eyes to find herself face to face with an
| unlimited guest, who has had the temerity
| to intrude into her home Nothing that can
happen to a woman puts her good breeding
| TO greater test. And nearly every hostess
| meets with such an experience sooner or
| later. In the great social centers there are
| women not content to knock at the portals
| but who actually storm social barricades.
They are 1mperviouS to rebuffS, invulner-
| able to insult. With impairment effrontery
1 III. III,
| they will boldly present themselves. relying
| on the refinement of the hostess to secure
| recognition, If not cordiality These social
| besiegers are to be found everywhere, and
| IT Is a severe test of hostess not TO be-
tray the Indignation that invariably she
| feels.
| Then there is the unexpected but well
| come guest, one who has been out CT town.
| perhaps. but who. feeling assured of well
come, presents himself herself. The
| hostess is delighted, of course, and wishes
| she could single out this one whom she is
so glad to and settle herself for good
/ old-fashiOned talk But such a procedure
| would be slight to her other guests.
| She must distribute her favors graciously
| and impartially, extending to all alike the
| favor of the moment, save and excepting
| always when an entertainment is given in
| honor OF any particular guest, when, of
| course, such one Is singled out as the re-
| Cipient of the honors OF the occasion
thousand and one things, well calcu-
| lated 10 destroy the pleasures OF every one
concerned may happen In the course of an
| evening; Let one OF these things appear.
| and a downright calamity can be averted
only by the tact or mother wit OF the host
| ess
II dancing is among the pleasures of the
| evening, the ideal hostess must tend the
wall flowers gently and cautiously. for your
| wall flower is an extremely sensitive plant
| that never understands why she is n wall
flower. but blames the hostess for Sights
| for which her own unattractive personality
| Is responsible. The aggressive wall flower
| in about two minutes can institute a re-
frigerating process that will put a hostess
| and a roomful of guests in such cold stor-
age as will literally freeze out the whole
| combination.
This is a warning for the hostess to look
| out for the wall flowers. The American
beauties can take care OF themselves. Then