The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-16
Dfscourteous Guests.

New York Tribune.
Are you going to Mrs. DIS dinner
dance next week." she asked.
mo" said the man. 81 was not expect
ed. / wonder why l was left out, by the
way. She asked me last year, and last
summer she bid me to a house party. 1
didn't go. but that is no reason why she
should snub me now. 1t is very sad, but
/ do not seem TO be popular this season. 1
do not have half the invitations l used to-"
The girl laughed. II heard of a man."
she said, who was asked to a house, and
wrote regretting that he would be out of
fortunately he forgot all about the evident
ly trumped-up excuse, and accepted anoth-
er invitation from the first woman's most
intimate friend, and number one resented
the distinction, as was very natural"
Did L do that?" he exclaimed. II sup
pose you must mean me, but I never
thought of the connection"
II heard of another story" continued the
woman, about a young man who was
asked to come to a house TO go to a coun-
try ball, and who, instead of dancing with
the girls of his house party as he was ex-
pected to do, sat on a veranda and smoked
all the evening"
That must have been L again. he ad-
mitted contritely, but L don't see why a
mistress should mind having her guest
make himself comfortable"
But he was particularly asked for a
dance. and should not have accepted it he
had not intended to participate" she an
swered; but" she continued, 81 should
really like to ask your opinion of a man
who for a couple of winters had been con-
stantly entertained at a certain house, and
then, when the oldest girl came out, never
asked her once for a cotilion or to sup
per-"
by Jove. you are after a fellow.' he
sighed. Il suppose you mean me every
time, but 1 give you my very word that
1 never thought of it all before. L would
have been only too pleased to ask little
Miss B for a %cotilion. L quite see, now
that you put it so clearly, that 1 was not
an acquisition at the Is house party,
and 1 really forgot all about Mrs. D-'s
invitation when l accepted Mrs. Ms"
Il quite believe you," she answered, but
that's the great trouble with you young
men. You are too careless, too selfish. 1
might say. You treat the hospitality be-
slowed upon you too cavalierly, and then
you wonder why you are no longer asked
to the incest functions. The crushed worm
will turn sometimes, you know, and al
though the American matrons will stand a
great deal, they have not yet learned the
utter subserviency of the English hostess,
who, L am told, will condone any rudeness
on the part of young men If they will only
do her the favor of accepting her invita-
tons"
1t is greatly to be feared, however, that
American entertainers are becoming almost
as subServient to society men as their En-
glish prototypes.
What are we to do" asked a long en-
during hostess recently. I'VE must have
men for our functions, and, as We cannot
reform them, we are obliged to overlook
their negligence. This would not be the
case, however, If young men who are rude
could only be generally boycotted. A lit
tie wholesome discipline of the kind would
soon effect a reform. The difficulty, how
ever, is that the women who could make
them feel any deprivation have as a rule
nothing to complain Of"