The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-26

W AM prompted to argue the case of
the hostess and guest. l don't mean
the hostess Of a luncheon nor the
-"- guest Of an afternoon tea. My ad-
vice and criticisms are offered here
and now to the woman who Is in the habit
of entertaining her friends over Sunday
in the country, or may be for ten days
or more.
The path of rectitude and success I
shall take pains to point out to the aver
age recipient of such hospitalities in a
future article. Let it suffice here and
now to say that the average American
hostess makes 80 many mistakes that |
shall venture to assure her that there is
a right and a wrong way to treat ones
visitors
Something to Learn.
1t Is indispensable to know how to make
a guest so comfortable and happy that
lie is eager to test your hospitality again
and again. If you don't know how, then.
for your own sake and the good of others,
learn how.
Don't begin your career as a hostess by
falling into the common and original sin
Of thinking that to entertain Is a per-
fectly simple understanding, requiring no
thought or foreknowledge whatever.
There are women Of my acquaintance
Intelligent ones, too, who believe that
there is nothing ca sier than to feed, house
days or more. Their impression is that
anybody possessed Of a warm heart,
springy beds and a fairly good cook can
acquit themselves Of this pleasant duty
with eClat.
Tho very general this is also an erron-
eous impression. and, if you cling to this
faith, you will likely find your friends as
full of excuses as a clam is Of meat when
you ask them out to your cottage or the
cold farmhouse for visit. Somehow you
discover that tho they may come once.
they don't seem over anxious to repeat the
experiment. If you are willing to find a
solution of this painful mystery, just take
yourself to task bit.
A Point to Study.
You then come to a realizing sense that
there are some small but delicate points
in the dispensing Of hospitality that you
must needs study up I speak out Of the
fulness of experience, as an entertainer
and one who has been much entertained,
when l say that the first shortcoming of
which you probably have been guilty is
that carelessly common conclusion that
all guests are just about alike and desire
the same type of meals and the same
sorts of diversions.
Pray don't believe it. No two visitors
are ever exactly alike and that is what
relieves the monotony of entertaining.
This very fact gives you an opportunity
your thoughtfulness, your delicacy and
your generous kindliness when you well
come the acquaintance within your gates.
Recognize, if you can, that what renders
Miss A happy will not be the fulfllment
Of Mr. BIS desires, and make it cast-iro1l
rule never to invite any one to your house
for stopover until you know something
Z Of their special preferences and domestic
habits
Creature Comforts Count.
Take every precauton to study youl
visitors Individual ideas of creature com
fort and be willing to pander to then
as a hotel proprietor who is starting il
business. . .
Shall 1 ever forget the blunder of on
thoughtless lady in whose house we wer,
asked to assemble for half past break
( fast? Now one Of my fellow visitors wa
a woman of feeble nerves, of delicate ap
petite, and her home habit to break
+ fast in bed off tea and toast. For tw'
. days the semi-invalid came down to TIN
table and ate like a. droopy canary bird.
Eventually our hostess found what wa
amiss and rather grudgingly offered t.
send up q bedroom tray. She was a
good as her word, but she failed to dis
cover that the maid carried up thick
: scorched slices of toast, cup Of weal
tepid tea, and milk instead Of cream