The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-20
BY
ADELAIDE
GORDON

There are wOUld-be hostesses. who
don't seem able to understand that their
role calls for some Of the talents and
the self-sacrifice of the actor who
comes before an audience. Cheerful '
agreea bility is the watchword of the
aspiring hostess
BY the same token your gown must
be bright and becoming A frOck that
is open in the throat and elbow-Ions
in sleeve is the costume for the hostess
OF a little dinner. Wear no gloves.
In your part Of dinner-hostess, do
not seem irritable or disconnected if a .
guest is tride overdue. Show the de-
Anquent an amiable countenane, ac-
cept his excuses or explanations read
lily. You can display a great deal OF
grace or awkwardness in marshaIlfngs
your guests to and from the dining
room.
In the little house. OF in an apart d
ment or at a small dinner Of any sort,
you go in first with your women
guests. The men follow
When in your chair at the tables
head, let this be your golden rule:
Devote all thought and attention to
the guests
Try not to paralyze your maid with
I winks and Kisses, because she he's for
/ gotten 70 pass the mint sauce with the
[ lamb.
Do not send cold shivers down your
husbands spine because he thought
/ lessly asks for brown bread when you
[ have only provided white.
/ You merely freeze the genial currents
/ Of your guests souls by tearfuIIy
/ apolOgizing for the dash Of salt in the
/ ice cream, the odOr Of hot grease that
I will come in from the kitchen. and the
/ dressing that is missing from the salad.
] Maintain a serene and amiable com
L.
: your inmOst sacred feelings Cling to
! the conviction that so long as you look
/ happy your guests win be happy, too.
I The best food in the world grows chill
or sour at the moment the hostess
seems i'll at ease and Unnerved.
Do not, therefore, apologize for any
thing further than to say, Il am sorry
that this dish has gone wrong; then
deliberately talk Of something else.
When your servant makes a mistake.
call her 20 your side, and clearly, but
in low tone, tell her what 20 do; and
while you talk, observe that each
guest seems well served.
Tt is polite at a small dinner to OfLet
a guest a second helping Of any dish,
but 1T is both ineleganc and inCOusid-
crate TO insist, when once the deicacy
has been refused
BE sure if a second helping has been
/ accepted to take some of the dish your
self and If possible, continue occu-
pied with the contents Of your plate
/ as long as the others are eating
Deplorably tactless is the habit Of
some hOstesses who comment upon the
small amount Of food that "A guest
consumes. 1t is neither kind nor con-
siderate at a seni-fOrmal feast to re-
mark, ''Why, Mr. Blank, you are eat-
: ing nothing at all; what has become
of your Appetite or. I'm afraid,
Robert, Miss Blank does not like our
food; she simply has not touched a
thing"
BY falling into this egregiOus error.
YOU contrive to render your guests un-
comfortably conspicuous and your h0s-
S pitality a wrstched burden. You force
the unfortunate one into explanations,
4 or apologies. or a hopeless embarrass-
ment. and thus YOU have broken one
Of the sacred laws OF hospitality. and
G failed utterly in "The Art of Being
/ Agreeable.
Copyright, 1908. by the New York
Society OF SELF Culture. All rights re-
lservedO