The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-24
Il ID On record that Emile Olivier
and his cabinet plunged into
the Franco. Prusslnnswar with a
light heart" The result was

Ia = Z
tiers lightly upon the performance OF
tho most ceremonious Of social func-
fion.-the dinner party-is very likely
70 meet her, Eednn Let no woman
undertake this entertainment without
Z profound sense Of tho Importance OF
the occasion.
4 n Cambraccrcs was selected as Third Cons
All ~ Napoleon BECAUSE he understood
the science OF dlnner-glving. and corr
firmed alhcrcnts and concliated oppo-
nents by tho excellence OF his rotls and
tho savorincss Of his plates. But fof
lady hollands famous dinners at Hol-
land House what would have become OF
tho WING party7 In our time much mas ma
been heard OF the political success Of me
Countess Waldegrave's dinners ana ~, :,
h generally admitted that the politician
vho9 keeps q good cook - q tower OF
strength to his party.
Jealousles are soothed. hostilitles avert
ID. Friendships cemcnted at dinner par
.tlcs 1t IS tho time Of all times for
hostess to prove herself equal to her I'M ~
portant position, like Alexander on inc
battlefield.
The number Of guests for success.
full dinner Is not less than SIX nor
moro than twenty. Fourteen IS la.ut
number. for II one guest fails to appear,
+ the hostess finds thirteen at her IA DIG.
"a curious agency has been inangu rated
n Par1s-its object s to supply the four-
teenth guest, Parisans have deep
rooted supers titious objection 10 dinner
parties Of thirteen. Tho agency sup
plies tho fourteenth guest when desired 'e
The powers that be decree ina. oln.
ner invitations shall be engraved, not
4 written. II tho dinner Is formal. En-
grayed cards may be purchased OF the
stationcr with the space left Tor the
tr,,ost's name and tho date. 5s59
n The usual form Is as follows:
"A1r. and Mre. Diedrich Knickerbocker
would be happy to see you and MIs'
Worster Van Twiller at dinner on We'd
nesday. January tho ninth. at s O'Clock.
nDecember tho twenty-sixth.lst IA & sIs85 i
Tor q less formal dinner tho hostess
writes: 10,
Mr. Blank give us tho pleasure OF your
company at dinner on Wednesday even.
K ing. December the ninth, at o'clock Z
Yours cordially.
November the twenty-fifth
An invitation to an informal ilttie an
ner need not be sent moro than week
Tho invitation should be answered as
.non as read and written in the tlrst
ar third person. according to the form
used by the sender. The day and hour
Of the entertainment mentioned IN the
Invitation must be repeated IN an &C
ceptance. It gives assurance TO the
hostess that there has been no misun-
derstanding An invitation should never
be accepted Professionally. Don't say
1T will give me pleasure to accept" put
ut gives me plensure." or the fperfcrred
form Is as follows: Z.
"Mr. and Mrs. Worster Van lWllie1
accepted pleasure Mr.. and Mrs. Died.
erich Knickerbocker's Kind invitation 10
dinner on Wednesday, the ninth OF De-
cember, at s o clock.
II Obliged to decline the invitation.
instead OF accepting with pleasure.
substitute regret extremely that pre-
yious engagement prevents their accep-
lance off, etc.
The hosts name always appears on
q dinner invitation, because at dinner
parties he Is an important parsonage
At other social functions he may be visl-
hlc and agreeable, or absent, or present
and disasreeable, without dimming the
brilliancy OF the occasion. Al dinner
he is. in a way, master of ceremonies.
An Invitation to dinner having been
accented nothing less than death IN
the family should prevent attendance at
the party. Etiquette demands Q call
from each guest within a week atter
the dinner, whether the invitation was
or not accepted.
AS the guests arrive, the hostess re-
ceives them in the drawing-room. She
must have something pertinent and
pleasant to say to each. She must no
mistress OF herself even though some
untoward guest delays the dinner py
his late coming. To be too early at q
dinner party Is bunder;e to be one
rninute-one-half minute-late is o crime.
4 II is said that "too many cooks
spoil the dinner, but the guest who
i, comes last. and keeps 1t waiting. IS the
real spoiler.
II the hostess has servants, the butler
or the waitress announces dinner BY
coming to the drawing-room door
and drawing aside the curtains, or he
says to the hostess, Madam dinner
is served" OF course. II there are no
servants. tho hostess simply Invites her
guest to the dining-room N any pretty
Informal way.
The hostess takes the arm of the gem
tleman Of the highest rank present, while
ler husband offers his arm to the lady
OF the highest rank These two couples
a lead and all others follow. according 70
Z precedence, the different couples having
L been settled by previous arrangement
Husbands and wives and near relatives
nre never sent In togetherHF
1t is not customary to make general
1ntroductions at dinner party. but the
gentleman must be INTRODUCED 70 tne
lady. whom ne is to take In to dinner. u
Is quite unnecessary to ask tho lady per-
mission to do this. There are Yendettas
ana hatreds In society as bitter as any
of those that once tore the Italian re-
publics into pieces. but 1t !s.the recog-
mixed law OF good society that they
should not be remembered at a dinner
party, IL a hostess has been so untor-
tunate as to bring together HETEROGENEOUS
elements. A guest conyerses with MS
Intimate enemy at q dinner % y ne
were a bosom friend,
or course. there Is everything IN plac-
ing guests properly, Take care that Wis
dom, as represented BY Miss Minerva,
is not thrown into jnXtaposltton with
folly, as represented by young Money
bags; that the new poet Is merc!fp!ly
separated from his old critic; that the
two wits of the party are not placed on
one side of the table with tho most bril-
liant woman of the party between them;
scat them as far apart as possible, each
.one being star. There is usually a
heavyweight at every dinner, and too
frequently there Is man who has come
4 TO eat Every hostess, at some time IN
he. career, has struggled with both.
The hostess, according to the present