The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-08
SELFISH BACHELORS.

Dinner had been announced, the party
was gathered in the drawing room--all
but one man. That one man. howeser.
was a rich and important bachelor. and
he was assigned 10 take down rich and
important debutante. so they waited. At
last the hostess gave up hope, and the
dinner began and ended without the pres
ence of the rich bachelor. The next day
the young matron who gave the dinner
went 10 her dearest friend, seething with
rage. says the New York Tribune.
Guess why Mr.. Blank didn't put IN an
appearance last evening" she said. He
was having a poker party in his own
roonasi received his excuses this morn
ing. He had several Invitations by phone
tho day he had mine. he said, and in de-
| clining the others he thought he declined
mine; it was an oversight, and so forth.
| Did you ever hear anything so barefacedE
/ II was just a selfish preference for the
comfort OF his own rooms that made him
| ignore my bid. OF course ought not 10
/ have fallen into the slack modern way OK
| inviting by 'phone-it made it easier for
him to forget my bld-but the phone is
so convenient. I have great mind never
to ask that man to my home again-only
eligible bachelors are so scarce"
And all equally selfish" supplemented
| the other woman, who had been in the
world longer and knew its ways. 'The
| truth is, rich unmarried men are too com
| Portable nowadays. with their luxurious
rooms, their we'll trained men servants
and their clubs. You have TO offer the
pampered creatures something unusual In
the way of entertainment il you want TO
secure them
But I offered Mr.. Blank that lovely
Miss Midas for a dinner partner
Yes. she's lovely, but just an uniformed
| debutante," said the wise one. "Mr.
| Blank is a man Of affairs. and dare say
thinks his intellect above an evening
chatter with a girl. OF course he behaved
badly 10 you. but you'll find many a man
like him In society these days"
Such is the not uncommon plant. Din
ners and balls can't be given without
men, and the angling process grows more
difficult every year. II a man is inter-
ested in particular girl and the invita-
ton is baited with that girls presence
the trick is easy. OF course. That Is why
women who entertain adore an engaged
man. But engaged men are scarce; the
same selfshness that keeps bachelors
from going out keeps them from Offer
ing themselves and their fortunes 10 a
girl.
I'm tempted" said an irate hostess
lately. ito try to organize a boycott
against men; the creatures are so dis
| agreeable about making an effort g
do anything that doesn't exactly suit
their majestfes. But I'm afraid my boy
colt would share the fate Of the meat
boycott Men, like meat, are too neces-
sary-and ike the beef barons they. know
IL The worst OF II Is that men who by
all the laws Of heredity and tradition
ought 20 be Chesterfields appear to be
behaving the worst"
I used TO believe In the adsge blood
: will tell =" remarked q venerable hostess
Of former days. THAT adage has Taller
into the abyss along with the othei
things. The other day young JohT
Knickerbocker deliberately sighted ms
daughters dinner invitation to go OF
coaching trip. His apologies arrived
when the dinner was half over II hi
grandfather, whom l remember as Ia
perfection Of courtesy and social henoT
could know Of his grandsons behavio
!. he would turn in hts grave
, Even Southern courtesy is at an ebt
r IN my day Southern gentleman was
/. gentleman indeed Now-well ] pity tn
! old colonies who are still alive. How the
must grIeve over the deeadence in man
s nersl
4 IN China every lad at school is re
3 Qulred TO study book containing tire
thousand rules of etiquette. Had I ha
! son would have taught him tw
e things-to regard his highest word a
;. his bond and to put the feelings Of other
on q par at least with his own comfort
X II he disregarded these two points whe
5 he grew up I'd disinherit him"