The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-05-26
woman today.-Ella Wheeler Wilcox in

woman tOuay.-Ella w HeeIer w HCoA III
Exchange.
The Recipient Grateful.
What pity there is no school for train
ing girls how to receive a gift. There
is an art in being Il graceful recipient
and few there be who possess 1t.
Have you never given present that
you heartily wished back before the
strings are cut on the wrapper? Ii not,
you have never met the girl who LOOKS
when you hand her gift as il you were
doing her an insult.
Gratitude may be intense, but the re
cipient has not learned to look her part.
Perhaps shyness, or lack of ease Is to
blame, but results are as unpleasant as
though the girl really were furious that
you dared to give her present.
| Equally trying is the girl who takes
! gifts as matter of course. Her thank
! you" IS so perfunctory and she shows
| such palpable lack of interest as to the
/ contents of the parcel, that again you
wish your money back in your purse.
! Worse yet is she who is gushing until
she sees what you have given her, then
| lets her cOuntenance and her voice b0tn
show her disappointment. 1t is an en-
| barrasslng moment all round and this
time you actually begrudge that gift.
There is the girl who appears grateful
|
next minute disposes of your gift SO
carelessly that you realize that her
gratitude is from the lips only.
Or that other girl whose manners are
better than her memory. You think, lat
last have made q hit'' so graciously
and gratefully is your present received
In the course of an hour you have the
pleasure of hearing her declare your gift
rather its type-the oGe thing she can
| not stand.
Of course. it is unconscious and tho
| girl when she realizes her break" is
hopelessly embarrassed, but once more
you wish you hadn't been so generous.
And the other girl who regulates hel
thanks on the value basis. She takes Oh
as she can SPOT the Sterling, or can By
a surreptitious lick taste pure gold.
Who of us has not been half thanked
for some novelty that a girl does not
know is ''the latest wrinkle 1t is not
until some more sophisticated frienC
raves over the new possession that 6
decent amount of gratitude can be sum
moned.
Then if the girl is not especially clever
she shows her hand by gushing thai
makes you long TO sap her for the
! covert insult to your good taste anC
knowledge of fashion.
Worse than to be half thanked is tt
be over thanked. There are girls wht
fairly slather thanks. They rave un
meaningly and increasingly until you
know they cannot possibly mean it. L
you cannot doubt their sincerity, 81
wearing is the gratitude and such baC
form that you secretly determine not tt
bring down such an avalanche again.
The recipient graceful does not over
do. She is cordial, not effuslve; is CRATE
full for the thought rather than the gift
face of atrocious taste; above all, doe
not act as if she were comforting ;
favor on the giver by accepting he
presents
Some girls err in this respect by think
ing it shows an Independent spirit t.
hold back when gift is made or a ia
vor is offered. They say, i cannot pos
sibly accept such thing! Oh, 1 couldn'
let you spend all that on me!'
What such girls need is for the giver t.
some time take them at their word ant
withdraw the gift. Their boosted indie
pendence would suffer sudden collaps
and their manners would improve.
The girl who must be most careful t
be a, graceful recipient is she who ha
wealthy friends. The poor and prou'
spirit can be overdone to the point o
actual brutality. While nice girl cal
not afford to sponge she should not re
fuse to her friends what is often thei
greatest pleasure-the making of pres
ents that girl could not afford to buy.
1t is sometimes hard for the receiver
truth must admit. Favors are not al
ways as tactfully offered as they ar
well meant but unless the donor is in
sufferably patronizing the spirit, not th
manner of the giving should be takel
into account.
There are times when one is excusabl
for not being a graceful receiver.
there is any hint of a purpose in the Civ
ing; if the slightest faint of graft is sus
, pected; if by receiving a girl places hel
self under ill-advised obligations, sh
should refunse to be a recipient at ALL
Helen Bruce Wallace.