The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-24
From a Mans
Point of View

iSsS week VAIN gloom deep In his 5oHld (
And he was q nice man, oh, suchs i
nice funny man. and HIS plant was
against tho very dainty and very
charming bits of cardboard on whiclis
girls uro wont to scribblo the namesa5
OF thcir partners at cotillion. And
thereby hangs the tale. at least, sos
thinks nero man. This mans settled
himself quite comfortably In the corner
OF big chair by the FIRE and unfoldsd
the misery of men.
1t seems that from the mans polrit
Of view a cot!liion is very delights
full affair. 1t Is to DO taken for grants
cd ones hostess has asked tho usual
amount of stays to make thinge "go.',as
and In tho eyes of these lords OF
creation little card is dangerous
thing. Let's suppose for an instant
that there are not enough, stays,
probably only two or three, II has
ralned, perhaps, or a train has been
wrccked--well. almost any little thins
might have happencd-but there ARD
only very few extra men. To ono sid
Of the hall sits a man beside his mart.
ner. just across the ballroom, directly
In front of him. sits another man he5
side another girl. They scan thett
cards. they glance across the way
and the music begins. Each has at, I
with tho other, and neither can leave,
the girl he Is with to claim his part
nor fcs. 1t Is quite disconcertinE.laS
For some reason unknown to glrls3
men rail- at card dances aa though
they wore tho latest invention Of thu
wicked one. and grow eloquent upou
the subject in hours OF conversational
In most old cities and big towns X
girl goes with her chaperon to. the
dance and meets her partner there.s
In which case all thought of unpleas-
Ing situations Is banishcd from one,
mind. One Is escorted to her seat by 4
her chaperon Immediately after ths
dance Is over where her next partner
may find her later. But We have no
such customs here. and, OF course,
there arc great mnny girls that
never would have a very good tin1o
anywhere. To see the partner of such
a girl rushing through tho crowd,
bcsecching this one and importuninE
that ono to dance with his partner,is
very pitiful sight indeed. who
would dance with men compelled 70
come In from tho by-ways and hedges
OF the ballroom and dance, merely be-
cause at q certain time tho orchestra
Will play and some OF the guests viii
dance. In some instances 1t does nc
good to mako out card after r. few
dances tho men fail to put In appear
ance-that is, II the girl Is hopeless
failure, and such things have been
known to exist, and such an evenins
as starcs them both I'm the. face! There
Is the story OF the nice young man
trying for degree at big univer-
sity not 10000 miles away. This very
nice young man took tho professorg
very homely and unattractive daughter
| TO a dance. Nobody danced with her,
| nobody came near them, but tho nice
! young man did not sit I'm pitch. hlaeIs-
! silence and contemplate suicide with
| loving thoughts, not he; no danced
| with that girl the cntiro evening, and
| not like 1t was task, but like she;
| was quite the incest and most charms
| ing girl he had ever boon so fortunate
! az to meet. Tales are supposed to
| havo morals; this one Is obvious. fE6s
! got his degree and lots OF girls think
| he Is the finest man they know.
| though not to say that such an ordasrj
lis the road by which ono arrives at
| distinction. ,tf.,
But ono Is depressing from the story
| of dance cards. Girls want them to:
| keep. to hang on their dressing IN oles
with tho names OF their partners
| there. too. and 1t is heavenly feel:
| ing 10 know that the last dance haa
| been given away. Debutantes have a.
way of feeling it's theirs but to do.
\ or die" and feel that whole evening,
| rs lnuuc OF married py n dance, ,tnUdl
( one sees shverlng rows Of girls herd =
ed together. laughing very loudly and
| nervously clutchlng cards. If they only
| knew that the best. happiest Tina
| comes from not caring n bit whether
| the next dance ever comes. that part
! ners. like pennies, take care OF them.
! selves. and that cards are stupid
| bores. Why. how can one cut danes
F! with a stupid man If his name is writ
| ten in black and white? 1t is much.
easier to forget him and dance with
| the first one you want to, and so on.
| Tear up your cards, girls. tho men
| arc really awfnlly nice. and they gem
orally sec that people have a good
time That is half what they have
been initiated for, and. like worthy
| Captain Reecc. commanding OF the
mantelpiece." they arc nearly always
on hand doing their duty with nice
| tin sword.
In Marking Linen.
Fashions III marking linen change
TO some degrees every season, so that
letters from half-inch to four on
; five inches long arc permissible; but a
safe rule for the conservative needls-
woman to follow is:
For ta'blecloths. letters two incheI
long Y
! Napkins. letters three quarters Of,
an inch long.
sheets. two inches long.
f-,sN.. .'xs