The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-01-01

straight lime of letters engraved across
Its middle looks simple enough. but II
is u sign and symbol of trouble. 1t
has that malicious method of mani
mate things that tradition has told us
lies in watt for humans.
From the one stops the
motor car in front of the stationcr's
and walks toward the glass counte
wherein are samples nf other peoples
III the trouble descends. 1t Is USE
less for you to try to deceive yourself
that the task is easy by asking in a
casual ton for new visiting cards.
The salesman at onc pins YOU
butterfly. with the question. What
kind. Madam"
Then doubt adds itself to anxiety
and mental confusion begins. What
kind. indeed. Ii YOU are n novice in.
the social world you are swamped in
a sea of trouble within ten minutes.
and. although YOU cling desperately tn
Across the Counter holds out to YOU
you are not quite certain whether the
hand has II power behind 1t. Sud-
denly toe issue OF the visiting card be-
comes important. immense. significant.
Suppose You spend all this money and
set the wrong thing? Then what?
Will YOU he Judged a social dunder-
head because IL cards are the wrong
size. have the wrong lettering. and
shaw in some mysterious way that you
do not belong where YOU are striving
to he?
Hundreds Of other cards are whirled
at you You are informed that Mrs.
Murray-I.othrop uses Old Eng
lish lettering. as she thinks 1t vulgar;
YOU are assured that Mrs. Rutledge-
Hartman prefers her cards to read
,,,f<I, xl,~@n {, chase <c h4N htpo-
hand and herself and Of her debutante
daughter. Your husband does not
wish to use his middle name in full.
hut the Man Across the Counter lifts
his eyebrows and tells you that initials
may have beer in style when George
Washington was the First Gentleman
Of America. but they are not used now
by n n who pretends to know So
icial conventions.
The Correct Thing.
When you have decided on the en-
square bit of white ~pasteboard with
Iyour name in full. engraved in block
letters. shaded. with the address be-
meath in the orner the YOU will in
'stantly wonder if it would not have
been wiser to have ordered shaded Old
English lettering. which has now TAX
en- the place of the plain Old Engl-
ISL. luc puullG Will answer lkldS
question by saying that block letters
are neater. cleaner and easier to read.
What about Your husbands cards.
asks the Man Across the Counter.
Your first irritable impulse Is to
der why your husband cannot attend
to his own cards. but when you are
reminded that it is in better taste
for the cards of the family t o corre-
,spond in size and lettering YOU turn
20 <ho tno0y yys<1, N 0~o 1n~aNnrnA Won
choose for the gentleman who pays
your bills an oblong bit of %pasteboard
with his name in full preceded by Mr..
and followed in the lower corner with
his address. You sigh. This task is
done for the year. you think. At the
moment Of relief the Man Across the
Counter asks whether all Of your hus-
dress, or half Of them bear the name
Of his club, and which club Of all he
belongs to does he prefer on his visit
ing cards.
You have an instant piercing feel
ing Of jealousy. So this Is what men
do. is 1t. to have their clubs engraved
on the cards that they use when they
call on -? You would like to know
who. but there is no to ask until
the Man Across the Counter that all
Of your husbands cards bear his home
address!
And the end is not vet. What about
the debutante daughter? There must
be cards with the name Of husband
and wife. large. square. thin white
pasteboard, with the name Of the
Idebutante daughter engraved in full
and preceded by Miss.
Then. suavely suggests the Man
Across the Counter. II sou entertain
informally very often you will want
blank cards with the names of your
husband and self. some with and some
without the addition of your daugh.
ter's name, with the house address
and blank spaces left to be filled in
with writing. These are to invite
theater party or restaurant supper or
bridge in the afternoon or dinner for
eight. with bridge to follow.
The Invitation Card.
Are these to he in block letters, too.
you ask. or shaded Old English?
Neither. The moment your card is
to he used as an invitation 1t must be
lengthen and widen until it presents
Il large oblong which fits into an en-
velope that matches 1t. Again grasp
ing at the hand held out to help you,
you ask II these cards will do for a
dinner-dance. for a ball, for a large
dinner. You are told that they will
not: they are merely substitutes for
notes. They are la~bor-saving devices.
which come under the title of Helps
to Hostesses. They are potter than
telephones and less trouble than let
tiers. That is all.
AS YOU drive homeward. the weari-
ness oes and citation sets in. You are
rather proud Of your mornings work.
You see huge boxes of admirable cards
placed near the desk and yourself re.
lieved from trouble for at least a year.
You say something of this sort at the
dinner table with the boastful way we
allow ourselves in the family circle.
1t sounds good" is the comment Of
the nan N pays the bills. but when
and how do o use them all?" he
asks.
DO you leave one card on a mar
ried couple. and when do l send mine
along TO add cordially t o yours?" he
continues. rs that little fashion still
alive about turning the corner or
bending the card In the middle that
was observed when ] was a youngster?
How many cards do you mail to an
afternoon tea. and when do you use
cards at social functions: AS far as
l al make out. bridge and draw pok-
er are simple games against this So
cial card game that you women play"
Can you answer him offhand?
Well. and how is this social card
game played? you ask yourself. Are
there rules for 1t? Or is it a go-as-
you-please race? Can you do what
you wish and not he criticised? Do
fashions change in this as in dress?
Cards for Afternoon Ten.
h answer to all these questions is
n q certain cerem0nious rules arc laid