Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-25

nlavers will insist on talking about
their new frocks, or their dear
babies teeth, or the play they saw
last night: if chocolate-cream drops
and nougat and fudge seem to you
quite unnecessary. accessories TO
good game of five hundred or bridge;
if-weu. in Short II the up-to-date'
altogether delightful entertainment
called a card party, whose popularity
begins again with the first cool DAYS,
seems to you just hodge-pooge OF
noise and confusion, you had bese stay
at home, Cor else ponder little over
the few. simple rules OF ettouette- Tor.
card parties, sSsi>s. = -t-:s'..-s-
The success or failure of card party
depends, more than that of any other
sort of entertainment. upon the guests
themselves And although the laws
they should observe are. in nutshell.
all obtained in generous reading OF
the good old golden. rule. yet they are
often forgotten orr ignored. sisffL Let JUS
hope that they ares lust 4drguttsn. and
that a little gentle jogging of the MEM
DRY will recall them.
In the first place. remember you are
not playing game of solitaire. VI
course, you want to enjoy yourself. but
at a card party the only safe and sure
way to do this is to try to help the
players about yen to. have a.go0ds tine.
e%s 4 '-z''-s -
A story is told OF a well known
society hostess who was one night CIV
ing a dinner party Because OF the
brilliancy of the company gathered, she
was using some almost priceless wine
glasses. While talhing to her the guest
-
one, it toppled to the floor, and, Of
course. it wassshattered in a Thousand
pieces. The hostess smiled. Don't
Apologize, she said lightly: these
glasses are sos fragile. The merest
touch-there, I've broken one. too" So
gracefully had Bhe purposely toppled
her own bit Of celess crystal to the
floor thass her action had seemed quite
indeed. he neveR knew That just to save
his feelings his hostess had smashed a
second OF her treasures.
The spirit of this hostess is the spirit
that everyone should have at a card
party. We might not add to our popu-
larity as que SITS. TO be sure, II we went
about -sn1as hing china and glass In
other people Houses Just to make our
careless or awkward lunch or dinner
partners feel at ease. But game Of
cardsSsw0n or lost costs our hostess
nothing,@a and many an. awkward ssttua-
ton scaIrs be saved IL the coed player,
whose partner forgets to return trump
makes light of the mistake.
The player who crfticfses others plays.
who looks annoyed when her partner
makes a poor lead, who disgustedly says
she never could play in such babble,
somehow, by hook or by crook, find a
plausible excuse for staying at home OF
course. to a scientific bridge player the
partner who doesn't know the down and
achn q a 0ha11
who plays through dummy's weakness
when she ought to play up to 1t. or who
doubles just to see what will happen
such partner is sore and grievous
trial. But all you can do is to say-to
yourself-with CervanteS, Patience, and
shuttle the cards" To act annoyed at a
partners ignorance of the rules of the
game would be out of place, to criticise
her playing would be objectionable.
**
AS for the light-hearted, happy-g
lucky woman who invariably forgets
trumps. who suddenly giggles and asks
whether were playing bridge or euchre' -
who looks bored when her partner makes
good play; in brief the player who
doesn't try, She is no better in her con-
duct than the one who errs in the other
extreme.
Next Of the pitfalls always ready to
catch the unwary card player come the
prizes. The player who does net play a
good game, and the player who plays toe
good game, the player who insists or
taking II lightly or even the player who
takes it seriously, may be forgiven Bu
the PLAYER who works for prize Is be
meath con.empt. Nevertheless. some per
sons consider the loss of possible priZ,
as they would the loss of some preciou.
possession, and they literally make life {
burden for the partners who are unIor
tunate enough to sit opposite them l
is just for this reason that some host
esses give favor instead of prizes t
each guest. Then there are no glowerini
and disappointed aspirants for honors. N
hurt and offended partners who hav
helped "lose."
On the whole. it is the card player VIII
always has good time. whether she win
or loses. who takes defeat. like success
with a smile. who plays carefully AM
wins occasionally. who is willing to he'll
the player unfamiliar with the game. an
who never, never criticises, who is q ia
vorite at card parties.
Although SO much depends on the guest
at a card party, something does depen
on the hostess herself. She ought to in
vite persons that she knows will be con
genial. and she ought to cut from he
list of guests any one who, either by rea
son Of her fiippancy or seriousness. make
herself a boor. Nor should the hostes
attempt a more elaborate card party tina
she can manage. In a small house o
apartment three or four tables comfort
ably placed in the two or three availabl
rooms plenty of air and light refresh
ments daintily served bring much betts