The Washington herald., 1915-05-02

Were you never struck. When you
read the story of the Beautiful frin
cess and the Pea. with the tact tha'
she was just a little impolite?
You remember the story: The Prin-
cess knocked one dark. stormy. night
at the castle door. The King let her
in She was lost and asked for a
nights hospitality. The Queen, WISH
ing to know whether she was a real
princess or not, made up the spare
room bed with a pea tucked under
some dozen mattresses, and helped the
Princess to bed. In the morning the
Princess appeared, wan and haggard,
after a sleepless night. to complain
that the bed was so hard it had made
her ill.
In the story the King and Queen re-
joice. knowing that none but real
princess could have detected the pres
ence of that little pea through many
mattresses. But didn't the princess
forget her duties as a guest when she
complained to her hostess about the
snare room bed? II she had been Il
perfect guest, would she not have rub
bed her cheeks or perchance have APP
plied a bit of rouge TO hide their pal
lor, and have made the best of the
situation by ignoring the uncomfort-
able bed?
At any rate,S however opinions may
differ about the propriety OF the oeau-
tiful princess actions, there are so
many guests who ignore the rules
which ought to govern their behavior
that they will serve as model, If
the princess does not, of what a guest
ought not to be.
The Faddists.
For instance, there are the faddlsts
the people with fads, who bring
their fads with them and insist on mo-
nopolizing most of the time talking
about them. There is the man. per-
hapS. who is making collection OF
photographs of trees. When you take
him walking you must needs risk
breaking your bones helping him
perch his camera on the side of a
rocky precipice. from which an in
teresting tree can he snapped. When
you motor with him through the coun-
try you must stop your car so sud
denly that you fear damage is done
because he sees a tree in the middle
of field which he must photograph
Perhaps he brings his collection of
pictures of trees-whiCh is all very
we'll if YOU are interested in trees
yourself. But at all events he makes
liz fad an ever-present topic and boreS
you with it.
Then there are the health faddists.
There is the one who is living on
nuts and cereals. and who asks for
n dish of rice and sits patiently with II
through the deliCiSdS dinner which
you had planned and ends up few
nuts extracted from his pocket. There
is the fresh air flend. who goes about
opening windows, letting in drauEhts
and mosquitoes and not in any way
improving the system of ventilation
which you have carefully worked out.
There is the exercise faddiSt. who
Wakens the household in the morning
in his efforts to get Cross-Country
run before breakfast and in success
sion tires out each member of the
family as companions for his strenu-
Gus tramps
Besides the faddists there are lots
of other types of guests that could
lie improved on. There is the one who
misses his train and neelects to tele
phone to let you know of the fact,
and therefore keeps luncheon or din
ner waiting on the HE and tired
host or hostess waitinG Hospitality at
the station.
There is the guest who brings her
pct dog with her and expects to have
chops especially brOiled for ii, a
cushion especially prepared for its
he'd and general homage paid to it
from the beginning to the end of its
stay
There is the guest who forgets
everything: she cannot find her bag
gage check to begin with. and when
her trunk finally arrives she announces
that she has forgotten to bring a
dressing gown, Il toothbrush, the belt
that goes with her linen suit and the
little gift she had planned to give her
hostess. and the hostess. long suffer-
ing mortal. is asked to supply all the
" ants but the last.
There is the man who talks about
his business from the time he enters
until the time he passes out of your
house; and there is the woman who
talks about Bohhic and katherine I'M
til you are sure that you would detest
such para CONS of everything wonder
full as her children must be.
The ideal guest should indulge in
none of the follies INDUCED in by the
beautiful princess or any of her mod
ern fellows; and if she does not have
TO spend all her time remembering the
things she should avoid she will enjoy
her visit and her hostess will enjoy it,
too