The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-08-23
Nv WONAV'S REALM
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THE IDEAL HOSTESS
G0li0i0ff mon NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

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summer entertaining. even under
the most ideal circumstances, is apt
to be difficult, because weather con.
diuons usually conspire to make
guests and hostess. to say nothing of
servants. as touchy as a hairspring,
ana unless all three of these are en-
rapport one has a house divided
against itself and the party fizzles
out into iasco instead Of the we'll
planned advertisement intended.
Recently, however. it was my good
fortune to meet that rarest of all
feminine creatures-the ideal hostess.
1t was not that she had money to
anticipate the most far-fetched wish
.of the most exacting guest of the
party. 1t was not that the weather
had "let up" and all the members of
the party were too grateful for that
to be critical of anything else. It
was not that a corps of well-trained
servants lightened her duties.
On the contrary, luck was against
her. The cook left on the eve of the
assembling of the weekend house
party, and she had to face the coming
OF the guests with a new, unframed
priestess Of the kitchen as her only
solace.
But the woman's art was such that
even the most crotchety person pres.
ent voted that a happier two days
could not have been spent. The sue.
censs of my hostess lay in her repose
Instead of developing wrinkles and
wishing that she had never been born,
she took everything smilingly. She
explained at the outset that things
were likely to go wrong. After that
she never apologized. When a cog in
the usually so well-oiled machinery
of her menage slipped, as when the
new Dinah put cup of salt in the
custard, mistaking it for sugar, we
all smiled and remarked what a
honey time we were having.
You've met the hostess, doubtless
who is a jumping jack. Scarcely does
she get seated at the table and the
conversation begin to flow with that
momentum which is necessarily for an
enjoyable dinner, when up she jumps
to get something, which, If given
time, the maid could easily supply
Do you start to tell your favorite
anecdote or your most thrilling ex
.perience, she halts you to remark
querously that you are not eating
enough and that you must have po
tatoes.
"Man does not live by bread alone,
but she doesn't know it. It Is hel
conviction that she is failing in hos
pitality if she does not obtrude at
tentions upon you. If you are seated
comfortably on the porch for quie
chat or meditation, she wrinkles vi
her brow and beseeches you not t.
have a stupid time. She turns on thu
talking machine and suggests dane
: ing. Do you become fascinated will
dancing, she wonders If you wouldn'
have a better time at auction, ant
forthwith the card tables are brough
out.
Like Tennyson's brook, she goes oil
forever. She has no repose. He
Idea of showing her guests a goot
time is never for an instant to pei
nit them to lose sight of the fac
that they are guests. One leaves he
house not refreshed by the visit, bu
wearied with an awful WEAKNESS, +
recuperate from which it is necessar,
to take another vacation.
It is far better not to entertain a
all than to be the jumping-jack sor
of hostess.-Exchange.