Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-15
Life's Problems
Are Discussed

many people VINO nave neld tnaL
hospitality is one of the kindly. ge-,
nial virtues to be practised in season
and out of season have discovered
to their dismay that 1t Is one of the
most expensive luxuries in the whole
category. There are many famous
instances to attest this fact.
There was Thomas Jefferson, who
was rich and lived lavishly in his
early days. But his house was con-
family full of guests, and his stables
so full of horses-both guests and
horses eating their heads off-that
he nearly went hungry himself.
Dumas, in spite of the vast sums
he earned by his wonderful romances
was able to lay nothing by He
rarely sat down to lonely meal; his
| breakfasts, luncheons and dinners
were usually enlivened by the pres
ence of at least a hundred guests,
and he also had a little habit of toss
ing his gold into table drawer, into
which all who felt the need of tenn
porary reimbursement might dip
| their fingers. Is it necessary to add
that he died in poverty?
The great. Prince of Orange, whose
military genius and statecraft saved
Holland in the Sixteenth Century,
was practically ruined by his mag
nificent hospitality.
Instances of the kind might be
multiplied. and they have not been
by any means confined to the great
and famous. Even the untutored In
dian quickly grasped the fact that
1t was dangerous thing for him to
/ accumulate too much of what stood
for wealth in the eyes of his neigh
| bors. If he did, the rest of the tribe
camped down on him. and ate him out
of house and home.
All this Is apropos of a sad wall
that has come to me from one of my
unknown correspondents. He begins
| by saying that, so far as environ
ment is concerned, few are so fortu-
nately situated as himself He Is
most happily married and has an
ideal home. His wife and himself are
entirely congenial, with the same
tastes, sympathies and inclinations.
In fact. the sole serpent in their
Eden is guests-not guest, but
GUESTS.
His business compels him to live
in a certain city. and in the ajacent
country, within convenient distance
both by train and motor. he and also
his wife have a number of we'll to- do
relatives, who find appallingly fire.
quent reasons for coming to town.
The idea of putting up at q hote
never seems to enter their heads, and
the result is that this mans home,
instead of being q castle of serene
content, has become a sort OF visit
ors' roost.
His cousins are constantly popping
In for day or so; the girls to attend
to their spring, fall. or summer shop
ping, to see the dentist or to take
lessons in something or other, or to
go to the theatre or q concert; the
young men to buy new farm 'machin-
cry. on errands of business or poll
tics. and to take in the amusements.
His uncles appear for the purpose.
of collecting rents. going to the
bank. ETC.. and several elderly aunts
also seize every opportunity to jaunt
to town to see the doctor about thets
rheumatism, or the oculist about
their eyes. or TO buy things for their
various households.
My correspondent says they usually
bring with them what he bitterly
terms q "camoufiage bag" This con-
tains few of those vegetables which
are still comparatively reasonable in
price, and they are embedded, STIR
rounded and ovsriaid with parsley.
There II always enough parsley he
complains, to supply the whole block
on which he lives. Never under any
circumstances. he insists, has the
"cnmouhags bag" been known to oon-
tain a chicken. or a pot of butter or
q dozen eggs, And even the haets
and carrots are In exceedingly smaii
bunohes,
Yet these offerings are Supposed 10
cancel any obligations the guests