Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-18
For the Guest,
for the Hostess
Dos and Dont's That Make Being
and Entertaining . Guest a
Pleasure.


r. people have gone to visit their
IL relatives and friends and, even
among primitive people. there has
been q definite code for the guest
within your sates-the house guests
20 we say nowadays.
In days gone by when hospitality
was perhaps more lavish and when
we did things on q more leisurely
4cale IL would have been considered
rude 10 suggest in your invitation to
your guest how long you wished him
10 say. When our grandmothers
asked their friends to come visit them
there was that note of welcome in
their invitations that seemed to indi-
cate that they might stay forever.
and sometimes guests did stay for
many weeks. Even the most charm
ing OF guests might outwear a well
come in such a protracted stay and
hostesses were often at their wits
ends TO know just how much longer
guests intended to stay.
Our Invitations.
How much better is our method
nowadays. When we ask house
guest we state quite frankly and ex-
remedy definitely just how long the
stay is 10 be. And the guest in ac~
-eptins the invitation indicates ex-
actly how long he can stay. asking
permission, II need be. to cut the
ris;t shorter than that in the invita-
ion.
For instance. when you invite
ruests for a weekend, you tell them
he train or trains that II would be
convenient for them TO come on and
hen indicate definitely that you wish
hem 10 remain till Sunday evening
or Monday morning. as the case may
pc In answering. the guest should
always state whether he can remain
he full length of the invitation. be-
cause failure 10 DO might require
change IN the hostess's plans for
entertainment
Do not write and ask a friend to
some and stay "as long as she can"
Even IL you are writing to a relative
you should be quite specific. Write
something like this: We are all
looking forward TO the little visit you
promised us and should be delighted
II you might come on February the
fourth for two weeks sojourn with
us" In replying to such an invita-
tion the person should not say: Il
an not at all sure that can stay as
tong as you suggested. but we can
Alk that over later"
II may be that the hostess is plan
atng q tea or other entertainment
Tor which invitations would have TO
- issued we'll In advance OF the date.
Such a lack Of decision then would
cad 70 great Inconvenience.
When you are the guest al
friends house you should always re-
member 20 knock before seeking ad-
mission al a bedroom or study door.
You should always feel free 10 enter
the drawing room and sitting room,
however, or 70 enter the dining room
without any such preliminary. Some
times q young guest goes about feel
Ing a certain timfdity about entering
the family living rooms and remains
IN his own room in the morning be-
fore breakfast feeling shy about
going downstairs before the members
o. the family This is really absurd
as such living rooms are never TO be
private.
The hostess should be as careful
IN knocking for admission 10 her
guests room as the guest is about
entering the hostess's room. A ser
want may go in in the guests absence
20 make the bed and tend 10 the dust
ing and other work. but II the hostess
wishes 70 90 in 10 attend 70 these
things she should first ask permission
o. the occupant.
The Gentle Art q Knocking
One thing in which English family
etiquette is better than our own is in
the little custom Of knocking Cen
orally speaking. IN English families
there is more respect for personal
privacy than in our own land, and
of British parents are early
taught TO knock on their parents
doors before entering. In like man
eer well-bred English woman would
show more consideration in entering
enc OF her own children's rooms with
out the preliminary request for ad
mission IN the guise of knock. Hav-
Ing knocked, the well-bred English
person waits for the welcoming
@Cone in" whereas between mem
Gers OF the same family in this land
D: ours. IL we stop 10 knock at all.
ee often forget to wait for the word
81 welcome
Recently many a new house in this
country has been provided with little
brass knockers placed on each bed
soom door. and these perhaps serve
10 revive the gentle courtesy of
knocking. Needless TO say the GUS
tom OF knocking for admission is a
rery ancient one and, before the days
" door bells and even before the
Gays OF iron or brass door knockers,
people knocked for admission 10 other
peoples houses and cottages by
means OF vigorous knocking with
the knuckle. Just as now we con-
Bider IL rude to ring repeatedly or
more than onoe without waiting TO
give someone inside an opportunity
10 respond TO the first ring. SO II was
rude TO continue with
leries of knocks. In an old etiquette
book written some two hundred years
ago attention is called to the fact
that when seeking admission al cham
Der doors one should give mot above
Dns knock" and AT the door of the
chamber of g great person II would
10 rude 20 knock; we are only to
,cratch