The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1952-10-01

you. a surprise shower does happen.
but in most cases. in an effort to
present the bride tob-be with some
thing she really wants. the surprise
element has to be dispensed with.
And nothing goes against my grain
than to have an intelligent guest of
honor coo, isn't this a lovely sur
prise! -. and exactly what l
wanted!" 1 grip my chair and
humble under my breath, HIM
whom are Won irving to kid. grip"
l remember one girl putting on such
a good act that one of the guests
forgot TO be lady and came forth
with, Gee, Mary were YOU really
surprised about the shower?" To
which Mary retortcd: We'll er
-. I didn't think it was going to
be tonight"
The guests are not better They
play up pretenSe: wholesale The
accepted ritual at a shower is for
the guest of honor to open the vari-
Gus parcels, accompanying each
parcel with SUITABLE SQUEALS
and SCREECHES denoting various
emotions-rapture. surprise, en-
chantment, thrill. etc The guests
look on expectantly Then for me
follows the more horrifying aspects
of shower. Each gift is passed a
round to each of the guests, and
they are expected to make suitable,
individual comment I do not know
how other girls manage to be so lu-
cid. but I feel like a fool on such |
occasions, and usually pass the ar
ticle on with an INDISPENSABLE |
humble which could pass for any -,
thing
The old standby cliche, isn't it |
cute!" has failed me here An ordi-
nary, garden-variety of pairing knife. |
an diversified strainer and a copper
bottomed stainless steel percolator |
were. among other things, passed a
round for general inspection My
as well as my. good old |
cliche, failed me in ragard to the
pairing knife As for the strainer. I
could see no use for it except in
some city soup-kitchen or as a net |
for catching butterflies Even the
price of the percolator-$15
failed to suppress my remark that
my own little aluminium percolator,
picked up for only $295 plus tax
could make damned good coffee.
With all this pretense, no one rea-
lily has a good time. If the shower
is the highly organized kind, it's an
event where all the little kid games
o. years back are resurrected. such
as Pass the Ring Around, Let's
Go Travelling, "Charades", Earth,
Fire, Water!", or slightly moderniz-
ed versions thereof.
OF course, such games are all
right in their place, but my idea of
an interesting evening is not one
where l squat on the floor. turn So
and make sign language,
Or crawl all over the floor, just to
make some dumb females wake up
20 the fact that I am displaying my
listrionic talents as an Indian try
ng to find the nearest hospital. I
nave to be oiled with something
more lifting than ordinary tea and
sandwiches to get into the mood.
II showers happen to be unorga-
lized as to program, the CONVERSE
ion will prove varied and lively, if
me is interested or if one can take
/ beating
I usually find myself with a group
If young marrieds who, bless their
iouls, are in better position to dis
,uss domestic problems, recipes, and
eeding formulas than l, or among
| group of single girls who go on at
yrelt length about their latest
lanes I have long since picked
10 a technique which offends nei-
her the domesticated or the bright
'oung things. 1 make a flat state
nent like My, these sandwiches are
and look for the most
comfortable chair in the apartment
nd start on the refreshments.
If women would abolish showers,
would be eternally grateful. If not.
hen for goodness sakes at least,
'lace showers on a more honest,
incere basis, cutting out the pre-
ense and the sham and the racket
ngles, and l will be satisfied. And
have a sneaking bunch that there
lill be lot more like me.
From New Canadian