Year: 1877

Society is an intensely respectable


thing; but it is also very dull When


we reflect, indeed, on the little satisfac


tion one generally has in recollection of


any of those assemblages called dinner


or evening parties, it might be wonder


ed why people have such meetings at all


We suppose people feel that they must


meet somehow, aud meet they do &C


cordiDgly; but, from some deficiency in


the national genius, we have not been


able as yet to make these meetings really
enjoyable All acknowledge the leaden
pressure of decorous dullness, which
pervades more or less each party they
attend, but all alike seem helpless to
effect an improvement. Even in that
comparatively simple affair, morning
call, it is marvellous how much stupidi.
ty besets us. People 60 to other peo
ple's houses, nine times out of ten, hop
ing they may not be at home or il ad.
mitted, sailing into the drawing room
just for ten minutes, merely to 90 through
a ceremony, not TO converse with their
friends


We are, undoubtedly, more creatures
of society than of humanity we are
more conventional than natural more
formal than real; aud this it is which
pervades our whole social system like a
blight-ths absurd fear of ourselves,
which, indeed, is the very reverse of true
pride, mixed ia with that baneful AFRO
gence which makes us shrink from our
fellow men, as either too high or too low
for our notice True pride and real
dignity equalize all men by right of their
common humanity; our social pride is
only make.believe after all


Let us have society, by all mems
plenty of it, 1t is good to see our fell
low creatures often and pleasantly; but
why must we always eat in company,
like cows and sheep? Why can't we
meet for love, not luxury; for pleasure,
not show; for happiness, not rule !?
Why must we make feast when Jones,
Brown and Smith, who dine on beaf.
steak at home-as we ourselves do
come and dine with us instead Why
can't Jones, Brown and Smith eat beet
steak at our house as we'll as at their
own And why should we try to make
them believe that our ordinary diet is
turkey, turtle and venison ? These are
vital questions, worth considering and
worth answering.


We are too expensive aud 700 stiff in
all our social life. Our dress, our fur
niture, the condition of society, all are
buckramed and bedizened out of all
shape Of nature and all power of attain
ment by people of middling fortunes.


Many will not speak to those they
know perfectly we'll by sight, name and
reputation without formal introduc-
tion and they speak to those to whom
they have been introduced as if their
minds were stffened into mere diction-
ary columns, without single thought
or feeling in them Well, now, is not
all this very unwise


We might change the whole art and
Of society, and be much
better off for IL. For If we did once
nnStreep that buckram belt round our
hearts when in society, and once see the
beauty of naturalness in manner and Of
in life, we would never go
back to the old ways of reserve and lux
lry, but would laugh when we wanted
to laugh, and spaak to any of the same
circle we wished to speak to, without
Fear of compromise to ourselves or of
-epnlse from them, and we would see
our friends without parade and enjoy
he pleasure of social intercourse with.
)ut fuss, expense or pomp.