Card parties are often used as a means of raising money for a charity, or for the work of a society. These may be given at a hotel, a woman’s club-house, or a private house. In the case last mentioned, the hostess throws open her rooms and provides the refreshments, or a part of them, as may be preferred. The members of the society may each bring a cake or some sandwiches, the lady of the house furnishing tea and chocolate. It is usually arranged to have several ladies buy a table apiece for a certain sum of money. If this is two dollars, they sell the single seats to their friends for fifty cents each, or invite the latter to come as their guests. They bring their own outfit—cards, score, and the light, collapsible tables that are easily carried; or these may be sent beforehand to the house of the hostess. Occasionally an enterprising member of the society brings some of her own handiwork and offers it for sale, thus netting an additional sum for the charitable enterprise.
Evening receptions, unless enlivened by some special attraction, are less popular now than in the earlier and simpler society of the Victorian era. One of their obvious advantages is that men can attend them, another is that they enable the hostess with limited space at her command to invite a number of guests who would overcrowd her rooms should she attempt to give a dance. The evening reception is a favorite form of entertainment for introducing a distinguished guest to a circle of friends. Certain hostesses in New York still receive on one evening in the week, and succeed in gathering in their drawing-rooms an interesting company of literary and artistic folk—people who know how to talk and who enjoy doing so. A bride and groom may conveniently issue cards for one or more evening receptions when they are settled in their new home. They thus make themselves known to new friends and renew acquaintance with old ones.
A reception in the evening is gayer than an affair in the daytime, yet it need not necessarily be formal. For a large and handsome function, engraved invitations in the names of both husband and wife are issued, the “At Home” form being ordinarily used. If it is in honor of distinguished guests, the phrase, “To meet Mr. and Mrs. —— ——” is added.
According to strict rule, the “At Home” formula does not require an answer. It is always polite, however, to send regrets if one is unable to attend the entertainment. For one or more informal receptions, the joint visiting-card of husband and wife may be used, with the words “At Home” and the date written in, the hours also (“9 to 11” in the city), if desired. The arrangements are the same as for any evening occasion. The central part of the drawing-rooms is cleared of furniture, and vases, small stands, or other articles liable to be knocked over are removed to some other part of the house. If the occasion is a large and stately one, potted plants or other floral decorations may adorn the rooms, while an orchestra composed of a few stringed instruments discourses sweet sounds behind a leafy trellis. A handsome supper is served in the dining-room during the greater part of the evening, since guests are supposed to come and go rather than to stay through a reception.
It is in perfectly good form, however, to receive in a much more simple fashion, in accordance with the customs of good society in continental Europe. It is not necessary to provide either music, elaborate floral decorations, or an expensive supper. In Italy, where evening receptions are a favorite form of entertainment, ladies of rank give their guests lemonade and biscuits, or sponge-cake and wine, or nothing at all! At an occasion of this sort husband and wife usually receive together, presenting all the company to the guest of honor, who stands beside them.
At a formal affair the guests are usually announced by a man-servant. He inquires their names and calls these out as they enter the drawing-room. One does not leave cards at an evening reception. All wear evening dress, as described in [Chapter VII]. Ladies seldom wear hats, however, as they occasionally do at a public reception.
XI
HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, AND ROOF-GARDENS
How to Entertain a Guest at a Hotel in the City and in the Country—Etiquette for the Guest in Hotels and Restaurants—Dress for Morning, Afternoon, and Evening.
IN these days of apartment-houses, the spare bedroom has been necessarily eliminated from many households. This does not mean that hospitality to friends from a distance has ceased to exist, but only that it must be practised in a different way. If one has not sufficient space to make a guest comfortable in one’s own dwelling, one should arrange for her accommodation at a hotel. The room must be engaged, and if possible visited beforehand. The hostess should see with her own eyes, or with those of a trustworthy agent, that the apartment is sufficiently large, well lighted and heated. A pleasant outlook is desirable anywhere, but indispensable in the country. A foreign gentleman of distinction attending a certain congress in the United States a year or two ago was quartered in a small, stuffy, inner room. So great was his dissatisfaction that the president of the learned body was summoned. Fortunately, the latter was of an ingenious turn of mind. Spying a fire-escape on the outside of the window, he explained at some length to the foreigner the extreme desirability of the room—on account of the proximity of this important mode of exit. The guest was entirely satisfied with the explanation, and peace once more reigned among the philosophers.