The afternoon tea with dancing is described in the chapter on Teas and
needs no further comment, since its etiquette is precisely the same as
that for a ball. The débutante's bouquets are arranged as effectively as
possible, and she receives with her mother, or whoever the hostess may be,
until the queue of arriving guests thins out, after which she need be
occupied with nothing but her own good time, and that of her friends.
Those of smaller means, or those who object to hotel rooms, ask only
younger people, and give the tea in their own house. Where there are two
rooms on a floor--drawing-room in front, dining-room back, and a library
on the floor above, the guests are received in the drawing-room, but
whether they dance in the dining-room or up in the library, depends upon
which room is the larger. In either case the furniture is moved out. If
possible the smallest room should be used to receive in, the largest to
dance in, and the tea-table should be set in the medium one.
=HOW MANY GUESTS MAY ONE ASK?=
A hostess should never try to pack her house beyond the limits of its
capacity. This question of how many invitations may safely be sent out is
one which each hostess must answer for herself, since beyond a few obvious
generalities no one can very well advise her.
Taking a hostess of "average" social position, who is bringing out a
daughter of "average" attractiveness and popularity, it would be safe to
say that every débutante and younger man asked to a party of any kind
where there is dancing, will accept, but that not more than from half to
one-third of the older people asked will put in an appearance.
=LAVISH PARTIES GIVING WAY TO SIMPLE ONES=
A ball, by the way, is always a general entertainment, meaning that
invitations are sent to the entire dinner list--not only actual but
potential--of the host and hostess, as well as to the younger people who
are either themselves friends of the débutante, or daughters and sons of
the friends, and acquaintances of the hostess.
A dance differs from a ball in that it is smaller, less elaborate and its
invitations are limited to the contemporaries of the débutante, or at most
the youngest married set.
Invitations to a tea are even more general and should include a hostess'
entire visiting list, irrespective of age or even personal acquaintance.
The old-fashioned visiting list of the young hostess included the entire
list of her mother, plus that of her mother-in-law, to which was added all
the names acquired in her own social life. It can easily be seen that this
list became a formidable volume by the time her daughter was old enough to
"come out," and yet this entire list was supposed to be included in all
"general" invitations!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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