A bachelor entertaining in bachelor's quarters, meaning that he has only a
man servant, must be much more punctilious, and must arrange to have the
chaperon bring any young woman guests with her, since no young girls could
be seen entering bachelor's quarters alone, and have their "good name"
survive. If he has a large establishment, including women servants, and if
furthermore he is a man whose own reputation is unblemished, the chaperon
may be met at his house. But since it is more prudent for young women to
arrive under her care, why run the unnecessary risk of meeting Mrs.
Grundy's jackal on the doorstep?
At the house of a bachelor such as described above, the chaperon could be
a husbandless young married woman, or in other words, the most careless
chaperon possible, without ever giving Mrs. Grundy's magpie cause for
ruffling a feather. But no young woman could dine or have tea, no matter
how well chaperoned, in the "rooms" of a man of morally bad reputation
without running a very unpleasant risk of censure.
=A BACHELOR'S HOUSE PARTIES=
Bachelors frequently have house parties at their country places. A married
lady whose husband is with her is always the chaperon unless the host's
mother or sister may be staying--or living--in his house.
There is always something unusually alluring about a bachelor's
entertaining. Especially his house parties. Where do all bachelors get
those nice and so very respectable elderly maid servants? They can't all
have been their nurses! And a bachelor's house has a something about it
that is very comfortable but entirely different from a lady's house,
though it would be difficult to define wherein the difference lies. He is
perhaps more attentive than a hostess, at least he meets his guests at the
station if they come by train, or, if they motor to his house, he goes out
on the front steps to greet them as they drive up.
A possible reason why bachelors seem to make such good hosts is that only
those who have a talent for it make the attempt. There is never any
obligation on a gentleman's part to invite ladies to stay with him,
whereas it is part of every lady's duty at least occasionally to be a
hostess, whether she has talent, or even inclination, for the position or
not.
A gentleman can return the courtesies of hostesses to him by occasionally
sending flowers, or books, or candy, and by showing them polite attention
when he meets them out.
If a bachelor lives in a house of his own, especially in a country
community, he is under the same obligations as any other householder to
return the hospitality shown by his neighbors to him.
=INVITATIONS=
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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