MODERN ^f ESTEETAHMEIT BY V EFFIE W. MERRIMAN. NEW YORK: F. M. LUPTON, PUBLISHER, 23, 25 and 27 aty Hall Place. G^Vi ^q5 5 18394 Copyright 1898, by F. M. Lupton. y;'y^ ..iS^\A\\ Rights Reserved. ^OCOPItSRtCklVED. CONTENTS. PAGE Preface 5 Entertaining as an Art 7 An Initial Entertainment 10 A Modern Sewing Bee 16 The Five Senses. 22 A New Year Party. ...... 26 An Enjoyable Musicale 29 The Round Table 32 Round Table, No. 2 37 A Valentine Party. 43 The Bohemians. 47 A Book Party. •,.,- .<.;♦.-. . . 51-**^ A Geography Party. 57 A Charade Party. ....... 61 A Kindergarten for Adults 64 An Evening with the Occult 71 The Artists at Play 75 A Spinning Party 80 A Drawing Attraction 85 A Hallowe'en Party 92 3 4 CONTENTS. PAGE Out-Door Entertainments 101 Breakfasts 1^^ Luncheons. H^ Teas ^^^ Dinners 1^^ Wedding Anniversaries 124 A Meeting of Celebrities 141 Children's Entertainments: Entertaining Children 147 An Old-Fashioned Party 149 A Punch and Judy Party 155 A Modern Battle 1^^ A Mystic Circle 1^^ A Shooting Match 1*^2 A Peanut Party • 176 A Christmas Entertainment 178 A Hurly-Burly 182 PREFACE. One can scarcely pick up a household journal with- out finding some suggestion for the entertainment of guests, and yet the demand is not supplied. "How can we entertain without dancing or cards?" is the ever recurring question of that large class of people who consider such amusements harmful, and, with this class in mind, the following pages have been written. The idea has been not to describe entirely new methods of amusement, but to group together such of the well-known games as seem to be suitable for that style of entertainment which must bear some significant title in order to be at all modern. Even the little children have learned that it is much finer to be invited to **A Peanut Party," or some other party with a name to it, than simply to receive an invitation to a party. Readers of this little book must not think, because of the frequent mention of prizes in the description of entertainments, that they are an absolute necessity to the success of the party, for such is not the case. 5 6 PREFACE. Each hostess must use her own judgment in these matters. The prize is mentioned because it meets with such favor in the modern entertainment that one cannot ignore it without seeming to be very- much behind the times. Personally, the writer does not believe in giving prizes of value in any game. Sometimes ridiculous toys that no one would strive for, except for fun, are offered in her home, but never anything that could possibly arouse a feeling of jealousy or envy. The tin medal is usually quite sufficient as a mark of distinction, but tastes differ, and many hostesses pride themselves on the prizes offered in their homes. The following entertain- ments will, therefore, afford them abundant oppor- tunity for gratifying this pride, and yet they will be found sufficiently entertaining in themselves to be carried out without further distinction to the vic- torious parties than may be accorded by a series of credit marks. That this little book may be of the greatest help to some anxious hostess is the sincere wish of The Author. ENTERTAINING AS AN ART. To be able to entertain one's friends acceptably is a most desirable accomplishment. Indeed, it is claimed by many that the successful entertainer is born, not made, and that the art of entertainment can never be acquired by one not born with the genius in that direction. Granting the truth of that statement, there may yet be many whose genius lies sleeping, and, who knows? Perhaps these words may arouse it into activity! There is certainly no gift that will bring one more friends than the art of entertainment. Life is hard to live, at the best, and he who can make his friends forget their burdens for even a little while confers a blessing upon them. Every one likes to go where the trials of everyday life are forgotten for a time, and so the rooms of the successful entertainer are sure to be crowded, and she thus becomes influential in many ways where a woman equally bright, but lack- ing the gift of entertainment, would never be known at all. If she throws this influence on the right side the amount of good she can do cannot be estimated. 7 8 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. A certain lady was once bemoaning the fact that she had no accomplishments, while nearly all her friends could play, or sing, or recite, or do something of the sort that would add to the enjoyment of others. "You blind little bat!" exclaimed one of the musi- cians, **don't you know you have a gift worth more than all ours put together? You can make us have so good a time at your house that an evening spent any- where else always seems dull." "But how?" queried the hostess; "I never do any- thing. I really don't entertain at all." "You certainly do not seem to exert yourself to any great extent," was the response, "and I haven't the least clue to the secret of your success." Yet the question had really been answered. The liostess did not seem to exert herself when entertain- ing her guests. This is the first secret of successful entertainment. As surely as she shows that she is worried and anxious, and that she is making a great effort to have everything pass off smoothly, just so sure will her entertainment be a failure. She must liave faith enough in her plans to really believe that fihe and all her guests are going to have the best kind of a time, and there will be no disappointment. Next, she must so lay her plans that there will be no awkward pauses during the first half hour. If ■she can succeed in getting every one interested and animated at the start, she may take things easy dur- ing the remainder of the evening, resting in the as- surance that her guests will entertain themselves without knowing it. ENTERTAINING AS AN ART. 9 The idea of a reception committee must first have been evolved from the brain of a born entertainer, who saw the wisdom of a brilliant beginning; but I do not believe that the members of that first com- mittee were placed in a long, formal row, like a line of Lombardy poplars swaying in the breeze. I be- lieve they were told to be seen everywhere, in every room, chatting with each late arrival until they have succeeded in finding some one else to chat with him, and so make awkwardness and stiffness quite impos- sible. It is a good plan, even while the invited guests are few in number, to have one or two trusted friends come a little early to help you receive. Talk over the plan of entertainment with them, and make it clear just what you want them to do. If you are quiet, choose assistants who are vivacious, for con- trasts are usually interesting, each unconsciously serving to heighten the charms of the other. AN INITIAL ENTERTAINMENT. For a certain party, about to be described, this was an especially appropriate title, for it happened to be the first one the young couple had given in their new home. The invitations were simple. They were writ- ten on handsome cards, and read as follows: Mr. and Mrs. Gray request the pleasure of your company at their "Initial Entertainment," Monday Elvening, March 20, 1898. A sister of the hostess and a brother of the host helped plan the entertainment and also helped to re- ceive the guests. When the guests were shown into the parlors, after having removed their wraps, each was handed a card, bearing the initials of some person present, who was to be their partner until after refreshments had been served. These cards were arranged before- hand, and the name of the guest for whom they were prepared was written on the opposite side. Under the initials of the partner to be sought were two lines of mystic letters, the first describing the partner, the second giving a command. 10 AN INITIAL ENTERTAINMENT. 11 This will, perhaps, be more easily understood if we give the career of one couple. The gentleman, whose initials were W. C. G., was given a card bearing the initials, A. L. C, and un- derneath were the letters, *'latl, gilths, wonbr yese." Under these were the letters, **n a t u r i c." After puzzling over it a moment, the gentleman discovered that his partner, whose initials were A. L. C. was described as "tall, slight, brown eyes," and that, when he had found her, they must go to some curtain. After a short search among the guests he found her, and they compared cards. Hers bore his initials, and the description, "net or tay,'* which, being transposed, read "attorney," his profession. There was also the word "curtain" on her card, the letters being transposed differently from his. They then began wandering around the rooms searching for something about a curtain that would be of par- ticular interest to them. Finally, on a silken cur- tain before an empty fireplace, they found a slip of paper bearing the initials of both, and the following couplet: Fi ouy loudw ryou seetrc onkw, Uyo smut ot het reqbimlanu og. They bore this to a quiet corner and set themselves to the task of transposing it. When they had suc- ceeded, they read. If you would your secret know. You must to the lambrequin go. As there were several lambrequins in the rooms, they did not find the "secret" immediately, but they finally discovered another slip of paper addressed to N/^^ 12 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. themselves, high up on a window lambrequin. It bore this inscription: Hateneb a natcrie balet, Ouy yam indf ti fi ro'yue labe. Transposed, it read: Beneath a certain table, You may find it if you're able. Then ensued a search beneath the various tables that was not as dignified as some performances are, but created much merriment, especially as there were other couples who were also interested in tables, and there was more than one paper pinned to each. At last they found their initials, followed by a couplet, which, when transposed, read: Somewhere, in an easy chair, Dear friends, you'll surely find it there. There were many easy chairs in the room, most of them occupied by couples trying to transpose some of their verses, but our friends did not hesitate to ask any one to stand for a moment while they examined their chair. The paper for which they were looking had been very ingeniously concealed in the folds of an upholstered chair, and when found proved to be quite a long verse. When transposed, it read as fol- lows: You've had a long search, but 'twill please you to know That the good all die young and to Heaven do go; And that you, my dear friends, have no mansions below. When they read this, they understood that it was the "secret" for which they had searched so dili- gently, because no further directions were given. Different sets of rhymes had been written for each couple, and there were some jolly hits in the "se- AN INITIAL ENTERTAINMENT. 13 crets," more especially in those prepared for friends who were not abnormally sensitive. For some, there were simply apt quotations. This work had all been done some days before the party was given. As soon as the rhymes were prepared for one couple they were placed in an envelope bearing their names, and kept there until the day of the party, when they were re- moved and placed in the hiding places indicated in the rhymes. Some were hidden in rose jars, others behind pictures or between the leaves of a book of engravings. Every available place was made use of, and the guests were thus kept moving and interested. Care was used, in pairing off the couples, to give one who was particularly bright a partner who would be likely to need considerable assistance, and more rhymes were written and hidden away for the quicker witted couples than for those who thought more slowly. More than half the evening had passed before all the secrets had been discovered and deciphered. Then refreshments were served, and while partaking of the good things set before them, the guests compared se- crets. As a matter of course, the conversation was lively and enjoyable. The latter part of the evening was given to a form of amusement in which one's initials played a still more prominent part. The guests were arranged in a circle around the room. The husband's brother then seated himself in a revolving chair in the center of the circle, so that he could easily face any one in the room. 14 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, '*I am here for criticism, advice and condemnation. I am not at ail sensitive, and its does not matter which I get, or in what measure; but the principal words of your reply- must begin with my initials, J. C. F." Then, turning to his sister, he asked: "Molly, what sort of a chap am I?" "Jolly, careful and frisky," she answered, promptly. He then turned to her right-hand companion and asked: "What sort of a wife ought I to have?'' "Jaunty, cunning and fast," was the somewhat dis- concerting reply. "What ought I to eat?" he asked the next person. "Jam, custard and fish," she made answer. "What profession am I best fitted for?" was asked the fourth person. "Janitor, carpenter or fisherman," was the reply. "I don't agree with you," he retorted, amid a gen- eral laugh. "Miss Wallace, what profession do you think I am best fitted for?" "Judge, commercial lawyer or financier," was the more flattering response. And so it went on, the questioner taking care to ask personal questions that called for nouns and ad- jectives, and the questioned always being careful to make use of his initials. No one was allowed to ask a question about any one except himself, and not more than three minutes were allowed for meditating on a reply. When a person failed to make any answer, he was obliged to change places with the questioner, and, giving his own initials, ask questions about him- AN INITIAL ENTERTAINMENT. 15 self. He should always begin where the preceding questioner left off, in asking questions, so as to give every one present an opportunity to reply. This may be one of the most amusing of entertain- ments, and it can be given at little expense. To be sure, some work is required in getting up the cards, couplets, etc.; but that will be found a very enjoyable way in which to spend several evenings at home be- fore the night of the proposed party. The entertainment has this advantage over many others: It gives the guests something to do imme- diately upon their arrival, and keeps them moving about during the first part of the evening, when there is apt to be stiffness. A MODERN SEWING BEE. For the entertainment about to be described, the hostess accompanied the note of invitation with a request to the ladies to send to her house, before the day of the party, any scraps of silk or velvet or any artificial flowers for which she had no use that would help in the construction of a bonnet. The gentlemen were asked to send a cheap bonnet frame of their own selection. All were requested to bring needle, thim- ble and scissors, and most of the ladies brought dainty sewing aprons, which were donned upon ar- rival. All the millinery sent in was arranged on a large table in the center of the parlor. The hostess had purchased a few yards of paper cambric in brilliant shades, and also gay mosquito netting and other cheap material that would be needed. A small roll of heavy building paper lay beneath the table. As the guests entered the room, ladies were request- ed to draw a card from a bag, while the gentlemen drew one from a basket. Conundrums were written on the gentlemen's cards, and each was instructed 16 A MODERN SEWING BEE. 17 that he must find the lady whose card held the an- swer to his conundrum, and make her a bonnet. Before selecting the materials, however, he must bring the lady before the judge to see if he has the ight answer. If not, he must try again. When all were paired off the gentlemen selected material from the table for a bonnet, such as they thought would suit their respective partners, while the ladies selected materials for a fine smoking cap for the gentleman who was so kind as to make themi a bonnet. An hour was allowed for work. More time cannot be given at any party, for it is usually quite late when the partners are found. A gentleman may ask advice of other gentlemen regarding the bonnet he is mak- ing, but he can get no assistance from a lady. The ladies may offer each other advice about the smoking caps, but not give more material help. The building paper referred to was intended for the foundations of the caps. When the material had been selected and all mem- bers of the party were busy at work, the conundrums were read aloud by the gentlemen, in turn, and all, except, of course, the partner who held the reply, tried to guess them. Failing to do so, the partner came to their assistance. A dish of bonbons was then set on the table, and the hostess explained that they were intended as an incentive to gossip, which was, as every one knew, a necessary adjunct to sewing bees; but all gossip must be in rhyme. If any one could succeed in composing 18 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. a couplet introducing the name of some person pres- ent, he was allowed the privilege of selecting bonbons for himself and partner. Ladies, as well as gentle- men, took part in this, and a most amusing time resulted. After a time bonbons and everything else were for- gotten, for the caps and bonnets had reached a stage when frequent tyings-on had become necessary, and until it was time for refreshments to be served, con- fusion and hilarity reigned supreme. Many of the productions were comical in the ex- treme, but the parties for whom they had been made were obliged to put them on as soon as they were finished, and wear them the remainder of the eve- ning. Slips of paper bearing the questions: The most beautiful bonnet? The ugliest bonnet? The most stylish bonnet? wer3 distributed among the ladies, who wrote their three votes opposite the questions. Similar papers, referring to the caps, were given to the gentlemen, so that each might vote on the work of the opposite sex, and a rule was made that any one caught voting on the production he himself wore should put fifty cents into a box placed near the hostess, the amount thus gained being spent as should be thereafter decided. Had this rule not been made, each would, as a matter of course, have voted for the production that had been presented to himself. At the party referred to there was sufficient agree- ment among the ladies to permit the prizes being A MODERN SEWING BEE. 19 awarded immediately, but the gentlemen did not agree so well; there was a tie. Then two gentlemen of the party, whose bonnets were not in dispute, were asked by the hostess to rise above their grievances and each plead for one of the bonnets. A judge and jury were appointed, and, as neither **lawyer" was allowed more than five minutes for presenting his case, the matter was settled by the time the refresh- ments were served. When there are no gentlemen who will undertake to act as lawyers, the matter must be decided by an- other vote. These proceedings took so much time that refresh- ments were served late, and the following festivities were made short in consequence: A long sheet of paper and a pencil were handed to each guest, for the gossip for which sewing circles were noted was to be continued. The hostess acted as leader, directing each one what to write. "First," she said, "write the name of some lady present, then fold the paper so that what you have written cannot be read and hand it to your right- hand neighbor." This was done, and when the exchange had been made, each one wrote a gentleman's name on the paper he then held. The papers were again passed on, and the hostess requested each to write where the couple met, and again passed them on. So it contin- ued, the paper being passed on as soon as a new sen- tence had been written upon it. 20 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. After writing where they met, the lady's directions were as follows: "Tell what she looked like." "De- scribe him." "What did he say?" "What did she reply?" "What effect did that have on him?" "How did she feel about it, then?" "What did he do?" "What did she do?" "What was the result?" "What did the world say about it?" The exercises were concluded by each one writing the words, "As the poet (Cowper) says," the poet's name being chosen to suit the writer, of course; then the paper was passed along for the last time and a Quotation written by each. These stories were then gathered up and read by a lady and gentleman alternately. In selecting readers, be sure to get those who can read all sorts of writing easily. The "gossip" thus gotten up is very funny, and the ending, where quo- tations are given that have no possible relation to what has gone before, and credited to authors whose style is entirely different, always calls forth shouts of laughter. Occasionally it happens that an author's name is written by one party, and the one who fol- lows him chances to quote from his words, which is always a surprise, and sometimes seems to be even funnier than the hit-and-miss endings. As will be seen, each guest starts a story, and all write one answer to each question, but no one writes twice on the same story. There are as many stories to be read as there are persons present, and no one knows who finished any particular part of any of them. A MODERN SEWING BEE. 21 To give a better idea of the results, one such story is copied below: Mrs. James Green and Mr. Willis Robinson met In a swamp in Illinois. She wore bloomers and rode a diamond frame. He was in a dress coat, and his hair and mustache were curled so tight he could not close either eyes or mouth. He said: "I will have you understand, once for all, that I shall bet on horse races whenever I like." She said: "Why, my dear, did you forget to bring the mutton and clothespins?" That made him crazy, and he had a fit of blind staggers. She wept and moaned, and declared she could never be comforted. Then he sold the farm and said they would both go to dancing-school. She ran off with a handsomer man. The result was, a prize fight. The world said that it always required two swallows to make a summer. As the poet Longfellow says: Jack and Jill went up the hill To get a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after. THE FIVE SENSES. This may be made one of the most amusing of entertainments, and at a slight expense. It has the first requisite of a really good entertainment, in that it provides amusement for the guests from the mo- ment of their arrival, and there are no awkward pauses while waiting for the remainder of the party. The notes of invitation may be as follows: Miss Eunice White, at Home, Friday Evening, February Third, Eighteen-hundred and Ninety-eight. An examination of the five senses will take place at nine. When the guests arrive, they should each be given a bunch of twenty tickets cut from cardboard and fastened together with a rubber band, and should be told how to use them. They are to remember that the words see, hear, smell, taste, feel, must always be used in the above- named order, and that other present or past forms of the verb are correct. One guest may say to the other, "I see you are looking well this evening." Then she should reply, 22 THE FIVE SENSES. 23 using the word hear. If she neglects to do so, the first speaker demands one of her tickets, which she must give him. If he had spoken to her without using one of the five words, she could have demanded a ticket. The demand of the ticket is the only sentence which may be spoken, before refreshments are served, without the use of one of the above words in some form. The one who opens the conversation has the best of it, because he can select any of the words he chooses. Suppose he says, '*! heard you were at the concert last night.'* The reply must then contain some form of the word smell, as that comes next on the list. If he ask, "Are you feeling well this spring?" the reply is easy, for the word see is then used, and it may be as follows: "Cannot you see that I am?" One great advantage of this form of entertainment is that it is not conducive to lengthy tete-a-tetes. The guests are continually moving about, striking up conversations with different parties, from whom they wish to win a ticket, or trying to evade the questioner who is sure to win one of theirs. If a person has lost all his tickets, he is then obliged to go in debt to those who correct him, but he may still have the privilege of winning from others, and must, of course, pay the debts as rapidly as possible. Cards and pencils should be provided on which debit and credit accounts may be kept. Just before refreshments are served, the hostess calls the roll, and each guest must mention the num- 524 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. ber of tickets he has in his possession. If all the numbers, when added, do not equal the number of guests multiplied by twenty, some one has counted wrong, and the roll must be called again. Then the debit and credit account is given. The person who has most tickets, including those due him, is entitled to first prize. A consolation prize is given to the one having the fewest tickets. After refreshments are served the tickets are again divided among the guests, who are requested to re- main seated. Then the hostess begins the next game by repeat- ing any sentence containing the w^ord see, in one of its forms, and that may be incorporated into a verse. Suppose she says, "I saw a monkey in a tree." The person at her right must add a line containing the word hear in the same tense as used in the first line, but his sentence need not necessarily be about the monkey. He can say, **I heard the song of a busy bee," or ''He heard the song of a busy bee." The latter would, of course, be the more appropriate. The party at his right would then say, "I smelled the fra- grance of boiling tea," or, referring to the monkey, ** 'I smelled your honey,' shouted he." Then the line, **And tasted it, too, sir; that is me!" would be sure to bring down the house and make it most obligatory on the last rhymster to use the word felt in an appro- priate line. Should he add, **And felt the sting, dear sir, of thee," no one could criticise him. It is seldom, hov/ever, that one is fortunate enough THE FIVE SENSES. 25 to have a company all of whom are bright enough to rhyme on one topic. Usually the rhymes are more like this: I saw a boy run down the road. I heard the sound of a falling load. I smelt the smell of a roasting toad. I tasted a rabbit in yonder abode. I felt the sting of a driver's goad. If a leader ends her sentence with a word to which four rhyming words cannot be found, she must then give a ticket to each of the four who follow her, and the person at the right leads off. It must be so ar- ranged that every one present has an opportunity to lead. A rhyming dictionary will be found almost a neces- sity. If a person whose turn it is to furnish a rhyme cannot do so, the next one at his right is given the opportunity. If he succeeds, the delinquent hands him one of her tickets. If he fails the next one to the right tries it, winning two tickets — or one from each of the delinquents. Sometimes a word will pass all along the line, giving a rich reward to the success- ful rhymster. If no one can furnish a rhyme, the leader must do so, or forfeit all her tickets, dividing them up as far as they will go, and considering her- self in debt to the others. Such division must always be made, beginning with the person at her right. If she succeeds she wins a ticket from all of the others. When every one present has led once the game is ended, and the person holding most tickets is crowned poet laureate, with or without appropriate ceremonies, as the hostess prefers. A NEW YEAR PARTY. The cards of invitation that were sent out for a New Year Party given at the opening of 1898 were exceedingly unique. Father Time, with his sickle, was engraved upon them, and from his mouth were the words, **Mr. and Mrs. Dickson request the pleas- ure of your company." On the blade of his sickle was the date of the party, and on an hour-glass near at hand were the words, in minutest characters, ''From nine until one A. M." As the guests entered the room gentlemen were re- quested to select a card from a basket at the right of the hostess, while the ladies selected one from a basket at the left. Each of these cards bore a date. A friend of the hostess was arrayed as a sort of "high priestess," all in white, and seated in a prominent place in one of the rooms, which v/as made still more prominent by glittering decorations of stars, moons, etc., sewed on black draperies. The guests were re- quested to show the cards they had drawn to this ''high priestess" and ask for further instructions. She would take the card, refer to a large book that 26 A NEW YEAR PARTY. 27 had been prepared beforehand, then say something like this: "The date on this card describes a lady who met with an annoying accident one day last week. Go find her. She is destined to be your part- ner for the evening." To one lady she said: "This is the date of a gentle- man who will soon come in search of you. He has a mole on his neck, and is inclined to flirt/' The book to which she referred was full of odd hits on the dilTerent dates chosen, and furnished much amusement. Only part of the information written under each name was read at first, but the questioner was allowed to return for further information later on in case he could not find his partner. As will be seen, it was a game of mock astrology. The date on each card was duplicated in the book, and the name of the person to whom it referred was written beneath it, with the list of happenings or characteristics that actually referred to him, and by which he was to be identified. When the guests had all found their partners, cards and pencils were passed around, and they were in- formed that it was time for them to make their New Year resolutions. Each wrote a resolution on a card; then the cards were gathered into a basket passed for the purpose and thoroughly shaken. The hostess then passed them around again, and each guest drew one without looking at it. From another basket each drew a card containing the name of one of the guests. All then took turns reading from their cards, first, that containing the 28 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. name, then the resolution. There were many sur- prising combinations that afforded the company- great amusement. For instance, one gentleman chanced to draw his own name, which he was obliged to read aloud, with the resolution: *'I am quite deter- mined not to wear a bustle for the entire year, no matter what the fashion may be." Another gentle- man read from his cards the following: **Miss Alice Wells declares that she will not flirt with another fel- low's sweetheart for a year." Refreshments followed the writing of the resolu- tions. The dining-room and tables were trimmed in white and green to represent the frosts of the old year and the verdure of the new. The menu cards were dainty calendars that opened like little books, revealing the bill of fare. When the refreshments had been served the guests returned to the parlors, where during their absence arrangements for tableaux had been completed by help hired for the purpose. These tableaux had all been ar- ranged from the well-known poems on the New Year, and were exceedingly effective. While the tableau was shown, the portion of the chosen poem that it was intended to illustrate was read aloud by a pro- fessional elocutionist. Just as the clock struck twelve, the curtain was raised, showing an old man on a cot in the foreground, with four ladies dressed to represent the seasons weaping over him. A rosy- faced boy peeped through a door in the background, which stood slightly ajar. This tableau needed no explanation. AN ENJOYABLE MUSICALE. An enjoyable musicale was given not long since by a lady well known in the musical world for her skill as a harpist. A programme was made out and copied by a lady who does fancy lettering beautifully, and who was glad of the opportunity to earn a little pin money in that way. These programmes were enclosed with the invita- tions to the guests. The numbers were taken by friends of the hostess, and there were fine vocal selections as well as instru- mental, while an elocutionist added to the pleasure of the guests very considerably. Then there was a short but spirited one-act play, after which refresh- ments were served. As a matter of course, a majority of the company had been merely spectators during the first half of the evening, and so it was designed to give them more active parts during the remainder of it. Two baskets were passed among the guests while they sat at refreshments, from one of which the ladies drew each a card, the other being passed only 29 30 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. to gentlemen. Each was requested not to make known the inscription on his card. On each of the ladies' cards there was written a title of some song. On each gentleman's card there were the opening notes of a song. It then became the duty of each to match their cards. Some of the company could not read notes, and were obliged to coax a friend one side to assist them. When they had been properly matched, each couple was called behind a curtain that was arranged for the purpose, and so posed as to form a tableau sug- gesting the title of the song they represented. The others then guessed the titles. This part of the entertainment had been planned when the song titles were selected, and the hostess had made notes that would help in arranging the tableaux; for, while each couple was expected to furnish his own ideas as to the arrangement, it was known that suggestions would be necessary in some cases, or there might be delays that would spoil the evening. Cards were furnished the audience on which to write their guesses, and there was great fun at the end of the evening, when these cards were compared, and it was found how few had guessed correctly. A boquet of roses was given the one who had made the most correct guesses. There are few who cannot find enough persons among their friends to fill out a programme of suffi- cient length to fill up the first half of the evening. If you haven't musical friends you certainly have AN ENJOYABLE MUSIGALE. 31 some who can take part in a play, and they will be more ready to lend their assistance when they know that the audience is to remain seated until the per- formance is over. But be careful not to make the programme too long, and be sure to provide amuse- ment for the latter part of the evening in which all of the guests may participate. THE ROUND TABLE. Members of the Round Table will meet with Mr. and Mrs. Jamison, on the evening of March 15, 1898, between the hours of eight and eleven. You are cordially invited to be present. The above invitation was sent to as many persons as could sit comfortably around a large round table that nearly filled the parlor of the Jamison home. A round top had been made of boards and covered with white oilcloth. It was supported by four small tables of uniform height. A large bowl of roses rested on a beautifully embroidered doily in the center, but with that exception the table was left perfectly bare. By half-past eight the guests had all arrived, and greetings had been exchanged; then they were seated around the table, ladies and gentlemen alternating. Four bits of swansdown were then given to parties seated at four quarters of the table, and when the hostess had counted three they were blown to the center of the table. It then became the duty of each one present to prevent those bits of swansdown from touching the table in front of himself. The hostess had previously prepared a list of the names of the 32 THE ROUND TABLE. 33 guests, and each received a black mark when he failed to blow quickly enough or hard enough to pre- vent the swansdown from touching the table in front of him. Sometimes a bit would be blown toward him from opposite directions, making him appear quite apoplectic in his endeavors to waft them away, and, again, he would be laughing so heartily at the efforts of some one across the table that he would not notice the swansdown coming toward himself until too late to prevent it from touching the table. Half an hour devoted to this exercise proved to be sufficient to put the guests in a most unconventional frame of mind, and prepare them for what was to follow. A box was passed around, containing slips of paper, on each of which a dozen words were written. The guests each drew one of these slips, and were then told that they must write a story of George Wash- ington and the cherry tree, using all the words on the slip they had drawn. To illustrate: One lady found the words orange, catamount, Trilby, venerable, shocking, earthquake. Dr. Parkhurst, congress, asylum, razor, confessed and liver pad, on her slip, and when the time had elapsed in which the stories were to be written, she read as follows: "My dear George," said the beautiful Trilby, to young Washington one day, "I do so want an orange! Can you not get one for me?" Her appeal was not to be resisted by the gallant 'Wash- ington, it was in the days when the absence of railway trains made fruit scarce during- the greater part of the year, in parts of our country where it did not grow natur- ally, and the request had not been made during the orange 34 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. season. After going to every fruit store in vain, Wash- ington started for home, almost wishing an earthquake would interpose to relieve him of the necessity of appear- ing before the beloved Trilby without the orange. When nearly there he looked up, and— could it be? It was! It was! Heaven had sent help when most needed! There, in the branches of a cherry tree sat a venerable cata- mount, holding an orange between his paws. To procure a hatchet, chop down the cherry tree, and receive the orange was but the work of a few moments. To present it to Trilby required but little more time, and the youth- ful George felt that life was, indeed, worth living. But too often sorrow follows joy. Poison from the cata- mount's wisdom tooth had entered the orange and was swallowed by Trilb3\ As a consequence, she became in- sane and was sent to an asylum, where she cut her throat with a razor. The funeral sermon was preached by Dr. Parkhurst. A whipping was planned for George, when he confessed to cutting down the cherry tree, but was pre- vented by an act of Congress, which decreed, instead, that he should v/ear a liver pad the remainder of his life— a punishment so shocking that the world determined to forget it in thinking how nobly he had confessed to cut- ting down the cherry tree, when he might have lied about it. Prizes had been offered for the most ingenious story and also for the shortest one, containing all of the words chosen. The above story took the prize as being the most ingenious. The shortest was as fol- lows: The cantankerous, but sweetly gentle progenitor of our first President cautiously yet irritably questioned his tramp of a son as to what villain had wrecked the life of a cherry tree that no monometalist could have pur- chased save with blood. "Chastise me," said George, humbly. "I deserve it, and won't kick." The words on the slip of paper drawn by the author of the above production were chastise, kick, mono- metalist, wrecked, irritably, cantankerous, progeni- tor, sweetly, tramp, villain, blood and cautiously. The old-fashioned game of Crambo was next under- taken. Two slips of paper were handed to each player. On one he wrote a question; on the other THE ROUND TABLE. 35 two nouns and two adjectives. These slips were then dropped into two baskets, those containing questions in one, the others in the second; then they were thor- oughly mixed, and every player drew a slip from each basket. He must then make a rhyme that would answer the question he had drawn and include the adjectives and nouns on the second slip. One player, who had drawn the question, "Why do rabbits eat grass?'* and the words, "Gum, dancer, hifalutin and elegant," produced the following: "Why do rabbits eat grass?" By gum! I pass. 'Tis a question I cannot answer. You'll be told, I am sure, If you ask it of your Hifalutin yet elegant dancer. Souvenirs were awarded the best rhymes written by a lady and a gentleman, the matter being decided by vote. By this time the guests were mentally tired, and the hostess introduced a game requiring little thought by saying: "Mrs. Simpkins does not like tea. What does she like?" The guests then strove to reply, each in turn men- tioning some article of food the name of which did not call for the letter t. Bread, Coffee, cream, pickles, cake, chicken, etc., were allowable, but pota- toes, meat, turkey, toast, etc., could not be mentioned. The players were expected to reply promptly. If they could not, or if they made the mistake of mentioning a word containing the letter t, they were counted out. A souvenir was given the person who last mentioned an article of diet. To insure promptness the hostess 36 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. tapped slowly six times on the table with a pencil. If the word was not pronounced at the sixth tap she called "next.** Refreshments were brought in and placed on the table while this last game was in progress. Should it need to be lengthened in order to give more time before serving refreshments, begin the game again by saying: "Mrs. Simpkins doesn't like peas," when the letter "p" must be omitted in selecting articles of diet. These games are frequently used as forfeit games. When that is the case the guests are simply told that Mrs. Simpkins does not like peas or tea, and a for- feit is demanded of any one who, not understanding the game, is so unfortunate as to use a word contain- ing the forbidden letters. It is funny to watch the puzzled expressions, for, of course, those who avoid the forfeit have no more idea how they managed to do so than the poor victims have of the reason of their failure. When one thinks of it, it would seem to be tiresome to remain quietly seated at a table for two hours and a half, but there are those who attended such an en- tertainment as this who declared that time passed so quickly that they could hardly believe that an hour had elapsed. No game is introduced after refreshments have been served, for it is usually after eleven o'clock, the hour stated in the invitation, and, after a little gen- eral conversation, the guests are expected to take their departure. ROUND TABLE No. 2. The preliminary arrangements for this party should be similar to those described in the preceding entertainment, the only difference being in the games selected. The round table made for the first occasion may thus do duty twice without one's guests com- plaining of a repetition that is tiresome. Guests should be seated so that ladies and gentle- men alternate. Paper and sharpened pencils must be furnished in abundance. A good introductory game calls for alphabet blocks. The letters may be painted or printed on squares of cardboard at little expense. A job printer will give you ten sheets of heavy cardboard, each containing the entire alphabet, for about a dollar. They are marked so as to be easily cut apart, forming inch squares. You should procure as many of these sheets as there are to be guests; then have extra ones con- taining the vowels, so that every complete alphabet shall contain four each of all the vowels. With these letters any number of interesting games can be 37 38 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. played, and they will stand considerable use, more especially if printed on black or colored cardboard. In the game in mind for our round table, all the letters are placed in a box and well mixed; then five, taken out at random, are given to each guest. He im- mediately proceeds to form a word, or part of a word as he can, placing the letters on the table before him. When the leader calls ''time" the letters not used are passed on to the left-hand neighbor, and each tries to find, in this new addition, something to complete the word already begun. Suppose the guest had the letters W C K R E given him at first. He sees that he can get the word **we" out of it at once, but he would only have two to his credit, and would be obliged to pass C K R over to his left-hand neighbor. A good player does not like to help his neighbor to many letters, and he does wish to get as long a word as possible, because he is credited with numbers corresponding to the let- ters in each finished word he calls to the secretary. He finally decides to try for the word "worker," and arranges his letters like this — '*w — rke — ." Then he has only to pass the letter c to his neighbor. The neighbor at his right sees his skeleton word, and tries to use such letters of his own as might fit into the blank spaces rather than pass them along; but of course he can only surmise what the word is to be when it is finished. Now, suppose he passes over an o and an r. The word is instantly completed and called out to the secretary, who writes the figure six after his name, because there are six letters in his ROUND TABLE NO. 2. 39 word. But suppose the letters ASM had been passed over. He then changes his word, spelling ''marks" and "we," and is credited seven. That pleases him, because he has no letter left to pass to his neighbor. When the letters have been passed to the neighbor the second time, the box is again handed around, and five more given to each player. Sometimes a word is started and not finished until the box goes around the second time. One must judge for himself whether it is better to make a short word and be credited at once or try for a longer one and receive longer credits, but less in number. When the letters are all gone from the box, those yet unused should be passed from neighbor to neigh- bor until ail have discarded them; the game is then ended, and the figures after each name must be added. The one having the largest number is declared the winner, and may or may not receive a prize, as the hostess decides. In the next game, six letters are dealt each player, and the remainder are piled in the center of the table, face dov/nward. The players begin a word or com- plete one as they can. Instead of leaving blank spaces to be filled in afterward, as in the former game, they must complete the word in so far as that is possible. Suppose one player is dealt the letters R G Y M C O. He may conclude to place C O M on the table before him and hold the other three letters for later devel- opments. His left-hand neighbor may hold an E, be- sides the word he has on the table; if so, he adds it 40 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. to the COM, making "come," and takes the word to himself, placing it below the word he had already started. In the meantime, the first player may have been able to add the Y he had reserved to the letters "brin'* which his right-hand neighbor had placed be- fore himself, and so takes them all, being a little better off than he had been before his letters were stolen. Each player strives to get a complete word, to which no letter can be added, according to the dic- tionary. The one who formed the word "come" was not safe, because letters can be added to form comely, comedian, comedy, comets, comestibles, etc. A player can only steal from his right-hand neighbor. Whenever a player succeeds in making a steal he draws one letter from the pile in the center of the table. When a player has been stolen from, he takes two letters from the center pile. When all the letters have been drawn from the center pile and each player has done as well as he can from those in his posession, the game is counted. Each player counts twenty-five for each complete word on the table before him, and ten for each letter in the words. For instance, suppose a player had these combinations before him: Catch Briny If Acid Com K, G, R, Z, Z. He would count one hundred for words and one hundred and sixty for letters, making two hundred ROUND TABLE NO. 2. 41 and sixty in all. From this he must subtract eighty, for there are eight unused letters, counting the in- complete word, and so he can only be credited one hundred and eighty. These two games will be found very interesting and entertaining, and v/ill fill an evening, before re- freshments are served, very acceptably. When the refreshments have been cleared away — for they should have been brought to the round table — papers may be passed among the guests, each of whom writes his own name on the top of the sheet, then folds it over so as to conceal the name, and hands the paper to the hostess, who mixes them all together in a hat and allows each guest to draw one. "Now," says she, "you must write your own charac- teristics on the paper you have drawn and fold it again." Once more the papers are mixed and drawn, and then all write what sort of life he would best like to lead. After the third drawing each describes the sort of life he expects to lead. Of course the bits of personal history become very much mixed and correspondingly funny. On one oc- casion the following bit of history was read: My name is Clara Wallace. T have a quick temper, but a kind heart, and I smoke more than I should. I should like to marry a foreign nobleman and live in a palace in Engrland. I expect to live and die a bachelor, supported by the county. These papers are read aloud by the hostess, who 42 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. must never allow the writing to be examined, "be- cause," as she may explain, ''being bits of personal history, she has no right to do so." Of course all will not write in earnest at first, but they'll soon see that there is more fun when they do. After the laugh occasioned by these ''autobiogra- phies," as they are called, the guests should be set to making as many words as possible from a given word in a certain length of time. "Conundrums" is a good one, and only ten minutes should be allowed. The one who makes most words is declared victor. In case of a tie three minutes more are allowed the contestants in which to add to their lists. The evening may then be nicely ended with "con- fessions." Long sheets of paper are again distributed, and each writes his name on the top of the sheet as in the game of "autobiographies," and folds it from view. The papers are mixed and distributed as be- fore, and each player writes a confession of some dark deed committed. They are mixed once more and each player writes what punishment he thinks he de- serves. The fun occasioned by these "confessions" usually sends the guests home in the jolliest possible mood. A VALENTINE PARTY. One may have more fun at a valentine party, if it is properly gotten up, than at any other form of en- tertainment given during the winter. Let your notes of invitation be quite elaborately symbolic of the day in the matter of decoration, making use of Cupid's hearts, arrows, birds and flowers as fancy dictates. If you are not artist enough for this, and do not wish to hire it done, cut hearts from cardboard, gild the edges and write the invita- tions upon them; then enclose them in plain envel- opes. Each guest is requested to bring three valentines — one comic one, addressed to himself; one pretty one for the St. Valentine grab-bag, and one that is origi- nal, written on plain paper, enclosed in a plain •en- velope, addressed to one of the guests, and dropped into a box prepared for the purpose. A hat-box, with a hole cut in the top, will do nicely. Set the box on a table in the hall, and have the guests drop the orig- inal valentines into it as they enter. The idea is to have no one know who wrote these 43 44 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. valentines. A list of the guests expected is sent with each invitation. In order that no one may be omit- ted, the hostess and one or two of her intimate friends should prepare one of these valentines for each guest. Tho box containing them is not opened until after the refreshments are served. Then the hostess seats herself at one end of the room, and, opening the box, takes out the valentines one by one. As she does so she reads the address aloud, and the owner is expected to come forward for the valentine and read it aloud before all the assembled guests. If that is pronounced an utter impossibility because of its nature, he or she must be prepared to sing a verse of a song, speak a piece or tell a story. The comic valentines are pinned on a sheet hung against a wall. The name of the one bringing it is v/rltten on the back, where it cannot be seen. The front bears a number. Each guest is given a card upon which he writes the number of the valentines and, opposite, the name of the person whom he thinks brought it. These cards are examined just before the refreshments are served, and the one making the most good guesses is given a prize. A consolation prize is given the one who makes the fewest guesses. When it is remembered that each one selects his own comic valentine, intending it as a "take-off" on himself, it will be seen how much fun may be had without any one being offended. These valentines should not be pinned to the sheet until all the guests have arrived; otherwise new additions will quickly be connected with late arrivals. If there is a large A VALENTINE PARTY. 45 party it would be wise to have two sheets, so as to divide the crowd. A screen may be used to advan- tage, if the room is decorated for the occasion, and the sheet of valentines is likely to spoil the effect. The valentine grab-bag should be made of two sheets of pasteboard, cut heart-shaped and covered with flowered cretonne. The pretty valentines are put into this and carried around among the guests just before the party breaks up. Each one is expected to **grab" one, and the fun of comparing them forms the last feature of the occasion. No one knows, when bringing the valentine, who will carry it away; he may even grab the one he brought. It is a pretty idea to have this bag carried around by a little child dressed as **Cupid,'* although, of course, it is not a good plan for any child to be al- lowed to sit up so late. When the rooms are to be decorated, take care to have the decorations selected with special reference to the occasion, heart-shaped flower pieces and little Cupids swung from festoons of greenery being con- spicuous. The refreshments should also be as symbolic of the season as possible. Cut the sandwiches heart-shape. A tin cake-cutter can be obtained at a hardware store that will do nicely if the bread is cut in thin slices and the meat is minced. Ice cream cakes and bon- bons should be heart-shaped. To prevent stiffness during the early part of the evening, it is a good plan to have a valentine badge for each guest, on which half of an appropriate motto 46 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. is printed. It should be of ribbon, and the lettering should be done in water colors. These badges should be in little silk bags, presided over by a young lady assistant. One bag contains badges for gentlemen, the other for ladies, and each guest should be re- quired to draw one upon entering the room. He must then find the person whose badge contains the other half of his motto, and it will be his duty to take her out to supper. Of course the earlier arrivals are liable not to have the other half of their motto drawn before the last guest puts in an appearance, But as they will find it necessary to question each newcomer, the company becomes animated from the start and everything passes off satisfactorily. Mottoes may be taken from any of the poets or they may be of home production, if preferred. For in- stance, a gentleman's badge might bear these words: I'm looking for a valentine Who'll give her love to me. He must then search for a lady whose badge reads: Dear Sir: I'll be your valentine Until we've had our tea. When he has found her, he escorts her to the host- ess, who compares the badges with the list of mottoes she has copied, and tells him whether or not he has the right companion. Half a sentence may be writ- ten on each valentine, if rhymes are hard to find, but be sure that the sentiment expressed is appropriate to the occasion. THE BOHEMIANS. When the friends of Miss Cameron were invited to attend her Bohemian party, they were also requested to send, with their letters of acceptance, an original parody on some well-known poem, and it was inti- mated that, should the parody contain a good-natured allusion to some one of the guests, it would be no less acceptable on that account. The poems arrived promptly, and were given to a typewriter, who copied them on very stiff paper, leav- ing considerable space between the lines. They were then cut into strips, but one line being on each, and thoroughly mixed. When the guests arrived they were seated at small tables scattered about the room, on each of which a plate containing a handful of the slips had been placed. Then a basket containing slips of paper bearing the various titles of the poems was passed around, that each might draw one. Should he draw the title of his own poem, he quietly re- turned it and took another, for it was not to be known who contributed any one of the parodies. It then became the duty of each to find the lines of 47 48 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. the poem that had been written under the title they had drawn. Much running from table to table en- sued, for every pile of slips must often be examined before a poem was in the hands of one person. In less than three minutes from the time the titles had been drawn the room was filled with the sound of eager voices, and no one had time to think whether or not he had been introduced to the neighbor with whom he was comparing slips of paper. When each person had collected and arranged the different lines of his poem, the hostess rapped for order, and the guests took turns in reading their poems aloud. Then crackers, cheese and root-beer were served, after which sheets of paper were passed around, each person being provided with one. They were then in- structed to write upon it, "I prophesy that," followed by«the name of any person present or of any person of note, as preferred. The top of the sheet was then folded over, so that the writing was concealed, and the paper was passed along to the right-hand neigh- bor, who wrote a prophesy, folded the sheet again and passed it on. The next one wrote the date of the event. Then the prophesies were collected and read aloud. As will be seen, there were as many prophe- sies as guests, and three persons had helped make each one. At this particular party one of the prophesies was as follows: I prophesy that Grover Cleveland Will be wearing hoop-skirts By the middle of next month. THE BOHEMIANS. 49 A copy of one rather more personal is here given: I prophesy that Miss Nettie Smith and James Brown Will invite us to Thanksgiving dinner July Fourth, 1900. As the young people mentioned were engaged to be married, the prohesy was considered very good, espe- cially as the second writer did not know what the first had written. Another that was enjoyed was to this effect: I prophesy that Queen Victoria and the Sultan of Turkey Will be riding a tandem Within the year. This game was enjoyed so much that it had to be repeated, and more paper was produced. Then the most absurd game ever invented was played. The hostess called it by the non-committal name, "It." One person^ a young lawyer, who had become known because of his aptitude for cross-ques- tioning, was sent from the room, while the game was explained to those who remained. They were seated in a circle, ladies and gentlemen alternating. The young man was called in and invited to seat himself on a piano stool, which had been placed in the center of the circle, after having been informed that he must ask questions of the guests until he had discovered the object they had decided upon. A better idea will be given, perhaps, if a few of the questions and an- swers are quoted. "To what kingdom does it belong?" "Animal." "How much does it weigh?" 50 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. "I should say about one hundred and sixty pounds." He was not allowed to ask a person more than one question at a time, and so turned to the next. "Miss Lawrence did not seem sure of the weight. What do you think it will weigh?" **Not more than a hundred and twenty." **And you?" to the next person. **Fully one hundred and eighty." Then the questioner became indignant, declaring that they did not answer correctly, but they assured him that they were all replying to the best of their knowledge and belief. The secret lay in the fact that each answered every question as if it had been asked about his right-hand neighbor, which accounts for the puzzling difference in weight in the replies quoted above. After a time the question^ noticed that there was always more laughter when n^-4md asked a question of a personal nature, and so, as unexpressed it, '*he waded in recklessly, with no hope of\ver discovering the mysterious *It,* and only intent \pn giving the others an opportunity to laugh as ns^uch as they wanted to." And while he questioned, with no hope of discovering the "It," it suddenly and unexpectedly revealed itself, and the game was ended just in time to preserve the lives of those who said they had laughed until they were almost dead. Root-beer, crackers and cheese were passed once more, and then the guests took their departure, de- claring that they had never spent a merrier evening. A BOOK PARTY. To give this entertainment successfully the hostess must exercise great care in the selection of her guests, inviting only those who have a fair knowledge of books. In the note of invitation each one should be re- quested to wear something suggestive of a book title, and to send the hostess two quotations from well- known authors, with their letter of acceptance. The guests may be as inexpensive or as elaborate as they choose in their representations of titles. She who represents **Rose in Bloom" need only wear a full-blown rose. ''Sentimental Tommy" wears a Scotch cap bearing the words, "From Thrums" on the front, and, when talking, finds many opportunities of informing his questioners, "I'll find a w'y!" "The Hidden Hand" was once represented by a gentleman who wore his hand in a sling concealed from view, and only two of the party guessed it. "A Penniless Girl*' is easily represented by a girl carrying: an empty purse open and suspended at her belt. "The Woman 51 52 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. in White/' "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The Sear- let Letter" are all easily represented. It is not desir- able that the costume speak too plainly of the title selected, for the guests are expected to question one another regarding their peculiarities, and so they must be well informed as to the book they represent. The rule should be made that only three questions should be asked a person at one time by any one guest. "When were you first sent into the world?" "Who is responsible for you?" "Where is your home," are the quesitions most frequently asked. They refer to the date of publication, the author and the scene in which the book is laid. Upon arrival each guest should be furnished a card bearing the names of the entire company. When one fancies he has discovered a title, he should say noth- ing about it, but write the title opposite the name of the impersonator. When as much time has been given to this part of the programme as has been thought desirable, the hostess calls the company to order and reads aloud a correct list of names and titles, and each corrects his card accordingly; or, still better, lets the cards be exchanged, so that each must correct that of his neighbor, which will relieve the victor of the necessity of announcing his own suc- cess. The ladies of the party are then taken into an- other room, leaving the gentlemen alone in the par- lors. The ladies then make changes in their cos- tumes, in so far as it is necessary for them to repre- A BOOK PARTY. 53 sent different book titles from those they represented earlier in the evening. Each may represent some- thing not yet seen at all, or may simply exchange with another guest. When necessary, the hostess may rob the gentlemen of their decorations for the benefit of the ladies. An air of secrecy reigns over all, for the gentlemen are not allowed to know what is going on until cards are distributed among them bearing the titles of the books the ladies now repre- sent. The hostess then informs them that she is librarian, and that each gentleman may select a book, keeping it five minutes. At the end of that time he must return it and call for another. His surprise, when a different lady from the one he had expected, steps forward, usually leads to a livelier conversation than would otherwise be likely to take place. This part of the entertainment should not be too long continued. The hostess should announce, at the beginning, that the library doors will be closed in three-quarters of an hour, and that there must be brisk work if the literary gentlemen wish to become acquainted with all the treasures in her library. At the end of the specified time two baskets of liter- ary nuts are passed around, one to the ladies, the other to the gentlemen. They are English walnuts halved, from which the meats have been removed. In the nuts passed to the gentlemen are to be found quo- tations from well-known authors, written on thin slips of paper. In those passed to the ladies are the names of the author and his work from which the Quotation was taken, as George Elliot's "Romola." 54 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. When filled, the nut shells are glued together and tied with baby ribbons in delicate shades. They are opened as soon as passed, and then they must be matched, the gentleman finding the lady whose nut contains the name of the author of his quotation. It then becomes his duty to take her to supper. More nuts than guests should be prepared, for it adds to the interest when a quotation is drawn, and the author is not discovered, even though every lady has been questioned. When all the couples of the first drawing have been paired off, the nuts are again passed among the ''sin- gletons," as they are dubbed, and so it continues until all have partners. When there are more ladies than gentlemen, or vice versa, the hostess decides who shall take two partners, and they select two nuts in- stead of one. Refreshments should be served as soon as all the gentlemen have found their partners, and then the quotations brought by the guests are made use of. These quotations, written on little slips of paper, with the names of their authors affixed, should have been sent to the hostess with the letters of acceptance and copied into little booklets made of visiting cards, tied together with baby ribbon. These booklets make lovely souvenirs, and even if the hostess must hire an artist to make them, the expense will not be great. On the upper left-hand corner of each page the name of the guest sending the quotation should be written. Then comes the quotation, with space left beneath it for the name of the author. The first page of the J A BOOK PARTY. 55 booklet contains the name of the guest and the host and hostess and the date of the party. The lettering on this should be quite elaborate. These booklets should be laid beside the plate, and their contents may be the subject of discussion, while the refresh- ments are served, but all are forbidden to ask or tell the name of an author of any of the quotations given. When the guests return to the parlor they are al- lowed a certain length of time in which to afilx names to the quotations. The booklets are then ex- changed, and the hostess reads the quotations with the proper names. The person who has placed most of them correctly is then suitably rewarded. Several small tables should then be brought in, on each side of which many different articles are ar- ranged. They are placed in the room where the guests can easily gather around them. One large table might be used, but several small ones are bet- ter if there are many guests, for they can go from one to another and avoid crowding. The hostess hands each guest a sheet of paper, fastened on cardboard for convenience in writing, and explains that each object on the tables is supposed to represent the title of some book. For instance, at one party three small white wings, tied together with a ribbon, were easily guessed to be **White Wings," by William Block. A small picture of a cat, wearing a necktie and holding a hat in one paw, while he smiled on a cat who sat near, was considered a good representation of ''Sen- timental Tommy." The picture had been cut from a child's story-book and mounted on pasteboard. 56 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. "Seven Oaks" was represented by seven small pieces of oak tied together, and a small calendar in a minia- ture log house did nicely for "My Year in a Log Cabin." **April Hopes," *'Three Feathers," *'Plain Tales from the Hills," "The Pioneers," "Trilby," "The Wide, Wide World," "A Christmas Carol," "No Name," "The Scarlet Letter," "Mosses from an Old Manse," "The Wandering Jew," "The Hidden Hand" are all easily represented, and half a dozen catalogues from as many different publishing houses will fur- nish as many as can be used. The guests are then allowed a certain length of time in which to write as many of the titles as they can guess, after which the papers are examined, a correct list of the titles represented read aloud and the victorious party rewarded. It requires considerable work to get up a party like this, but it is a great compliment to receive an invi- tation to such an one, and well repays the effort. It will be more likely to be satisfactory if the hostess makes her plans several days before sending out her invitations, so as to have plenty of time to think about it. All the book titles to be represented can be selected beforehand, and a note made as to the object used for each. Then the quotations may all be made by the hostess instead of being sent in by the guests and the booklets planned ready for copying. A GEOGRAPHY PARTY. For this entertainment it is a good idea to send invitations on paper decorated with small represen- tations of globes, or you may draw a map of the State the guest is to represent on the reverse side. The invitation may be worded something as follows: Miss Lucile Williams presents compliments to Roger Harrison, alias "Massachusetts," and requests the pleas- ure of his company Tuesday evening, March fifth, to take part in the festivities of the United States. This will be likely to cause considerable excite- ment, and the sender of the invitations may expect calls from the prospective guests, who wish further information, in order that they may be prepared for the part they are expected to play. They must be instructed that they are not to tell what State they are supposed to represent, but must be prepared to answer any question concerning it except one that may be answered by yes or no. They must answer each question as correctly as possible, but may also be evasive. For instance, if asked, "What is the capital of your State?" instead of men- 57 58 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. tioning the name, they may reply, if they happen to represent Minnesota, "One of the saintliest of cities.'* Each guest is provided with a card and pencil upon entering the house, and it is explained to him that • he must discover what State is represented by each of the other guests. He must not say to the guest, "I believe you are such a State," but must quietly make note of it on his card. Each card contains the names of all the guests, with space opposite for the name of the State. At the bottom of the card the hour when they are to be examined is mentioned. The hostess rings a small bell when the time arrives, and requests that each guest exchange cards with his neighbor. She then reads from her memoranda the names of the guests, with the States they represent, and the cards are corrected accordingly. The one making the most correct guesses has a gold medal; the second best a silver medal, and the third best one of iron or leather. It is not well to call attention to those making the fewest good guesses in this enter- tainment. Next the guests are given cards bearing the names of the States, with a request to write their capital cities opposite, and only a limited time is allowed for this exercise. The cards are exchanged, as before, the correct answers are read by the hostess and again medals are distributed. Refreshments follow, and then the guests are seat- ed before a curtain, for there are to be tableaux. Again the guests are handed cards, this time simply numbered, and it is explained that the tableaux are A GEOGRAPHY PARTY. 69 to illustrate the abbreviations of the different States, and they are to guess the abbreviations and write them opposite the tableaux or charades, whichever may be chosen. For instance, there is a scene showing a sick per- son, his friends gathered about and the doctor feeling his pulse. That, of course, should be guessed *'I11.," and that abbreviation written opposite the tableau- Then one gentleman may be seen with a number of children around him or a charade may be acted in which "Pa.'* takes a prominent part. Kan., Conn., O., La., Ark., Miss., Mass., Me., may all be shown either in tableaux or charades. There should be one or two friends to help plan them beforehand, and they will need to be behind the scenes constantly; but the others required to take part should be selected from the audience as needed, and there will be more in- terest shown if they are not told previously what is required of them. When all the abbreviations decided upon have been used the cards held by the audience are examined, and once more the medals are awarded. Then the one holding the largest number of medals is given a diploma with appropriate ceremonies, and the eve- ning is ended. These closing exercises may be made quite funny, or may be very simple, as the hostess prefers. The medals are simply round pieces of cardboard gilded or silvered or cut from leather. Quite a num- ber should be prepared so that in case of ties each contestant may have one. The diploma may be 60 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. made pretty with water-color designs and fancy let- tering, or it may be done in verse of home manufac- ture, or otherwise arranged to suit the fancy. It is well to have reserve cards, with questions, to be used before serving refreshments, if those already mentioned should not happen to fill the time. There is a great difference in assemblages in such matters, some amusing themselves much longer over the same tasks. The reserve cards might require the guests to mention the metropolis of each State and Terri- tory — something that will require considerable thought on the part of most people v/ho have been out of school even for a short time. 1 A CHARADE PARTY. It is said that it requires peculiar genius to enter- tain old and young people together and make all have a good time, so, perhaps, the following description of an entertainment will be eagerly read, for the enter- tainment was most successful. First, three young ladies, bright, vivacious lead- ers among their companions, were invited to after- noon tea by the lady who intended giving the party, and plans were laid while partaking of it. These young ladies were each to be captain over a squad of five young people on the night of the entertainment, and the proposed company of eighteen young people was portioned off that afternoon, so as to have the squads equally strong when considered from a dra- matic point of view. The idea was to have each company act out the syllables of a word for the others to guess. They must not make use of written charades, although they might write one themselves if they could; nor was a professional actor to be present. As nearly as pos- 61 62 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. sible it was to be an impromptu charade party, with the exception that scenes were planned beforehand, in order to avoid delay in the evening. Seven quite elderly people, who had no liking for ceremonious entertainments, were invited to come as judges, for prizes were to be offered to the company acting their charade most acceptably. These judges were given easy chairs, where they could see and hear without difficulty, and when a commander was ready to begin she first stepped forward and handed the judges a slip of paper containing the word to be acted, divided into syllables according to the number of scenes. To the other actors who formed her audi- ence, she gave simply the number of syllables in the word and the number of scenes that would be given. A room on the second floor was utilized as a dress- ing-room, the hall and stairs as waiting-room, the front parlor as stage, and the back parlor as audito- rium. There was no attempt at stage or scenic ef- fects, although the young people were given the priv- ilege of arranging the furniture to suit themselves. Tea and wafers were served between acts, when there v/as conversation — all the young people pre- tending to gain the good will of the judges. The six head prizes consisted of six dainty little pictures, cabinet size, that had been painted by the hostess, who was an artist. Each actor on the win- ning side was given one, while all the other actors were given buttonhole bouquets, designated as *'booby prizes." Tea and wafers were taken standing, when all the A CHARADE PARTY. 63 charades had heen acted, and the scene was full of animation when the prizes were awarded. It is not a great deal of trouble to get up an enter- tainment like this, for the hostess does not have all the work to do. Her guests require no entertain- ment, and they will go home declaring that they never had a better time. A KINDERGARTEN FOR ADULTS. An enterprising young couple determined to give an entertainment quite unlike anything yet given in the village where they lived, and after considerable discussion the following invitations were sent out: Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton will be pleased to welcome you at their home, Monday evening, December first, when their new kindergarten for adults will be opened, at pre- cisely nine o'clock, under the auspices of Professor Know- itall. The most competent teachers in the country will be in attendance. A gentleman friend was induced to appear as Pro- fessor Knowitall, and several ladies agreed to be teachers. They were given an opportunity to pre- pare for the part they were expected to play. When the guests had all arrived they were called to order by the ringing of a tea bell, and were soon seated facing the professor, who had disguised him- self with a long, white beard and flowing locks to match. He made a little opening address on the necessity of an education and the impossibility for bad boys and girls to acquire one; then, after assur- 64 A KINDERGARTEN FOR ADULTS. 65" ing them that he was convinced that there were no naughty children in his school, he announced that they would begin with an old-fashioned spelling-bee^ Two of the guests, a gentleman and a lady, were called upon to choose sides, and it was explained that only simple words, suitable to kindergarten pupils,^ would be given out, but that these words must all be spelled backv^ard. When all the guests had beea chosen and were standing in two long rows opposite^ each other, one of the teachers came forward to pro- nounce the words, which had been previously select- ed and copied on a sheet of paper, v/hile the profes- sor gave his entire attention to keeping order. The words were pronounced first to a member of one side, then of the other, as in old-time spelling schools, and a person failing to spell it backward correctly at the first trial was obliged to take his seat, v/hile his op-» ponent tried it. Simple words were selected, for, although it may seem easy to spell **west," for instance, t s e w, it is really quite difficult when one must do it without preparation and with little time for reflection. But no feeling of mortification attends failure in this, be- cause one is not expected to know how to spell w^ords backward, and therein lies the charm of this enter- tainment. When but a few persons remained standing, the words given were more difficult, for it then became an object to get all seated as soon as possible. When but one remained, the professor arose, and[ presented him a card on which the words "Reward 66 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. of Merit" were outlined in gilt. It was prettily dec- orated, and was designed as a book-mark, a dainty silk cord and tassel being attached to one end to in- dicate its position between the leaves. Then the professor announced that sides were to be chosen again, for there was still another kind of spelling bee in which he desired all his dear pupils to participate. He called another lady and gentle- man to choose sides, and when the opposing forces were in order he told them what was expected of them. The lady leader then began by mentioning a letter, S being the one that chanced to occur to her. The leader on the opposite side promptly repeated the S and added e. **S e n,"said the person next the lady leader. *'S e n s," said the opponent on the gentle- man's side. **S e n s i," said the next member of the lady's corps, and so it continued until the word "sen- sitive" had been spelled. It chanced that a member of the lady's corps pronounced the last letter, and the person opposite could not add one, so he was obliged to take his seat. The next member of the lady's corps then started the next word, pronouncing the letter L. It went on until "lamentations" had been spelled, and, as a member of the gentleman's corps had pronounced the S, and the opposing party could not add a letter, the lady lost one of her help- ers. This continued until all but one had been spelled down, affording quite as much enjoyment to those who were obliged to take their seats early in the A KINDERGARTEN FOR ADULTS. 67 game as it did to those who remained. The winner was given a ''reward of merit" as before. Considerable ingenuity may be shown in adding letters that must bring the word to a close on the opposite side. Any one who adds a letter that can- not be found following the preceding letters in any word in the dictionary is counted out as if he had failed to supply any letter. At the party under consideration, these two spell- ing bees filled the time from nine o'clock until half- past ten, when the hostess raised her hand, snapping her fingers, school-boy fashion, and asked: **Please, may I pass the v/ater?" Permission was given by the professor, who suggested that she allow some of the other children to help her, when she made her selec- tion, of course, according to previous arrangement. Soon little tables were brought into the room and placed conveniently before the guests. A white cover was spread over each, and a dish of fruit, vs^ith fruit knives, placed in the center. Plates and napkins were passed around; then came coffee, sandwiches, pickles and cake. When the tables and dishes had been cleared away, the professor again called the school to order. Then another teacher was introduced, who immediately furnished each pupil with a card and pencil. On the cards were names of cities, the letters being so trans- posed that it was difficult to recognize them. For in- stance the first read "Soaplinnime," and there were several who did not discover that it was **Minne- apolis." There were twelve of these words on these 68 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. cards, and only ten minutes were allowed for writing the name of the city opposite the trans- position. At the end of that time the cards were exchanged, so that each corrected the card of his right-hand neighbor. The one who excelled in trans- position was given a reward of merit like those awarded the victorious pupil who preceded him, the stately professor always making a short presentation speech. The third teacher now came forward with sheets of paper, one for each pupil. These sheets were fast- ened to pasteboard, for convenience in writing. On each one were three rows of letters as follows: 1. G. j, f, a, d, w, p, s. 2. A, m, f, b, c, a, c, d, f, a. 3. W, i, g, o, i, s, d, a, h, e, m. Sufficient space was left after each row to enable the pupil to write a sentence, each word of v/hich must begin with the letter indicated. For instance, one guest had these three sentences: 1. George Jenks fought a duel with Patrick Sullivan. 2. A man from Boston caught a cold, dying from apoplexy. 3. When I grow old, I shall dance a hornpipe every morning. Another paper bore sentences as follows: 1. Get jeans for a duck waist, please, Sarah. 2. Anna, my foot bleeds constantly, and Cora doesn*t feel afraid. 3. Well, I'll go off if Susie doesn't arrange her edifice mornings. Ten minutes were allowed in which to write the three sentences. Each pupil signed his name to his production, and then all the papers were taken up by A KINDERGARTEN FOR ADULTS. 6y the teacher, who read them aloud, without giving names of the writers. They were then voted upon by the class, who were obliged to be severely critical in order to agree upon one. For instance, in the first list of sentences given, the writer failed to win be- cause of his use of the word, from, in the second sen- tence. The second list was condemned because a duck waist could not be made from jeans. These criticisms occasioned no ill-feeling, for everyone un- derstood how difficult it was to construct a sentence properly under such conditions, and each criticism only served to add to the merriment. The next and last exercise was quite wild enough to suit the mood of the pupils who, by this time, were most festively inclined. A fourth teacher was introduced, who selected a lady and gentleman from among the guests— for, once more, sides were to be chosen. When that ceremony was completed, those first chosen on each side were called to stand before the teacher, who ex- plained that she would pronounce the first syllable of a word, and the one who first succeeded in adding remaining syllables would be declared the victor. "Per," she then said, quite sharply. **Mit,'* promptly responded one of the parties, while the other, fairly tongue-tied, was vainly trying to say "quisite." The first speaker then returned to his place, while the vanquished one was obliged to leave the class. Again a couple was called before the teacher, one from each side. 70 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. *'Con/* said the teacher. "Sumption/' replied one, just as the other shouted *'tent." It was considered a tie, and they were given another trial. So it went on, until all had been called upon once, when it was discovered that the lady was left with but five ''soldiers,'* as she called them, while the gen- tleman had nine. "Never mind," she said, cheerfully, "mine suffered while getting accustomed to the work; now they are ready for you!" They took turns, as before, but, of course, the lady's soldiers, being less in number, v/ere obliged to go forward more frequently, and to the amusement of all concerned, beat the other side quite badly, hav- ing three left, when the last one on the other side had taken his seat. These three were each given a re- ward of merit by the professor, and then the party dispersed, all declaring that they had not laughed so heartily in years. This entertainment may be gotten up at very slight expense. In fact, nothing is really needed except the refreshments, and the cards, pencils, blank paper, and ''rewards of merit." These may be as simple or as elegant as desired. In this case they were painted by the hostess, who did such work beautifully. The teachers all took their places as pupils when not on duty, and, as care was used to select different parties as leaders whenever sides were to be chosen, a number of the guests were given prominent parts, which added greatly to the success of the party. i AN EVENING WITH THE OCCULT. Many people know how much fun there is in a masked ball, given under proper conditions; but there are few who know that there may be more en- joyment in masked parties where other forms of amusement are substituted for dancing. Such violent exercise as dancing becomes very uncomfortable when a mask is worn, and only such costumes can be chosen as are not easily disarranged, or very much, in the way. But, where there is to be no dancing^ such restrictions need not be considered. The invitations sent out for a party given not long" ago, by a lady whose entertainments are always well attended, were written on sheets of note-paper decor- ated with a tiny representation of a zodiac, with stars and moons scattered along the margin. They were worded as follows: Mr. and Mrs. Burnett present compliments to Mr. and Mrs. , and request the pleasure of their company on the evening of December 10, 1897. The evening will be given to the occult and mysterious, and all are requested to come costumed and masked so as not to be easily recognized. Four lady friends, who lived out of the city, were 71 72 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. invited to help receive. They, as well as the host and hostess, were so dressed as not to be quickly rec- ognized even by those who knew them best. All the rooms on the second floor were turned into dressing rooms, and two negroes took charge of the guests as soon as they reached the upper landing, so that no two should be in a room at the same time. Other help was engaged for the evening, to assist the guests while dressing. A man and his wife were not allowed to go into the parlors together, and in several cases did not rec- ognize each other when they met, for each had kept their costume a secret. Every one w^as escorted, separately, by a master of ■ceremonies, who left them at the door, where they w^ere immediately taken in charge by the hostess or one of her assistants, and left at some place of inter- est, after which each was expected to make his own v\^ay. A memoranda with pencil was handed to each guest as soon as he entered the parlor, and it was -explained that there was to be no introductions, but that every one was to feel free to talk with every one »else; for all were to guess the identity of as many as possible of the maskers. In a prominent place there ^as a list containing the names of the invited guests, to which any one might refer at any time. It was explained that on the memoranda entries were to be made something like this: "Night" — Mrs. Green. ''Queen of Sheba"— Miss Moffett. AN EVENING WITH THE OCCULT. 73 Each was to be given a separate line, that they might easily be referred to when the memorandas were examined with a view to ascertaining who had made the largest number of correct guesses. The rooms were beautifully decorated, and from behind a bank of ferns there floated the strains of music, furnished by an orchestra engaged for the purpose. Quaint booths were discovered at various places in the different rooms. They were occupied by as- trologers, palmists and those who told fortunes by cards, all of whom were professional, and had been engaged for the evening. The guests, supposing them to be acquaintances of the hostess, playing a part, were often surprised by the answers they re- ceived to their questions. Frequently, one of the guests was heard daring another to go with him to the palmist or astrologer, where information might be gleaned that would lead to his identity. The memorandas were collected just before refresh- ments were served, and handed to one of the ser- vants, who was directed to make out a list contain- ing the names of the guests, with the number of cor- rect guesses each had made. A list cf guests, with their impersonations, had been made out by the mas- ter of ceremonies as the guests arrived, and was used in examining the memoranda. There was a general unmasking when the refresh- ments were served, and many were surprised to fxUd that they had escorted some one whom they scarcely knew at all. Before the guests left the table, the list 74 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. was brought in and read aloud, exciting much laugh- ter. Prizes were given the gentleman and lady mak- ing most good guesses, as well as those who had made fewest. After supper there was music and conversation,, the palmists, astrologers and fortune tellers becom- ing centres of curious groups, who had many ques- tions to ask concerning their mysterious lore. It was a scene of beauty and animation not soon to be forgotten by one who was fortunate enough ta be present. To give an entertainment like this involves an out- lay of money that cannot be afforded by every one; but t^ose who can afford it will find it worth trying. THE ARTISTS AT PLAY. Formal notes of invitation written on cards cut to represent palettes were sent out for this entertain- ment, and none of the guests knew beforehand just how they were to be amused, although they were sure it had something to do with artists. When they arrived, each lady was given a card bearing the name of some great painting. The gen- tlemen received a card bearing the name of the paint- er, and the date when one of his paintings was finished. He was to find the lady whose card bore the name of the painting done by the artist whose name V\^as on his card, and in the year mentioned there. Many of the gentle- men's cards bore the name Rosa Bonheur, but on each there was a different date. Few of them knew in what year a picture had been painted by this artist, and so were obliged to escort any lady, whose card bore the title of one of her pictures, to the host- ess, where they inquired if they had brought the proper lady before her. If not, they must try again. It was a good way to break the ice, and promote gen- 75 76 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. eral conversation during the first part of the even- ing. When all had found partners, a card was handed to each couple bearing the name of some great painter, and they were instructed that they must search among the cards that had been piled on a large table in the center of the room, until they had found those that, placed together, formed a sketch of the painter, with a list of his best known pictures. The cards for this game were made like those described in the entertainment, "A Meeting of Ce- lebrities," except that there were eight cards for each painter; but less sketches are needed to entertain a company, as only two people collect the cards for each. Prizes were given a couple who first completed a sketch. As in the game mentioned, the hostess had a little book of reference which she had made for the occasion. Next, a large sheet of paper was handed each per- son, on which he was instructed to draw an historical picture, and it was explained that they were not expected to show artistic talent in this exercise. If they could only remember what they had endeavored to portray, nothing more was asked of them. Before they began work the hostess read a list of historical subjects, in order to refresh the^r memories. One gentleman endeavored to picture "Washington Cross- ing the Delaware," and another strove to represent "Smith Saving the Life of Pocahontas," and neither did his work well enough to have it interpreted cor- rectly by even one person. THE ARTISTS AT PLAY. 77 The pictures were signed when finished, and passed from one to another, each writing beneath it what he believed it represented. The first wrote his guess at the bottom of the sheet, th^i folded it under so it could not be read by the next, who wrote his just above it, also folding it under. When the artists received each his own work back again, they read aloud, in turn, the different guesses, and then told what they had tried to portray. The hostess had a list of the names of the guests, and as each artist finished, she gave a credit mark to all who had interpreted his picture correctly. When the game was finished, prizes were given the one who had the largest, and the smallest, number of credit marks. There are few games that create more amusement than this, and it leaves no unpleasantness behind it. When refreshments had been served, the guests were again furnished with paper and pencils, and told to draw an illustration of some proverb. These pic- tures were then handed around for the others to guess the subjects, as the historical sketches had been, creating quite as much amusement. ''It is a long lane that has no turning," "Small pitchers have large ears," "A rolling stone gathers no moss," were all honored with many correct guess- es; but the pictures made to illustrate, "Curses, like chickens, come home to roost," "Every man thinks his own geese swans" and "All's well that ends well," were not so easily interpreted. In this, as in the historical illustrations, the host- 78 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. ess gave credit marks to those making correct guess- es, the names being furnished by each artist when his illustration was returned to him. Sides were then chosen by a lady and a gentleman, and a new game described, which was as follows: The lady sent one of her party to a chair so placed that he must face the members of the opposition, who then addressed remarks to him, each in the character of the artist, to which he must reply, *"Twas I;" but when an artist's name was mentioned, he must simply say, *'Indeed." For instance, the person at the head of the opposi- tion said: "I painted a picture of a monkey." " 'Twas I," replied the poor victim. "He was eating thistles,'' continued the first speak- er. " 'Twas I," again replied the victim. "Rosa Bonheur furnished the copy," was the third remark made by the first speaker. "Indeed!" should be the victim's next reply. Then the next member of the opposition took up the observations. "Rembrandt has a new model." "Indeed!" "I got him for Rembrandt from Sing Sing.'* "Indeed!" "He had been arrested for bigamy." " 'Twas I ." No matter how much the other guests may laugh while playing this game, the victim must keep quite THE ARTISTS AT PLAY. 79 serious. If he laughs, or if he fails to make the proper response, he is then obliged to take his seat with the opposition, and the person who chose him loses one member of her company. The idea is to see which leader will have the larger company at the end of an hour. Each person on the opposite side was expected to make three remarks to the victim, the first always referring to a picture. If he failed in this, he was promptly called to sit on the opposite side. The members of the other side were expected to help a comrade who sat in the victim's chair by retraining from laughter until he returned to them. The sides, of course, took turns in torturing the victims sent from the opposite side. At the party in question, a young lady sat in the victim's chair and was tortured in this way by a mis- chievous young man. *'I painted a picture of a man with enormous feet, a carbuncle on his nose, and a ferocious mustache." ** 'Twas I," she gravely replied. *'Bonheur used him as a model for a monkey." "Indeed!" '*I found him masquerading in woman's attire at a party." " 'Twas I." This nonsensical game brought the evening to a close in the most hilarious manner imaginable, and the "artists" went home declaring that they had never enjoyed themselves better. A SPINNING PARTY. On a wintry day in November, invitations like that following found their way into the homes of a certain set of young people in a Western city: Miss Winnie Bailey, at Home, November 20th, 1897, From 8:30 to 12 P. M. Will you walk into my parlor? On the upper left-hand corner there was a picture of a spider spinning his web, and a fly struggling to escape from its meshes. When the guests arrived, they saw an old-fash- ioned spinning wheel in the center of the room, with flax near oy, all ready for spinning. They Vv^ere told that all must try for the prizes that were to be award- ed to the lady and gentleman who spun the best thread, after flve minutes' trial. The mother of the hostess, who had done such work when a girl, stood near to give instruction, and to time the contestants. Those who have no knowledge of spinning can have no idea how much fun there is in trying to make an 80 A SPINNING PARTY. 81 even thread, more especially when surrounded by interested young people of no greater experience. As the different threads were finished, they were fast- ened to a tag bearing the name of the worker, and then pinned to a square of black cloth that had been pinned to the wall for that purpose. When all had tried, a committee was appointed to help the hostess decide to whom prizes should be awarded. While the spinning was going on, the guests whose turn at the wheel had not arrived, and those who had already tried, were set to following the threads; of what looked like an immense spider web wound around the rooms. It was composed of black and white threads, the black threads being intended for gentlemen, and the white ones for ladies. They were instructed that when they found an end of one of these threads, they were to begin winding it into a ball; but that they must do so very gently, or the whole web would be knotted so badly that it could not be undone. When they came to a knot, it must be untied. These threads were so ingeniously twist- ed together, and wound around pictures, bric-a-brac, table legs, etc., that it took some time to reach the farther end, and every one had plenty of opportunity to talk with every one else. A card was fastened to the farther end of each thread, and all the cards had been so well concealed from view that some time elapsed before the guests knew what they were to find. On each card was written the words, **You will take supper with the one v/ho holds the mate to your 82 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. card?" Then the cards must be compared. Each contained a spider web, some with four circles, some with more; some with eight divisions, others with more or less; but there were always two of each kind, and through the peculiarities of these webs the part- ners discovered each other. The difference in webs was sometimes so slight as not to be detected with- out close observation; but it was always plain after having once been pointed out. It is surprising how many different designs can be worked out in these w^ebs. The work is really quite fascinating when once begun, so the thought of it must not frighten any one from giving a spinning party. When the prizes had been awarded to the best spin- ners of yarn, several tables were brought in and set about the room. On the top of each there was fastened a heavy sheet of drawing paper, upon which five circles had been drawn. The outside circle was as large as the table would allow. The inner one was only two inches in diameter. The other three circles were drawn at equal distances between these two. In the inner space on one table were the figures 25; the next 20; then came 15, 10 and 5. On the next table the inner space was marked SO, and each of the other spaces 5 less. On the third and last table the inner circle -was marked 50, and each of the others 5 less. i ] Each player was given a top, made from a spool, N and all the guests took turns spinning the tops on f the table having the lowest figures. When the top [ i ceased spinning, the player was credited with the lu. A SPINNING PARTY. 83 number on which the point of the top rested. As soon as a player had twenty-five to his credit, he ad- vanced to the next higher table. There he must win fifty points before he could pass on to the highest table. When he had won a hundred points at the third table, he was obliged to begin again at the foot table. The top must not be touched while spinning. Should it drop to the floor, the player must make ten before he can begin to count again. Should he make 25 at the next trial, he only counted 15; but he had a second trial when his top had dropped to the floor, before the next player spun his top. Each player had a credit card tied in his button- hole upon which numbers something like the meal tickets issued at restaurants were closely v>Titten. When added these numbers should make 500. The hostess had a punch with which she cut out the numbers to correspond with those won by the player. When any player had no more numbers on his card, he was declared winner and the game was ended. This game becomes very exciting, even to elderly people, and sometimes it is dlflicult to get them to give it up, even long enough to serve refreshments; but it keeps the guests on their feet so continuously that something of an entirely different nature should be planned for the remainder of the evening. Nothing will be found more suitable or enjoyable than ''spinning yarns." The hostess begins by saying anything that occurs to her. The person at her right must add a sentence or more, each, in turn, fol- lowing suit. To make this perfectly plain, I will try 84 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. to reproduce the first part of a yarn spun at one such party. *'Once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden named Mary Jones/' said the hostess. "She was the only child of the original Jones who became wealthy peddling buttons," added the right- hand neighbor. "She was beloved by a man named John Smith," added the next. "Whose father felt himself superior to the father of Mary, because he dealt in the bones from which the Jones' buttons had been made," was the quite unex- pected sentence added by the next party. And so the story increased until Smith had mur- dered Jones, and several ghosts had appeared on the scene, causing a lynching, a divorce and a suicide. It is curious to see how one of these stories is worked out. No one can tell, when it is begun, or, indeed, at any time, what the endings will be, and no one knows what he himself will say, for he cannot plan it until he has heard what the player just before him adds to the story. VvT'hen you want to give a party that is new to your friends, try a spinning party like this, and you will not regret it. A DRAWING ATTRACTION. There will be a drawing attraction at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lyndale on the evening of March 3, 1897. You are cordially invited to be present. On the evening in question a merry group of young people gathered at the Lyndale home, ready for one of the unconventional good times that previous ex- perience had taught them to expect. Palettes cut from cardboard were passed around in baskets when all the guests had arrived, ladies drawing from one and gentlemen from the other. The palettes had lead pencils attached by long silken cords, which hung over the edges of the baskets in picturesque confusion, and each guest selected a pen- cil, gently drawing out the palette attached. No two of the palettes in either basket were alike, but the gentlemen were assured that among the guests they would find a lady with a palette corresponding ex- actly with the one they held, and that that lady was to be his partner until after refreshments were served. The palettes -were so nearly alike that it was some 85 86 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. time before the entire company found partners and were ready for work. When they were, the hostess explained that the queer looking lines marked on the palettes drawn by the ladies were to be combined in a picture to be drawn on the gentleman's palette. The lines copied from the lady's palette were to be made very heavy in the completed picture in order to be quickly seen when they were handed in for examination. Six irregular lines had been drawn at random on each palette intended for the ladies, and at first sight it did not seem possible that they could be so combined as to form the rudest sort of a pic- ture. The partners conferred together, as to the subject of the drawing, and bursts of laughter were heard from all parts of the room as the work pro- gressed. When the time set for the completion of the pic- tures had arrived the palettes belonging to each couple were tied together, then gathered up by the hostess, who placed them in the hands of the examin- ing committee, who were to decide which couple de- served the first prize. This examining committee was made up of the mother of the hostess and a few of her most intimate friends who, while they felt themselves too old to take a very active part in the fun of the evening, were very glad to be given something to do that prevented them from being entirely shut out. Among them was an old gentleman who spoke well, and upon him fell the duty of declaring who was entitled to first prize, in the opinion of the judges. He fulfilled this A DRAWING ATTRACTION. 87 duty in a manner so witty that it added very materi- ally to the pleasure of the evening, and leads to this suggestion: In getting up this entertainment, be sure to have a scholarly old gentleman of nimble wit among your judges. The gentleman and lady whose work was pro- nounced most artistic were each given a medal cut from cardboard in the shape of a tiny palette, and gilded. These medals were fastened to baby ribbon and hung from the neck like old-fashioned lockets. Next the guests were gathered around a large cen- ter table, on which a sheet of drawing paper had been securely fastened. They were blindfolded in turn and required to draw a pig, taking the hand from the paper before adding the eyes and tail. The name of the artist was written under each pig, and when al! had taken turn in thus furnishing amusement for the others, the paper of drawings was handed to the judges, who once more awarded medals to the two most successful. Then smaller sheets of paper were brought and each couple who had drawn palettes alike were blindfolded and required to draw^ a combination don- key, one furnishing the body, the other adding ears, eyes, tail and legs. In most cases the gentleman drew the body, while the lady kept her hand cloFe enough to his to get an idea of the position, and she was allowed to ask him on which side of the paper the head was supposed to be, or where she ought to add the legs. It was a most ridiculous form of en- tertainment, and few donkeys were produced that SS MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. resembled anything ever seen before. When the partners had finished the drawings, they wrote their names before the coverings were removed from their eyes. When each couple had contributed a drawing, the different sheets of paper were given to the judges for inspection, and once more medals were given those whose work was considered most meritorious. Next little four-inch wooden plaques were distrib- uted among the guests, with "tools" made of knitting needles broken in two and fastened into corn-cob handles. Each guest had one plaque and two tools, one made from a fine needle, the other from a coarse one. A little gas stove was lighted for the heating of the tools, and each couple set to work to make companion pictures in poker work. The pictures were simply awful, but the fun of making them was something to be remembered. Each picture was named when finished, for in many cases it looked more like something else than what the artist had planned. One gentleman started out to picture the discovery of America, while his partner was to represent the landing of Columbus; but they concluded that it would be better to call his picture "The Imps in the Punch-Bowl," and hers "The Escape of the Imps." Another gentleman drew a picture of a forlorn- looking man. It was labelled "Will She Say No?" The lady drew quite a jaunty gentleman, who was supposed to be the same individual, and her plaque l)ore the title, "She Said Yes." A DRAWING ATTRACTION. 89 Another drew something that looked as much like a worn-out broom as anything, but it bore the am- bitious title, **The Thistle in October." The lady's picture consisted of a number of poker marks that seemed to have been made at random, but she de- clared that it was a good representation of her sub- ject, **The Result of the Conflict between the Thistle and Jack Frost." The ambitious title underneath such a poor attempt at drawing called forth shouts of merriment from the assembled guests. While the judges examined the specimens of poker work, the stove and tools were carried away, and refreshments brought in. They were served from a large table in the center of the room, beside which the hostess sat making and pouring tea. A friend sat opposite with the chocolate service. Small tables, hired for the purpose, were brought from an adjoin- ing room by the gentlemen, who then helped their partners to refreshments which they took from the center table. It was a pretty and unceremonious way of serving that was greatly enjoyed by all con- cerned. The servant retired after having brought in refreshments, but remained within call in case she should be needed to help with the tea or chocolate. As the guests finished eating, the ''chief justice," as the elderly gentleman was called, stepped forward and presented pretty souvenir booklets, in the shape of palettes, to the gentleman and lady who had won most medals. The others v/ho held medals received daintily decorated palettes. 90 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. Tiny easels would also have been appropriate sou- venirs. Where something more expensive is desired, gold watch charms and bangle pins in palette shape are suitable. Also pencil cases or books of engravings. When there is an objection to prizes, let the medals suffice, or give a buttonhole bouquet. The latter part of the evening was devoted to com- bination pictures. Strips of book paper had been procured from a publishing house. They were five inches in width and two yards long, and each strip was rolled into a neat bundle. One of these bundles was given to each player, who was instructed to draw a head of some animal, then turn the paper so as to conceal the head, but leave a small portion of the neck visible. The papers were then passed to the next left-hand neighbor, and bodies to the animals were drawn next. Again the papers were folded over and passed along, and legs and feet were added. The picture was now supposed to be complete, and was folded from view. The papers were passed along, and upon each was written the words, **I am," followed by the name of some person or animal. This was folded under, and the next person WTote, **I am to be found," adding any place that occurred to him. The next person wrote something characteristic, the next a description, and the last told what the ani- mal was good for. The leader then took the papers and read the bits of natural history aloud, passing them to the judges, who passed them on to the artists A DRAWING ATTRACTION. 91 who, of course, were anxious to view the results of their combined efforts. One picture showed the head of a man on the neck of a giraffe, supported by the body of a horse with only two legs, ending in two dainty boots. Under- neath was written, "I am a rhinoceros. I am to be be found in the Queen's drawing room. I carry babies to the mountains in my talons. I have a striped back and a powerful odor, and I am used for food in the Arctic regions." By the time these papers had all been examined and laughed over, it was discovered that the hour was late, and there was a general leave-taking of the guests, all of whom seemed well pleased with the "drawing" attraction to which they had devoted an evening. A HALLOWE'EN PARTY. Of late years Hallowe'en has been very generally celebrated in this country, but not with the pretty simplicity that characterizes its celebration in Scot- land and Ireland. Here it is too often spoiled by becoming merely a dancing party, where the young people are chaperoned, and everything is supposed to go on in strict accordance with the laws laid down by Dame Grundy. Such a celebration of the wonder- ful "thirty-first night" deserves the ridicule of every- one whose heart has a youthful throb left in it! Hal- lowe'en parties should always be given up to omens and fortune-telling, and, of course, there should be one or two first class ghost stories. One lady, past middle life, arranged such a party not long ago for the friends of her niece and nephew, and it proved beyond a doubt that her heart was quite as young as it was thirty years ago. The invitation cards were decorated with a tiny candlestick holding a lighted taper, which was paint- ed in the upper left-hand corner. Just twelve couples were invited, for that is considered the magic 92 A HALLOWE'EN PARTY. 93 number for such parties. The house was beautifully decorated with autumn leaves and flowers, and a fine fire burned in the fireplace. The guests were informed in a note accompanying the invitations that they must come attired in sheets and pillow cases in honor of the ghosts; for every one knows that they usually appear to enjoy the festiv- ities of this eve of all saints. When the guests ar- rived the hostess pinned a distinctive bow of ribbon or a silken rosette, or one of lace upon the pillow case worn by each, where it could be plainly seen. No two were alike. They were to be used to designate the guests, on the cards which each held, for prizes were to be given the lady and gentleman who guessed the largest number of wearers of the badges. Guesses were written on the cards something like this: 'Tink bow, Miss Robinson." ''Black rosette, Mr. Crane.'* The guests were ushered into the dining-room — a large room with hard wood floor, from which all the rugs had been removed. There was but one lamp, and this was heavily shaded, the dancing firelight furnishing all the illumination needed. The guests were seated in a circle, and the old game, ''Quaker Meeting" was announced as the one most appropriate for ghosts. The hostess whispered in the ear of each some duty which he must perform, having due regard to the limitations of the sheet and pillow cases. When she had made the round of the circle, she stood in the center and silently pointed to some one, who must silently arise and follow the instructions that had been whispered into his ear. No matter how ridicu- 94: MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. lous his performance might be, no one was allowed to laugh, unless willing to pay the penalty of a for- feit, for this was to be an old-fashioned forfeit game. The hostess had given some thought to the instruc- tions before the guests arrived, so that no two were required to do the same thing, while all were ridicu- lous. One gentleman was told to mount a chair, clap his arms to his sides and crow. When it is re- membered that he was attired in a sheet and pillow case, and that he must do his best to avoid being recognized, it will be seen what a difficult and ludi- crous task had been set him. A lady was told to hitch up **Pink-bow" and Black-rosette'* and drive them around the room. She was not allowed to speak a word to any one while doing so, and the two parties designated were at opposite sides of the room. She led out one, then started for the other, when the first, thinking she was through with him, march- ed back to his seat. Then she resorted to vigorous pantomime to make Number Two understand that she must remain in the middle of the room until she brought Number One back again. Then she fastened a long scarf about them both, induced them to clasp hands, took a feather duster for a whip, caught hold of a corner of the sheet worn by each and triumph- antly drove her prancing steeds about the room. A number of forfeits were collected before this lady's performance was ended, for it was almost impossible not to laugh. When each had performed the task assigned him, and the forfeits had been redeemed, a woman of A HALLOWE'EN PARTY. 95 witch-like appearance was brought into the room and seated by the fireplace where the firelight played about her most fantastically. She was introduced as the Witch of Endor, and the "ghosts'* were in- formed that they were to take turns kneeling before her, that their fortunes might be read from their open paims. The **Witch" was a professional palmist, who had previously been instructed net to say anything that could possibly cast a shadow over the party or any member of it. When one young man stepped for- ward and his ''Fortune" was told as if he were a girl, there was much laughter; but when the masks were removed, and it was seen that it was really a girl in bicycle garb, and wearing her big brother's shoes, they had to confess that the "Witch" had the best of it. When every one's fortune had been told, the guest cards were collected, and then there was a general removing of masks. The cards were examined and prizes awarded, and then the guests were all escorted to dressing rooms on the second floor, where they could make themselves presentable for the remainder of the evening. When they returned to the dining-room, they found a long table spread with good things, and upon every plate was a name card, done in water colors, which was intended as a souvenir. Among the refreshments provided there was a "dumb-cake," without which no Hallowe'en party would be complete. The peculiarities of the 96 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. dumb-cake consist in its being made and eaten in perfect silence. The hostess assured her guests that not a word had been spoken during the making of the cake, and it rested with themselves to remain silent during the eating of it. It was a heavy fruit cake, into which several rings, half dimes, pearl buttons, besides two thimbles, had been placed with the fruit. The cake was cut into as many pieces as there were guests. Those who got a ring were soon to be married; the one get- ting the ring that was different from the others was to be married first. Those who got the half dimes were to be very wealthy. Those who got the buttons were never to be married at all. The thimbles de- noted that the possessors would always have to work for others. Those who found nothing but fruit in their cake were destined to lead peaceful, happy lives, and join a religious society before they died. When the dumb-cake had been eaten, apples were passed, each guest being solemnly enjoined to take one. They were pared in utter silence, the greatest care being taken to have the paring come off in one long strip. This was thrown over the head, and the letter it formed on the floor was the first initial of the true love's name. Then the apple was cut. The number of pieces into which it could be cut without falling apart on the table decided the wealth of the one who cut it. Each piece was supposed to represent a thousand dollars. One girl had the misfortune to cut hers so badly that both pieces flew apart at once. This meant that she would be very poor, and would A HALLOWE'EN PARTY. 97 have to be cared for by her relatives and friends. Had she been able to keep the two halfs together until she could cut again, she would have been worth two thousand dollars, even had the pieces fallln apart with the second attempt. For every seed cut during this operation, there would be a bitter disappoint- ment. The whole seeds were then collected and counted, and given the name of some person whose first initial corresponded with that which the apple paring was supposed to represent. The idea was to determine the amount of affection existing between the two, and for this purpose the following jingle was re- peated: One, I love; two, I love; Three, I love, they say. Four, I love with all my heart, And five I cast away. Six, he loves; seven, she loves; Eight, they both love. Nine, he comes; ten. he tarries; Eleven he courts and tv»^elve he marries. If there chanced to be eight whole seeds, the pros- pect for a wedding was fairly good; but twelve was always hoped for. Next, two seeds were chosen from the pile, and each given a name having the first initial like that on the floor. These seeds were placed one on each eye- lid, to see which would cling longer through a pro- cess of vigorous winking. When this part of the ceremony was concluded, the merry guests left the table. While the dishes were being removed, each guest placed three hazel nuts 98 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. on the hearth, giving them the name's of three favor- ites among their acquaintances. The ones that jump or burst will be faithless as sweethearts; but those which remain to blaze or burn will be true forever. A long tin bath tub filled with water was then placed in the middle of the room on the floor. The guests took the empty half shells of English walnuts, which they filled with melted white wax, into which oil of cloves had been dropped while melting. As each shell was filled a short piece of coarse cotton cord or candle wicking was placed in the center. Each of these barques was then marked so as to be recognized by the owner, the cotton was lighted, and they were set floating simultaneously in the tub of water, and the tub was jarred a little to give them motion. Should two boats approach each other, and continue the journey together as long as the lights burned, it was considered a good sign that their own- ers would do likewise. The light that went out first indicated the one that would die first. Should the other approach some other boat, it foretold a second marriage. Should both overturn without apparent reason, death by accident was predicted. Should they sputter and burn unevenly, it was a sure sign of an unhappy marriage. If a light sputtered and went out long before the others, a short and unhappy ca- reer was predicted. If it went out before joining another, the owner would never marry; but if it sailed along independently, burning brightly and evenly, it foretold marriage with one who was as yet a stranger, although there might be brief love affairs A HALLOWE'EN PARTY. 99 with one or more of those present. A boat that re- fused to move from where it was first placed proved that its owner would never travel and never be well off or famous. Two boats jostling each other in- dicated an early and serious quarrel between their owners. The indications were so easily read, and the many barques wove so curious a web of destiny, that qtiite a length of time passed so quickly in this way as to fill the guests with surprise. Then followed a few more well-known Hallowe'en charms — such as running around the block, walking down cellar backwards while holding a lighted candle over the head, and pouring melted lead into cold water to find the initials of the lover's name. Four cups were then placed on the table, one con- taining vinegar, one grape juice, one milk, and the fourth being empty. The guests were then blind- folded, one at a time, and told to walk to the table and stick a finger into one of the cups, which was ar- ranged after he had been blindfolded. If he stuck his finger into the vinegar, he would be cross and disagreeable in married life; if into the grape juice, he would be agreeable, but would desert his partner; if into the milk, he would be a model to all other married people; but if into the empty cup, he would die unmarried. The young people were then asked to seat them- selves before the fireplace, and all the lights were ex- tinguished, so that the room was only lighted by the fire in the grate. Two ghosts suddenly appeared, their long white garments fioating around them most 100 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. uncannily, and their faces veiled with gossamer. They were pupils from a school of oratory, who had been hired for the occasion, and were strangers to all present. They came to tell of the fearful manner in which their lives had ended, and how they must haunt the earth until certain events had transpired. Their story was quite blood-curdling, and tended to illustrate the awful consequences of fickleness on the part of lovers who had sworn to be true to each other. One of the ghosts had a very realistic wail that was used in appropriate places, causing the chills to creep up and down the backs of the listeners, al- though not one of them was under seventeen years of age. When the story was ended the entertainment was closed with a few jolly songs to drive away the spir- its and send the guests home in a courageous frame of mind; for it was two o'clock in the morning and the world was very quiet. OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS. Americans are just beginning to realize the desira- bility of the outdoor entertainment as a social func- tion, but it bids fair to become popular with aston- ishing rapidity. Already ladies of means whose rooms are not large enough for the entertainment of many guests at a time, and whose health will not permit the excitement of giving enough small parties to take in all their friends, look forward to the sum- mer season, when they can cancel their indebtedness to society with some outdoor entertainment. Those who do not have fine homes hire a steamboat for a day, when near a lake or navigable river, and take their friends on a little excursion. Light refresh- ments are usually served on the boat, and a hearty meal provided at some hotel where arrangements have, of course, been previously made by the hostess, who makes out the menu, oversees the deco- rations, if necessary, plans the seating of the guests and supervises everything as she would had she been giving a dinner in her own home. This is usually attended to several days before that on which the 101 102 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. party is to be given, and is a form of entertainment to which one's friends are very anxious to be invited. Indeed, they will often break a previous engagement rather than offer it as an excuse for remaining away from an excursion of this character. Ladies wear boating suits and meet the hostess at the boat on the hour appointed, w^hen she welcomes them exactly as if she were in her own parlors. When an absence of water makes steamboat parties an impossibility, the coaching party will be found quite as acceptable. Some point of interest within an easy drive is made the destination, and dinner is served there at the expense of the hostess, who has arranged everything beforehand. She arranges who is to ride together in the several coaches, furnishes the drivers with their addresses, and instructs them to call for the guests and meet the others at an ap- pointed place and time, that all may go on together. Frequently the point of interest to be visited is far from an hotel where guests can be served nicely, and an outdoor lunch is resorted to. In that case a large covered camping wagon filled with provisions, rugs, hammocks, tents and everything that a thoughtful hostess provides for the comfort of her guests at such a time, is sent on in advance of the party, who find everything in readiness upon their arrival. The bicycle party is a much more simple and less expensive form of entertainment, but, of course, is not much favored by any but the young people. OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS. 103 The party ride their wheels to some point of interest, where they have dinner at the expense of their host and hostess, rest a while and then return to the home of the hostess for refreshments and a social evening. Frequently they meet at the home of the hostess, from where they start on a short ride of an hour or more, returning to the house for the evening enter- tainment as before. At one such party the hostess had provided cards for her friends, on each of which twenty-three bicycle conundrums had been written, space being left for the replies. A "mark of punctuation" was guessed to be ^'brackets;" ''Little Bostons" was, of course, guessed as hubs. These conundrums are not as hard to get up as they are to guess; any one with a fair knowl- edge of the bicycle will do both after a little study that will prove most pleasant and profitable. To give a garden party, one must have a nice lawn, shade trees, hammocks, camp chairs, small tables, Japanese lamps, rugs, awnings, cozy nooks, summer houses, etc. Musicians should be concealed in the arbor or summer house, but not so near as to make conversation difficult. The invitations should be sent a week in advance of the party, and are usually for from five to ten in the evening. The almanac should be consulted before- hand, in order to make reasonably sure of a full moon. The refreshments provided are much like those served at the invitation picnic, consisting of sand- lOi MODERN ENTERTAiNLIENTS. wiches, pickles, salad, fruit, cake, hot coffee, tea and chocolate. Unless one has plenty of dishes, tables, etc., it is better to serve only such refreshments as may be eaten with the aid of a knife and fork. It is a nice idea, when practicable, to have the alcohol stove on the piazza or some other convenient place, and make the tea and chocolate as it is served. The gridiron parties, so popular with the Prince of Wales and the smart upper Bohemian set of London, are beginning to be introduced here, but as an out- door entertainment instead of a drawing-room affair. In London the hostess herself must do the cooking, and dainty silver gridirons are used by these aes- thetic chefs, who wear fine white aprons over their handsome gowns. Here several ladies possessing al- cohol stoves are invited to help the hostess receive. The cooking is done on the lawn, the stoves being shielded from draughts by pretty awnings, and every- thing that can be cooked on a gridiron or m a chafing dish or kettle is served at these parties. It is not un- usual to see a group of hungry young people grouped around a gridiron quite oblivious to every- thing but the broiling of a chop or steak. A maid should be at hand to wash the soiled dishes, v/hich she carries away as fast as they accumulate. The food is prepared so slowly that, when there is a large company, a great part of the time for which the guests are invited is devoted to the cooking and the serving of the refre«hments. and other methods of en- tertainment are seldom provided. This is one of the OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS. 105 jolliest and most unconventional ways of entertaining — the hopes, doubts and anxieties as to the results of the work being done usually furnishing topics for the most animated conversation, wherein no one need feel that he is appearing stupid or ridiculous. Lawn tennis parties, croquet parties, etc., are sim- ply another form of the garden party. The guests appear in outing suits, however, whereas they wear dainty afternoon gowns of summer fabric at the gar- den party proper. Matches are arranged and prizes offered for victories gained in whatever outdoor sport is chosen. Where there is no tennis court, simple games are adopted. At one such party a stake was driven into the ground and the guests, blindfolded in turn, made an attempt to touch it with a stick. Bouquets were given to those who succeeded in a given length of time. As they had been whirled around three times after having been blindfolded, not many succeeded, but the efforts made by the others were extremely laughable, and added to the enjoyment of the party. There are many such simple games suitable for these outdoor parties, and one need not hesitate about pro- posing them, for there are few, however conventional they may be, who will not enjoy them when once they have been started. The ever-delightful festival of roses has for many years been a source of income for charitable pur- poses, but only of late years has it been utilized as a means of canceling one's social indebtedness. 106 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. To give this entertainment successfully, there must first of all be an abundance of roses. Booths should be erected on the lawn, each decorated with roses, and Japanese lanterns should be strung between the booths and trees. Paper roses help wonderfully in decorating, but they should be used where they can- not be readily detected from the real roses. They are better than natural roses for nooks where it is especially desired that they should not wilt or become displaced. At one such entertainment one booth was erected for musicians and another, near by, for dancers. In a third refreshments were served, and a number of smaller ones were fitted up for tete-a-tetes. At still another, where dancing was not in favor, each booth was devoted to some different attraction — a phonograph being in one, a gramophone in another, palmists, astrologers and those w^ho tell fortunes by cards being placed in others. At a third there was but one booth beside those fitted up for refreshments, and this v;as divided into a stage and dressing-rooms. The acoustic properties of this stage were so good that the actors therein were easily heard by the guests, who were scattered about the lawn. The fine and varied programme given on the rose-embowered stage closed an enter- tainment not soon to be forgotten by those so fortu- nate as to be in attendance. It was a social event of which the hostess had every right to be very proud. Strawberries should have a prominent place on the bills of fare planned for a festival of roses, and cake OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS. 107 made in pink and white layers, or white cake with pink frosting, should be provided. Serve pink lem- onade, or lemonade in which there are crushed straw- berries and a little pineapple. In no form of entertainment may originality be so safely displayed as in outdoor parties. There are no established laws or customs, and a hostess need have little fear of doing things that will proclaim her ignorance of social ethics. The more original she is the larger will be the attendance at her parties. In outdoor parties, as in other forms of entertain- ment, a vast amount of money may be spent if the hostess so desires, but unlike them, these entertain- ments may also be given very satisfactorily at little cost. BREAKFASTS. The society breakfast given to one's friends is usually less formal and much jollier than the lunch- eon. It is served at eleven o'clock in the morning, and both gentlemen and ladies are invited. It is pop- ular among artists and literary people for one reason, because they are not obliged to dress elaborately, but may be as informal as they like. A number of small tables, or one large one, may be used when serving these breakfasts. The food selected should be quite hearty, but lighter than that served at the formal lunch. Breakfasts are fre- quently begun with bouillon, and finished with an elaborate dessert. This is one of the accepted ways of doing honor to a person of distinction, or of introducing a literary or artistic person who is a stranger to others of his craft, and so there is always a little informal recep- tion before the breakfast is served. The hostess should wear a handsome white morn- ing gown. The guests come in tea gowns or matinees with dark skirts, or, if they are young, they wear 108 BREAKFASTS. 109 their bicycle or tennis suits. Should any of the guests appear in street suits, they need not feel at all out of place. Indeed in summer the pretty home dresses of lawn or percale are seen as frequently as any other costume. Guests are usually seated without the formality of guest cards, and the rooms are not decorated for the occasion, although flowers should be seen on the table. LUNCHEONS. Among the most popular and delightful entertain- ments are the luncheons, the two great faults to be found with them being that they seldom include gen- tlemen and they tend to extravagance. When first introduced as a form of entertainment, they were more hospitable than elaborate; now they are more elaborate than hospitable. Instead of being invited quite informally to meet one whom our hostess is sure would prove companionable, we now understand that a social duty is to be discharged in the most elab- orate style our hostess can command. A luncheon is very like a dinner, except that it is usually given at one o'clock. The guests wear their handsomest street costumes, and do not remove their bonnets; consequently care should be taken that the rooms are not too hot. The hostess brings out all her best linen, china and silver for the occasion, and it is not unusual for her to provide dainty souvenirs for the guests to take home. It is a pity that the giving of souvenirs was ever made a part of the luncheon, but it has been, and it begins to look as if 110 LUNCHEONS. Ill it were to become one of the most important parts. The only hope is that it will go so far and so rapidly that sensible people will become disgusted and abol- ish the souvenir fad entirely. It is considered bad taste to crowd the rooms or the tables. Invite no more than can be comfortably seated. Invitations to a luncheon are sent out a fortnight before. The following, written on note paper, is in good taste, although the carefully engraved cards are pre- ferred where they can be afforded: Mrs. Williamson Requests the pleasure of Mrs. Ward's company at lunch, on Thursday, October 15th, at 1 o'clock. R. S. V. P. It is quite the fad to give luncheons for special oc- casions, such as Easter, Valentine or May Day, when, of course, the decorations and, in so far as that is possible, the menu, must be arranged with reference to the day on which the luncheon is to be given. Then there are rose luncheons, pansy luncheons, chrysan- themum luncheons, and, in fact, as many different varieties may be evolved as there are flowers. At an Easter luncheon given not long since, the parlors and dining-room were decorated with ferns and Easter lilies, and the hostess wore a white gown with a bunch of ferns and a lily in her belt. The dining table was left uncovered save for a handsome center-piece and plate doilies to match. On the center- piece there was a round mirror, bearing a beautiful 112 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. bowl of lilies and ferns, and graceful bouquets of the same flowers were laid beside each plate. The sou- venir was simply the name card, which is usually placed upon the plate, that the guests may know where they are to sit, but each of these cards con- tained an appropriate verse, beautifully lettered, and a flower design, all done by hand, and the expense was not small. At another Easter luncheon the souvenir was a beautifully painted china eggshell filled with bon- bons. At still another it consisted of downy chickens filled with bonbons. At a valentine luncheon the name cards were paint- ed in water colors on white silk mull laid over pink satin, and were all emblematic — Cupids' hearts and darts being conspicuous. The heart forms figured as much as possible in the serving of refreshments. The center-piece was heart-shaped, and little Cupids were partially concealed among the flowers that were ar- ranged, heart-shaped, on a flat, round mirror laid on the center-piece. The refreshments were simple — such as were supposed to be appropriate for an occa- sion where love rules supreme. To give a flower luncheon, it is necessary to have everything match the color of the flower chosen in so far as that is possible. Quite often the windows are darkened, that the lamps may be lighted and their harmoniously colored shades shed the proper light over all. At a violet luncheon the souvenir was a dainty stick-pin in the form of a violet. The lamps were LUNCHEONS. 113 dressed in elaborate shades of violet, the center-piece and doilies were worked in violet, and violets and Roman hyacinths were scattered everywhere, tiny bunches of them tied with violet ribbon being laid beside each plate. The name cards were in water colors, violets being conspicuous in the design. Violet candles in Dresden candelabra were on table a'nd mantel. A white cloth covered the table, a band of broad violet ribbon being extended across it diag- onally. A rose luncheon may be made the most beautiful of all entertainments because of the exquisite color- ing, that is becoming to nearly all ladies. A buttercup luncheon was once given to a party of ladies, all of whom were suffragists, and the name cards were in the form of badges, being painted on yellow ribbon. At a luncheon given to "White Ribboners" the dec- orations were daisies and white chrysanthemums, tied with white ribbon, and white ribbon was used ef- fectively in name cards and table decorations. A luncheon given in honor of a birthday should be distinguished by the flowers peculiar to the month. The menu is usually very much the same as for a dinner, perhaps a trifle less elaborate, but soup or roast should never be served. Some claim that oys- ters are also out of place, but oysters on the half- shell are often seen at luncheons given by the "Pour Hundred." Cups of hot bouillon are placed beside each plate Just before the guests are seated. It is not necessary to provide other entertainment, 114 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. although an orchestra in an adjoining room, playing soft music, is often heard, and many ladies take this opportunity to introduce some talented friend, when there will be a very short programme of music and recitations as soon as the guests leave the table. Ladies' luncheons usually begin at one and end at three, and are an enjoyable form of entertainment, more especially for those who can seldom go out eve- nings on account of ill health, or because the gentle- men of the family are too busy to escort them. TEAS. Of all forms of entertainment, nothing is easier to provide than the five o'clock tea. This is so well rec- nized that it has become quite universal, and the for- mal five o'clock tea is quite frequently used as the method of introducing a daughter. For a long time the five o'clock tea was quite in- formal, simply being an opporunity for intimate friends to get together for a few moments' chat be- fore other society duties claimed them for the eve- ning. Now cards of invitation are sent out, and, on the appointed day, the hostess, with the lady who helps her receive, stands by the drawing-room door to greet each guest, who, after a few words, passes on. In an adjoining room there are two tables, each spread with a white cloth; on one is a tea service, on the other a service for chocolate. A vase of flow- ers should stand on each table, on which are also to be found plates of bread and butter, cut as thin as shavings, or toasted wafers. Fresh berries and cake may be added, if desired. Nothing else is permissible. Refreshments that might soil the gloves are not to 115 116 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. be thought of, for the guests do not remove their wraps. The ladies of the house wear pretty afternoon gowns. When both tea and chocolate are served, a lady should preside at each table, the hostess usually tak- ing the tea-table. When tea is served in the dining-room, the dining- table is used in preference to the two small tables, and the tea service and chocolate service are at oppo- site ends. The tea-kettle is boiled over an alcohol lamp stand- ing on the table, and the tea made as it is served. What is known as ''high tea" is usually given on Sunday afternoons, and takes the place of dinner. It may, of course, be given on any other afternoon. It is an invitation affair and most enjoyable. The hostess makes the tea as it is served, but instead of the thin slices of bread and butter there are hot rolls and butter, fried chicken, escalloped oysters or deli- cate slices of cold ham, cake and preserves. The five o'clock tea served informally is most en- joyable, and the most frequently given. There are no invitations, tea being served as callers come in. It is nice to have it on one's afternoons at home; indeed, it has become almost a necessity of late. In some houses the tea things are kept in the parlor, which, by the way, is not quite in good taste, unless arrangements are made whereby they can be concealed from view during the hours when tea is never served. In other homes, where but few servants are kept, the tea service is brought in and arranged before callers TEAS. 117 begin to arrive. The way in which it is managed abroad is, however, preferred here by ladies who have sufficient help to make it possible. Exactly at five o'clock the servant places a small tea-table be- fore the hostess, spreads a white cover over it, then brings in a tray containing the tea service, and the plate of bread and butter and cake, or maccaroons, or toasted wafers, or the thin crackers known as zephyrettes. One lady always serves these zephyr- ettes and the most delicious cookies ever tasted. An- other always serves cheese straws and thin ginger snaps. Still another is known for the delicious bread sticks and maccaroons that are always served with her tea. The servant withdraws from sight as soon as the tea service is arranged, but remains within call, to remove soiled cups and bring clean ones, as desired. In some homes tea is served in this way every after- noon, and friends are always welcome, and sure of some pleasant acquaintance. These homes usually contain two or more lady members, who seldom all leave home together. In the majority of homes in this country afternoon tea is not often served except on the "at home" days. The tea-table should harmonize with the other furnishings of the room. The cloth spread upon it is usually quite elaborately embroidered. There should be an under shelf for the reception of the soiled cups that should be covered with a cloth to match. The tea-kettle may be heated on a stand placed on a table, but one resting on a small support- 118 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. ing stand will be found more convenient, therefore better. Besides cups, saucers, spoons, sugar bowl, cream pitcher, sugar tongs and tea caddy, you will want a pretty slop bowl, a tea strainer, a tea cozy, a match holder and a cut glass bottle for the alcohol used for fuel. These should, of course, be as hand- some as your means will allow, and all should har- monize exquisitely, no matter what their price may be. There is another tea that is really more of a recep- tion, which usually has some designating word pre- ceding it in the title. Those who frequent church socials are familiar with the "Pink Tea," ''Blue Tea," "Yellow Tea," etc., but many have not become acquainted with it as a form of entertainment in private homes. These teas are always invitation affairs. The des- ignating word used in the invitation tells the guest what color will be used in decorating the rooms and the table. The hostess and those whom she chooses to help her receive usually wear the same color, and the guests either wear something of the same color or something that harmonizes nicely. The refresh- ments, while light, are more varied than at the ordi- nary tea, and guests remove their hats before entering the room. Ordinarily tea is served from seven to nine, after which guests may fill appointments for the evening. This is almost a reception, but less formal, and gives a fine opportunity for introducing a daughter or a guest from out of town, who is to re- main some time and for whom the hostess desires in- vitations. TEAS. 119 To serve this tea nicely, several small tables should be provided, each presided over by a lady of the household or an intimate friend, and chairs should be at hand that guests may seat themselves at one of the tables when ready to be served. A maid should be at hand to remove soiled dishes and napkins and provide fresh ones, as desired. To make any afternoon tea delightful, the guests must come, not because it is a social duty, but be- cause they always enjoy themselves so much that they never dream of remaining away. This is never the case unless the hostess is hospitable at heart. She must have the same feeling that prompted her grand- mother to invite her friends to bring their work and stay all the afternoon, so as to have a **good, old- fashioned talk." Grandmother usually had supper ready at five o'clock. A second cup of tea was poured after the men folks left the table, and hostess and guest sipped it slowly while they enjoyed the best part of the day together. That was really the beginning of the five o'clock tea. It has become of importance be- cause it was started on a foundation of real friendli- ness and genuine hospitality; but its decline has begun, if one may judge by the air of freezing formal- ity that characterizes most of the society functions known as "Teas." Dear friends, do have a proper regard for one of our most ancient and respected of entertainments, and don't give an afternoon tea of any description unless you have inherited a little of your grand- mother's hospitality! DINNERS. A dinner has become so formal and so important a form of entertainment that it cannot be fairly dealt with in a book like this. Every well-selected library has its book on dinner-giving, and every up-to-date book store will show you books by the dozen on this all-important subject. So these remarks will simply be thrown out as suggestions to the timid young wife who is about to give her first dinner. The menu must be considered even before the invi- tations are thought of. The usual courses are as follows: Oysters, soup, fish, roast, poultry and game, entrees, salads, sorbet, dessert. These may be brought on in many courses, or simply in four or five, as the hostess prefers. Following will be found a copy of a menu taken from the White House at the close of a dinner once given there: Oysters on the Half Shell. Consomme. Fried Smelts. Sause Tartare. Duchess Potatoes. Sherry. Boned Capon. Roast Ham. Champagne. Sauce. Madeira. Sweet-breads. Braise. Quails. Claret. Port. Broiled Woodcock. Canvas-back Duck. Chambertin. Cauliflower. Spinnach. French Peas. Stewed Tomatoes. Chateau Yquem. Frozen Pudding. Biscuits Diplomats. Assorted Cakes. Fruit. Brandy. Coffee. Cordials. 120 DINNERS. 121 A simpler menu served in four courses at a most successful dinner was as follows: Bouillon. Broiled Whitefish. Mashed Potatoes. Roast Beef. Roast Pheasant. Salad of Fresh Tomatoes. Glazed Onions. Cauliflower. Custard. Fruit. Ices. Coffee. One will not give many dinners before discovering that, although it is important that the food should be well selected, well cooked and well served, it is no less important that the guests should be well selected and well placed at the table. The trials and vexations of dinner-giving are manifold, but the triumph, when achieved, more than repays one because, since there are few who can give successful dinners, it is consid- ered worth while to strive to be one of the few. The dinner hour is usually set somewhere between seven and nine o'clock, and every one should endeav- or to arrive in time. It sometimes lasts three and four hours, but guests should really not be kept seat- ed more than an hour and a half. Gentlemen should always appear in full dress. Ladies are usually seen decollette in fine society, but not necessarily so; they should, however, be as handsomely dressed as their wardrobe will allow. Music and recitations may follow the dinner, when the guests should delay their departure in order to hear them. Otherwise they should take their leave as soon after leaving the table as they can do so gracefully. For a formal dinner the invitations should be en- graved in the regulation style. For little informal 122 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. dinners a cordial note written in the first person is better. For instance, it might be something as fol- lows: Dear Mrs. Hamilton: Will you and Mr. Hamilton dine with us on Thursday, the twentieth, at half-past seven, to meet Mr. and Mrs. Gray quite informally? Sin- cerely yours, Carrie Carlyle. The hostess often provides dinner cards on which poetical quotations, conundrums, etc., are inscribed, in order to give her guests something to talk about, and thus provide against dullness. If possible, one or two good conversationalists— those who are witty being preferred — should be invited. There are many newspaper jokes about the professional diner-out; nevertheless, he is often quite indispensable to the successful dinner, for there are few guests who can make themselves entertaining at such times, no matter how vivacious they may be on other occa- sions. One hostess adopted the plan of having a general change of partners at the end of each course, the la- dies keeping their seats, but the gentlemen being required to move three seats to the left. This had the desired effect, so far as sprightliness of conversa- tion was concerned, but they who like formality com- plain that it lacks dignity, and so few have followed her plan. When, however, the hostess feels convinced that, of all the persons invited, only the dullest or those least congenial to each other are to be present, she might try this plan, and save her dinner from being classed among the dismal failures. Most of those who give dinners will tell you that , DINNERS. 123 only a small proportion of the Invitations sent out are accepted, for this is a busy world, and most people find it impossible to keep up with all the social de- mands. So it is quite possible that you will discover, at almost the last moment, that those upon whom you had most depended to sustain conversation are not to be present. You should, therefore, take no steps toward dinner-giving until you have decided what to do in such an emergency, and to decide this you must read what literature you can find on the subject, in order to know what others have done. WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES. Wedding anniversaries offer the best of opportuni- ties for the informal entertainment of one's friends, and this fact is becoming more and more recognized every year. Only relatives and those who are consid- ered friends should be invited. When mere acquaint- ances are sent invitations, it makes the affair look too much like a polite way of asking for a gift. This is felt so much by people of refined tastes that we fre- quently see cards of invitation to a wedding anni- versary bearing the words, *'No Gifts," a custom that is becoming popular for the wedding itself. It is a pleasure to mark the years of wedded life by enter- taining one's friends, and it is a pity to deprive one's self of this pleasure because of the gift question. One couple solved the diffxculty by sending notes of invitation instead of cards, when their silver wedding was to be celebrated, in which they explained that no gifts were to be purchased, but silver coin would be acceptable, provided not more than a dollar was of- fered by any one person. The couple were so well off that they could not be accused of being mercenary, yet considerable curiosity was aroused. A beautiful ]2t WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES. 125 box stood in a conspicuous place, and guests were directed to deposit their offerings therein. It was afterward learned that the money was to be used to pay the expenses of a motherless girl who desired to attend business college, and every one felt that an anniversary could not have been more fittingly cele- brated. The cards of invitation issued for these anniversa- ries are all pretty much alike as to wording. They bear the date of the wedding and the present date, and may or may not bear the maiden name of the wife. The following is considered good style: 1873. 1898. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Barker, at Home May Tenth, 1898. Silver Wedding. 1204 Vine Place. at eight o'clock. This style is also good: 1873. 1898. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Barker request the pleasure of your company, on Wednesday, May Tenth, at eight o'clock. Silver Wedding. Henry Barker. Mary Wells. If possible the bride dresses in her wedding gar- ments, and the ceremony is performed just as it had been the first time. As many as possible of one's oldest acquaintances should be present, to have the celebration entirely satisfactory, and when the same pastor and the same bridesmaids can be present, the entertainment is sure to be satisfactory. A professional decorator says that green and white should be the color scheme for wooden weddings, 126 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. pink and white for tin weddings, red for crystal wed- dings, blue for linen weddings, silver and rose color for silver weddings, and yellow for golden weddings. In decorating the rooms special attention should be given the background of the bridal couple during the ceremony, just as is done for first weddings. In- deed, many times these anniversaries are much more elaborate than the first one had been — bridesmaids, groomsmen, ushers, maids of honor, flower girls, etc., all being present, and the general hilarity of the occa- sion is not lessened when these important personages are not informed of the honor to be imposed upon them until shortly before the performance of the cere- mony. The wedding cake, with the hidden ring, is usually seen at these anniversary weddings, although it does not so often appear at the real wedding, because the guests do not care to soil their gloves hunting for the ring. * 41 * * ♦ * The wooden wedding is the first of the anniversary entertainments to be recognized. It celebrates the fifth anniversary day. It is customary to have the invitations written on birch bark, or done in fancy letters on thin board. Sheets of thin wood may be purchased for this pur- pose. Wooden dishes are used in serving refresh- ments, and the name cards are of wood. The rooms are decorated to give as rustic an appearance as pos- sible. The first of the evening is given to the informal re- WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES. 127 ception of the guests and to the wedding and con- gratulations, after which the guests are ushered into the dining-room. The latter part of the evening may be devoted to any form of entertainment prepared by the hostess. When dancing is not to be on the programme, the hostess should arrange this beforehand, and should proceed to carry out her plans immediately upon the return of the guests from the dining-room. On the particular occasion about to be described, the guests were supplied with cards and pencils upon their return to the parlors, then small blocks of wood were passed around, each having a number pasted upon it. There were as many numbers written down the left side of the cards as there were blocks, and the guests were asked to write the name of each block of wood on their cards, opposite the number it bore. Some of the blocks were highly polished, some left natural. Some were taken from the limb of the tree, others from the trunk, and many of the guests, seeing the two blocks from the same tree, did not recognize their relationship. The hostess had been a long time gathering these blocks, and nearly every kind of wood was represented, forming an interesting and curious study at any time, and a particularly appro- priate form of entertainment for a wooden wedding. When all the blocks had been examined by the guests the hostess read from a list she had prepared of the correct names, and cards were marked accordingly, the one making the most correct guesses receiving first prize, which was, of course, of wood. 128 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. Next, sheets of paper were passed among the guests containing the following names of thirteen trees: 1. A solid, tenacious, easily molded substance, and a part of the hand. 2. A ruminant quadruped of the feminine gender. 3. To show grief, and a machine in which cotton, wool or flax is opened and cleansed. 4. Neat, without elegance or dignity. 5. Ill, ill, ill. 6. A nick-name, a vowel and an external covering. 7. Used for puddings and a part of the hand. 8. A near and dear relative. 9. A vegetable and a Scottish word denoting possession. 10. A partner, came together, and a part of the human body. 11. A green muskmelon pickled. 12. A drink, and a lineal measure. 13. A coat or covering. The list read by the hostess, from which the differ- ent papers were corrected, was as follows: 1. Wax palm. 2. Yew. 3. Weeping willow. 4. Spruce. 5. Sycamore. 6. Tamarind. 7. Sago palm. 8 Paw-paw. 9. Plantain. 10. Palmetto. 11. Mango. 12. Cocoa palm. 13. Fir. A similar list of better-known trees may easily be made, if preferred. When the one guessing the most of the hidden trees had received his prize — a carved photograph frame — a game of an entirely different nature was started, for the guests* were tired of sitting still. Four rows of wooden soldiers, four in a row, were placed at one end of the room. They were each ten inches in WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES. 12^ height, ahd bore a number on the front of their uni- forms, and they were fastened to narrow strips of board that enabled them to stand quite firmly. Sides were chosen, dividing the guests into two parties, and then all took turns in rolling a wooden ball across the floor, with the intention of knocking over one or more of the soldiers. Tally was kept under the name of each leader. If the person rolled the ball without hitting a soldier^ ten was deducted from the leader's score card. If it touched the soldier, but without sufficient force to knock it over, but five was deducted. For every sol- dier knocked over, the leader who had chosen the player counted as many points as were indicated on the fallen soldier's uniform. The sixteen soldiers were numbered, respectively, five, ten, fifteen, tw^enty, and so on up to eighty, and they were placed, at the beginning of the game, without regard to their num- bers. The excitement increased toward the last of the game, when there were few soldiers left standing, and every failure subtracted from the score card. The party who was successful in bringing down the last soldier not only counted the number he bore, but one hundred in addition. The side winning two out of three games — that is, having the largest count when? the last soldier had fallen — was pronounced victo- rious. These soldiers may be purchased at the toy shops in the larger cities, but they are easily made by any one at all handy with tools. They afford much en- joyment, and in this instance were considered quite 130 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. appropriate by the guests who helped celebrate this "wooden wedding, « vis H( « :}( « The tin wedding celebrates the next anniversary of importance, coming with the tenth year of married life. Bright tin dishes are seen on the table, coffee, tea, etc., being served In tin cups. If one is acquaint- ed with a hardVvRre merchant, these mr.y usually be liired for the occasion. Tin dishes take the places of the vases for the Howers used in decorating the rooms. Tin shavings are also conspicuous in the scheme of decoration. The invitations are painted on tin, and may be very artistic. The name cards are also of tin. Sometimes holes are made in the top, through which a ribbon is drav/n, and after the party the name cards and invitations are tied together, forming a very dainty souvenir. I-Iere, as at all other anniversary entertainments, the first part of the evening is devoted to the recep- tion, wedding ceremony, etc., but after the wedding supper games appropriate to the occasion are in order. At one tin wedding one of the guests was sent from the room, v/hile the remainder decided upon a word that he must guess. The word **lie" was chosen, and each one was informed that he must answer the question put to him, making use of that word, but in- stead of speaking it he must say "tinware." The Questioner was then called in. "Whom do yovi like best?" he asked the person nearest the door. WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES. 131 ^'Should I tell you now I should probably tinware, although I cannot tinware acceptably at any time," was the reply. *'What do you hate?" he asked the next player. "Strong decoctions of tinware," replied the player, referring to the v/ord lye. Her answer was good, be- cause the pronunciation, not the spelling of a word, governs this game. ''Where do ycu live?" was asked the next player. "Yv^herever my head will tinware without bringing on concussion of the brain," was the reply. "What is your favorite house plant?" was the next question. "The tinware-ken, v/hen it can be made to grow in the house," promptly responded the one questioned, to the great amusement of the others, and the ques- tioner did not guess that she had referred to lichen. Her reply was called good, because she had chosen a v/ord containing a syllable of the same sound as the chosen word. "What is your favorite flower?" was asked the fifth player. "The perfume of tinware-lacs in some respects, al- though the rose is entirely satisfactory as a whole," was the mystifying response. When the questioner had guessed the word he told who had given him the first intimation of it, and the person was obliged to become questioner, leaving the room while another word was chosen, and so the game continues. When tired of this amusement, the old-fashioned 132 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. game of "Tinware," with modern improvements, was introduced. One of the guests was sent from the room, while the others settled upon a word that must be the name of some article of tinware. Then he was called back, entering with a cane with which he tapped upon the floor before one of the guests, saying:. *'Tin, tin! Let me in. Want to buy any tin to-day?" "Yes," replies the person addressed, "if you have what we want." "Y/hat is it like?" the tinman then asks. "Like the girl to whom you intrusted a secret," was the reply. "Like part of a girl's wearing apparel," said the next player. "Like my memory," added the next. "Like a leaky boat," said the fourth, and the tin- man promptly informed him that he had a sieve for sale. The fourth player then gave the tinman his seat and left the room, while another article of tinware was decided upon. This time it w-as a dipper. When the tinman entered, he was obliged to knock before the fifth player first, for each of the players was to )j reply in turn. To the question "What is it like?" the following i] replies were given: Like an amateur rower. Like a bather. Like a diving bird. Like a speculator in wheat. Like part of the great bear. The fifth reply gave the tinman the word "dipper," I V/EDDING ANNIVERSARIES. 133 and sent the player making it from the room. A pan was the next word decided upon, and the replies were as follows: Like part of a skull. Like part of a gun Like the depths of the earth. Like part of a miner's outfit Like a character in mythoiog-y. Like the verb develop. "Pan," said the tinner triumphantly. He thought he had the word v/hen the fourth reply was made, but asked two others what it was like, in order to make sure of it. At the beginning of the game each player had been given five tin counters, which he wished to get rid of. They were simply small, circular bits of tin, that may be procured of any tinner at small cost. When the player answered a question without being caught, he handed one of his counters to the tinman. If the word was guessed at the close of his reply, he was obliged to keep his counter and become tinm.an, too. Of course each tinman was anxious to guess the v/ord as soon as possible, because every question gave him one more counter, but if he became in too much of a hurry and guessed the wrong word each of the other players gave him a counter. If he was obliged to give up without guessing the word, the other tinmen gave him the counters which had come to them as tinmen — not those with which they had been first supplied. It is a game, as will be seen, where "plenty of tin" does not bring honor. The evening was closed v/ith a game called "the tintinnabulation of the bells." 134 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. One of the party was blindfolded and given a long reed for a wand. Then the others, standing in a circle around him, began to sing, "Ding-dong-ding- dong-ding-dong bell!" each doing his best to imitate the tones of a bell. The blindfolded party listened attentively, then placed his wand on the singer, guessing the name. If the guess was good, the two exchanged places, and the new "blind man'* was given the wand. It was a ridiculous form of enter- tainment, but afforded the company much amuse- ment. H: 4: 4e 4: * * The crystal v/edding takes place on the fifteenth an- niversary. It is a nice idea to have the cards of invitation and the name cards of mica, cut to suit the taste, with the lettering done in red ink. The lavish use of glass in decorating the rooms which this anniversary demands makes it one of the most brilliant entertainments to an observer. It is not easy for even the most ingenious hostess to arrange a programme for the after-dinner hour of this entertainment that shall appear entirely appro- priate, but it was done at a crystal wedding not long since in the following way: A table six feet square was brought into the room. It was homemade, and rested upon pine supports at either end in the form of an X, like an old-fashioned cot bed. It would be a good plan to make it so that it would fold up like a folding table. The top was cov- ered with a good quality of colored Canton flannel, WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES. 135 stretched tightly across it and glued on. Holes had been bored in the center, at each corner, and midway between each corner, and shallow pockets of Canton flannel were tacked beneath them. Two steel arches were placed over the center pocket, diagonally. A thin strip was nailed around the edge of the table, forming a guard an inch high. Two of the guests, a gentleman and lady, were then selected as captains and set to choosing sides. When all the guests had been chosen, the lady called one of her company to the table, and the gentleman immediately selected one of his to act in opposition. If the lady called a lady he selected a gentleman, and vice versa, and they took the initiative alternately, for he had an advan- tage who could see the player selected by the other side before calling up his own. The tv/o players were each given a little hammer,, such as are sold in toy shops at five cents each, and six marbles, measuring about an inch in diameter. There was another marble of the same size, but differ- ent in color, known as the **dog." The lady chosen must open the game by placing the dog near one of the corner pockets, and one of her marbles half way betv/een the dog and the center pocket. She must then endeavor to hit the dog with her hammer in such a way as to drive her own mar- ble into the center pocket. Should she succeed, which will be difiicult because the arches are placed diag- onally over the center pocket, she takes her marble out and places it at a distance of one foot from the center pocket in any direction she prefers. The "dog'* 138 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. is then placed close to any of the oiUslde pockets, and she tries to drive her marble into oije oi aiem. Snould she fail to do to at Iha m;^t trlai t^^ie laarole must re- main where it rolls while her coixipanlon piays. No one is allowed two knocks in sucees;:5ion, li the first is a failure. When the iady tries again alie may either take a new marble or play v/ith the iirst one started, according as her judgmeiit dlrecis. Some players start all their marbles, removln,;^ them from the center pocket when entered, placing them in posi- tion, then starting another. Each player can continue the game uninterruptedly until he fails to land a marble in a pocket, when he must wait for his oppo- nent to play. The game is to see Y/hieh one will first lodge three balls in a straight row. When that is ac- complished, the captain who had chosen the success- ful player counts one, the tvro players are seated, and two more are chosen, who begin a new game. When .all have played, or v/hen the game has continued for a certain length of time, as shall have been decided tipon beforehand, the scores are then corQpared, and iome sort of reward bestov/ed upon the victorious side. A good player endeavors to lodge his marbles across one end and one side of the table, because a double three can then be counted, which adds two marks to his side. If he sees that his antagonist has a marble dangerously close to one of the pockets w^hich he wishes to enter, he can use his ''strike'* in sending it out of the way. Should he make a mis- take and send it into a pocket, it remains there and WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES. 137 is counted in her favor, just as if she had sent it there herself. That is the reason why some players get all their marbles on the table as soon as possible — they hope to get them in the way so that their an- tagonist must drive them into a pocket in spite of his efforts to the contrary. Every marble must be driven into the center pocket before it can be played. If the first knock is not successful it must be taken from the board v/hile the other party plays. The hammer must never touch any marble except that known as the "dog." This game is much more quickly played than de- scribed. It is very fascinatjiig, and usually serves to entertain a company an entire evening. It is not at all difficult to make the table, and the marbles are not expensive. It is a good home game that will more than repay the cost. Several can play at a time, if desired, or there may be four vv^ho play partners. The marbles make it suitable as an enter- tainment for a crystal v/edding. If, however, you do not vash to go to the trouble of preparing for this entertainment, you raip-Iit try the old-fashioned game, **hull-gull," using tv^^o different colors of glass beads. This was tried at an enter- tainment, and was made quite an interesting game by first dividing the guests into tvs'o companies, who were opposed to each other. If a literary savor is desired, first have "Pembroke," by Mary E. Wilkins, read aloud by some one v/ho can make the company feel the little boy's love ]!or the game. Guessing the height of celery glasses, pickle dishes. 138 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. etc., may also be made interesting, especially if some slight reward is offered for the guesses. If you can afford to spend considerable money on the entertainment, you can make the crystal wedding quite a gorgeous affair. You can hire a few of those musical geniuses, who make pretty music by rubbing their fingers around tumblers, to come at a stated hour and play for your guests. You can hire a man from the nearest museum who will, by means of skill- fully arranged mirrors, show your guests ghosts, be- headed girls and all manner of strange, unexpected and uncanny tableaux at very little expense for the stage settings. Then you might hire a set of the mirrors which give back various distorted reflections, causing consternation and amusement to all who look into them. At one crystal wedding a large attic was furnished with mirrors in excellent imitation of **The Maze" that was so popular at the World's Fair. ***** !F Twenty years of married life brings the linen wedding. There is a suggestion among the Scottish people to the effect that death is sure to take one ox the married pair if they even allude to this anniver- sary during: the year, and so it is never celebrated by thein. Among a majority of *'01d Country" people it has been considered unlucky to celebrate this day, but of late that feeling is dying away. Among the prettiest parties given by society people during the last few years may be mentioned the linen wed- ding. WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES. 139 The invitations are written on squares of linen in indelible ink, and the name cards are also of linen. Linen is used freely about the rooms, linen lace work- ing into decorative scheme most effectively. The flax flower is, of course, conspicuous whenever it can be obtained. The artificial flower may be used in many places, as well as the natural blossoms. The center-pieces, doilies, etc., used on the table should be embroidered with flax flowers in natural colors. While the guests are at supper an old-fashioned spinning-wheel should be brought into the parlors in readiness for a spinning contest, which may be con- ducted as described in the entertainment, "A Spin- ning Party." In addition to this the ideas given in the entertain- ment, *'A Modern Sewing Bee," might be utilized, with the e ception that the sewing should be on linen instead of millinery. The twenty-fifth anniversary is celebrated by the silver wedding. Silver letters on either blue or rose- colored cards are pretty and appropriate for the in- vitations, and the same combination of colors will be found effective in decorating the rooms. As the friends of one's youth are usually invited to these anniversaries, in so far as that is possible, the majority of the guests at this entertainment will be no longer young, and the hostess will, of course, ar- range for amusement of a more dignified character than the games described in the preceding pages. There should be a literary and musical programme. 140 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. representing artists of as superior ability as the length of the purse will allow. ****** The golden wedding, which is the fiftieth anniver- sary of the wedding day, should be celebrated most impressively. Unlike the other anniversaries, all the trouble and expense should be borne by the rela- tives and friends of the old couple to be honored. The color scheme is yellow, as a matter of course. Invi- tation and name cards should be printed in gold let- ters. The entertainment is usually in the form of a re- ception, and care is taken to have everything pass off as smoothly and rapidly as possible, so as not to tire the old people unnecessarily. If other entertain- ment is desired, it should be short, and of a nature pleasing to the aged, but, as a rule, the reception is quite taxing enough. A MEETING OF CELEBRITffiS. You are cordially invited to attend a meeting of celeb- rities, to be held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. H. JO. Washburn, Monday evening, March fifth. The above invitation brought many curious people together on the appointed evening. As soon as the guests entered the parlor a slip of paper was pinned to the back of their clothing, where others could see and read it, but they could not see it themselves. Each slip contained the name of some noted person or of some character in fiction. They were then to try to discover, by judicious questioning, what name they bore. Am I male or female? Real or imaginary? Living or dead? Of what nationality? How old? The above are a few of the questions most often asked. At this particular party a rule was made that only three questions should be asked of a person at any one time. As the guests entered a tally card was given to each, and was fastened, by a silk cord, to a con- venient buttonhole. As soon as a guest haa discovered 141 142 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. her identity, or thought she had, she went to the hostess and said, "I believe 1 am so-and-so." If she were correct, the hostess punched her tally card, re- moved the slip of paper from her back and pinned another in its place. The person who had her card punched oftenest was then suitably rewarded. In the case referred to she received a booklet made of mounted photographs of celebrities, tied together with gold cord. This game filled the first part of the evening, and was followed by refreshments. The latter part of the evening was given to "living pictures" of celebrities. These had been arranged beforehand so that the gen- tleman who was to pose as Micawber knew what was expected of him, and came prepared. A collection of engravings of famous characters was of great use in getting up this part of the programme. Among the guests present was one who needed but very little change to make him look startlingly like pictures of Lincoln, and another who was greeted with cheers when he appeared as Gladstone. The hostess was so fortunate as to number among her acquaintances one who had considerable stage experience and so understood the art of ''making up." He was of great assistance in helping to pose celebri- ties, and that part of the entertainment v/as, as a consequence, much more artistic than it would other- wise have been. But every one does not have a friend who can afford such assistance, and there are those who, for various reasons, could not have the ''living pictures." To A MEETING OF CELEBRITIES. 143 such the following Giiggestions are offered for the latter part of the evening devoted to celebrities: Ask the guests to come pre^iared to give a short sketch of^some noted person or character, using the first instead of the third person. For instance, one will say: *'I was born in Eng- land in 1848. In 1864 I v/as married for the first time. My second husband died in 18S5. The greater part of my life has been spent on the stage, where I achieved a world-wide reputation. I am not tragic, and have assumed few tragic roles. I played Ophelia under the management of Mr. Henry Irving. I also played Katharine in *'The Taming of the Shrew," and Mr. Irving took the leading part. I v/as eight years of age when I played Mamilius in *A Y/inter's Tale.' " Before beginning this part of the entertainment, all of the guests must have been supplied with blank cards and pencils. As each person finishes his story his name is writ- ten on the card with that of the celebrity he is sup- posed to represent. When all have had an opportu- nity, each one may be asked three questions about himself before the cards are exchanged for correction, in order that the guests may have an opportunity to verify their guesses. Some souvenir should be given the gentleman and lady making the largest number of correct guesses. In this, as in every game calling for knowledge, attention should not be called to the one making the smallest number of correct guesses. A "consolation prize" must of necessity be an insult. There are few who cannot take a part in this enter- 144 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. tainment, and no one who will not enjoy it. There will not be many in any company who will be able to place a large proportion of the celebrities, but those who can get but few will still enjoy hearing the sto- ries. Where the party is small, the guests might each assume two parts. Another interesting way in which to spend the lat- ter part of this evening is as follows: The guests are all seated around a long table in the center of the room. Several small tables may be placed together to form one long one. A basket of cards is then passed around, every guest drawing one. Each card contains the name of some celebrity. Other cards are scattered along the table within easy reach of all, and it is explained that three of these belong to each card held by the guests, forming a sketch of the life of the celebrity whose name it con- tains. For instance, suppose one gentleman has drawn a card bearing the name of IGNAZ JOHANNB PaDEREWSKI. He then hunts among the cards en the table until he finds one with this written upon it: Born in Podolia, Russian Poland, in 1860. Parents be- longed to the nobility; but, owing to oppression, were unknown. He makes another search, and finds a second card that seems to suit his purpose. It reads: At twelve he attended the conservatory at Warsaw. At nineteen he married. At twenty he was a widower. Then he began studying under Prof. Leschtitsky at Vienna, making his first public appearance that samo year. Two years later he created a sensation in Paris by his rendering of Chopin's compositions. A MEETING OF CELEBRITIES. 145: The third card might read as follows: He came to America in 1891, and gave sixty-four con- certs, for which he received about one hundred and forty thousand dollars. No prizes are offered with this game, for the pur- pose is to promote conversation, not incite rivalry. Whenever a person finds a card that would seem to fit the sketch his neighbor is building, he is expected to hand it over, and advice should be freely asked and offered. The cards in the center of the table should be well mixed, in order that every guest may see them. all. Four cards instead of three may form the sketch, if. desired. This entertainment calls for considerable prepara-^ tory work, but when the cards are once prepared you have a game that will amuse on many different oc- casions, and one of which one may be very proud. If preferred, the work may be done on a type-writer, and the strips pasted on slips of cardboard the length of the type-written line. The strips of paper might be used without being pasted to the cardboard, but would be more easily lost or torn. A book should be pre- pared for the hostess, each page of which is devoted to one of the chosen celebrities. The pages should be arranged alphabetically for convenience as a book of reference. At the top of the page write, for instance, Paderewski. Next— 1. Bom in Podolia, Russian Poland, 1860. 2. At twelve attended conservatory at Warsaw. 3. He came to America in 1891. 146 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. As will be seen, the figures refer to the number of the card, showing the first line of each and the order in which they should appear. When a guest thinks he has his sketch finished, he reads it aloud, while the hostess refers to her book. If he is correct he can then assist a neighbor, or, if cards are not all out, he may draw another and begin again. ENTERTAINING CHILDREN. It requires genius of a high order to be able to en- tertain children wisely and well. This is especially true of the children of this generation, who, like their parents, are mere bundles of nerves, and, consequent- ly, capricious, excited, discontented and hard to please. It is really a good rule to provide the simplest and most unconventional modes of entertainment when the party is made up of children who have been pam- pered from babyhood, keeping the more ceremonious affairs for the little folks who have been obliged to provide their own amusements, for change is abso- lutely necessary to the happiness of the children. In the juvenile entertainments of the present day there is too much striving for effect. They are dis- tinguished by methods original, charming, artistic and expensive, absolutely delightful to mammas, but neither healthy nor entertaining for the little folks. They increase an inherited love of display, and sow seeds of envy and discontent. There is nothing child- like about them. 147 148 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. In the entertainments for children selected for this little book care has been used that nothing should be admitted that would seem to have a tendency to make little society women of our girls and miniature dandies of our boys. AN OLD-FASHIONED PARTY, Nellie Brown's classmates had been invited to an old-fasxiioned party, and they were very curious as to the sort of entertainment that might be looked for, but to all their questioning they received this reply: **Just a regular, old-fashioned party." When they arrived Nellie informed them that they would have a game of "Adam and Eve" as a starter. It had teen played by mamma when she was a little girl. They all joined hands, forming a ring; then tv o boys were blindfolded and placed inside the ringj where they each chose a girl to join them. One cour^^ was ramed Adam and Eve, the other Naomi rrd El'me'erh, and it was the duty of Adam to catch Eve. while Ellmelech sought to capture Naomi. As both h^ys were blindfolded they frequently caught the v;r^r>o- oriri. pt-6. more frequently caught each cthe^. c^ o-r^f^ o^ those fcnr^'ng the ring, all of which prided to +hp prniisemeTit. When Eve and Naomi had been cpj-'^hf thev were bUridfolded and each chose a pPTfr.oT' *-n^ry^ f>>p rirtjr wbiip the two bovs first blind- folded took the places of ■'•>»e newly chosen. 149 150 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. Whenever the person who was blindfolded called his partner he was obliged to respond, and the fre- quent calls of **0h, Elimelech, where are you?'* or "Adam, speak to me," or "Eve, Eve, where are you now?" were funny to hear. When tired of this play there was a division of the guests into two parties — a boy and a girl choosing sides as for a spelling school. Two hats were then passed around, each containing slips of paper, and every guest drew one slip from each hat. One con- tained a written question, the other an answer, and. of course, they bore no relation to each other, for care had been taken to mix them well. They were, besides, as ridiculous as young minds could make them. The leader on one side read his question and an- swer to himself, then he was obliged to step before the members of the other and ask the question, giv- ing the answer. He must not laugh while doing so. although the "enemies" had the privilege of doing everything in their power, save touching him, to make him laugh. If they succeeded he was sent to the "hospital" (a place at one end of the room where all the couches and easy chairs had been moved), and the side which he had represented lost one member. Then the leader on the other side stepped forward and went throrgh the same ordeal. Oh, then, how the companions of the vanquished one did strive to be revensred! Py the time 99ch one hJ^d rp?^d his auestion and an- swer few members remained on either side, but the AN OLD-FASHIONED PARTY. 151 hats were passed again, and the game continued until there was but one who had not laughed. He received a buttonhole bouquet as a reward. Although all complained of aching sides, from so much laughing, they were anxious to try again, so the slips of paper were returned to their respective hats, thoroughly mixed and drawn again. Of course they were as new as they had been in the first place, be- cause new combinations were formed, and just as funny. The one whose turn had come to read his was obliged to step before the others and say, ''Ladies, I am asked this" (reads the question). *'My answer is" (reads the answer). This form was insisted upon, because it kept the^ poor victim on the rack a little longer. When one knows that he must try to keep at straight face, and then tries to say before a grinning; and unsympathetic audience, "Ladies and gentlemen^ I am asked this: *Why does a goat lower his head when saluting a gentleman in retreat?' My answer is: *He was married last year,* " he has a difi3.cult task before him. It should be explained that many more questions and answers must be prepared than there are guests„ for some can control themselves so well that they draw several times. It might also be explained that, at the party in question, a smile did not count unless the lips parted, but a snicker, or even the most quickly suppressed giggle, was counted against one. 152 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. When this game was ended refreshments were brought in, for the young people were, to quote one of the boys, "tired inside and out," with so much laughing, and wanted a rest before beginning any- thing else. The children who gave the party had ordered re- freshments according to their ideas of old-fashioned parties. They consisted of apples, popcorn, ginger- bread, candy and lemonade. They were brought into the room and set upon a large table, and the guest^i were invited to help themselves. It was an uncere- monious way of doing things, but highly satisfactory to all present, and more than an hour was given to eating, drinking and making merry. A quiet game was next decided upon, and the dumb band was organized. The guests were seated in a circle, including the hostess, who had agreed to be the leader. Then the players were told the name of an instrument that had been assigned them. One was to play the piano, another the flute, another the Jews- harp, and so on. There were more guests than in- struments, and so there were two violinists, two ban- Joists, etc. Each was to go through the motions of playing on the instrument selected, but, of course, there was no instrument, and not a loud sound of any sort was made. The leader was to beat time, but whenever she thought a player was not paying attention she immediately ceased beating time and began playing liis instrument. He should then begin beating time «at once, to prove that he had watched her every lea(f Cr fCT- 6v'< the f; v- i". d . ][ one V, UO 1 ^. Oi mat COi or CCli agpj n '>.?!. f?.llei AN OLD-FASHIONED PARTY. 153 movement. If he failed to do so he was sent away in disgrace. When the leader began playing an in- strument that had* been assigned two parties, both must begin to beat time, continuing until informed which player the leader was trying to "freeze out,'* as the process of discharging a member is called. Usually, licweTer, one of the players is caught imme- diately, and fccmetimes two are sent away at once. A small ribbc:\ ladr-e is pinned to the shoulder of the per^cn he manages to expel from owever, he takes the instrument of lie alf-ru he loses the leadership as a '., a?Kl cap win no more badges until In order to he chosen a player often preter.dfc to le inatleniive, Tviiea, as a fact, he is un- usuall3' \y'do av-ake. This is a most ridiculous gaioe, and usually sends the svcc-acors into pe?.ls of laughter, but it requires alert re^.s, ond ?s sine as n player begins to laugh he is lost. The evening was iinished with a game of *'dumb crambo." The guests v/ere divided into companies of six, who took turns in leaving the room. A word was then selected by those v/ho remained, and a word rhym- ing with it mentioned to the party in the outer room, who then proceeded to act other rhyming words until they found the correct one. For instance, the company who first left the room were told that they must act a word that rhymed with "dell." One of them immediately came in ring- ing a small tea bell. 154 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. **No," said the audience. **It is not bell." It will be observed that the audience is obliged to guess what word the company is acting, while the company guesses the word the audience wishes acted. Sell, tell, well and Nell were acted, all to no pur- pose; but when "cell" was represented it was pro- nounced the right one. This entertainment, while especially designed for quite young people, can be given with satisfaction to those of larger growth, who have not grown too old to enjoy a good, old-fashioned romp. A PUNCH AND JUDY PARTY, A lady living in a flat where children could not in- dulge in noisy games without disturbing the neigh- bors once gave a Punch and Judy party to her little daughter's friends. The notes of invitation were as follows: Sir Punch and Lady Judy will entertain the friends of Miss Myrtle Bland between the hours of three and five, on Saturday afternoon, January 17. You are cordially in- vited to be present. When the little folks arrived their wraps were re- moved, and they were seated in kindergarten chairs which had been hired for the occasion, and were arranged in a semi-circle around, and at a little distance from a sort of stage at the end of the parlor. Between this stage and the children were stretched gay ropes made of red, white and blue bunting, loosely plaited together. These ropes were intended to prevent the children coming too closely to the stage when excitement made it impos- sible for them to keep their seats any longer. As soon as they had all arrived a personage dressed in most fantastic costume stepped forth and an- 155 156 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. nounced himself as the great Jibboree Jeth, who had come from a tar-away country, of which they never had heard, to show them some very wonderful tricks. "First," said Jibboree Jeth, **I will cause an egg to disappear from a hat, and, although you may look ever so closely, not one of you can see where it goes." He then took a man's stiff hat, blew in it, allowed the children to see the inside of it, then showed them a hen's egg, which he held in his hand. The egg was placed in the hat, and the hat covered with a large silk handkerchief. He shook the hat, and the child- ren heard the egg rolling about. Then he waved a wand over it, muttering some words quite unintelli- gible to them — any Latin verse will do nicely. The handkerchief was removed and shaken and the inside of the hat shown to the children. The egg was gone, yet the man had done nothing which they had not seen, and the h?.t had never left the table for a mo- ment. They were greatly interested, and, although the trick was repeated several times, and they made many guesses, it still remained a mystry. The explanation is this: The performer showed them a whole egg, but he had one the contents of which had been blown out through a very small hole in one end. A fine silk thread had then been passed through the egg, fastening it to the center of the handkerchief. It was left long enough to allow the egg to touch the bottom of the hat, when the hand- kerchief was spread over it. It was an easy matter to remove the egg with the handkerchief and to shake the handkerchief gently before the audience, taking A PUNCH AND JUDY PARTY. 157 care to have the egg next to the performer. The whole egg, of course, remained concealed. Suddenly the performer discovered the egg cooking in a dish of cold water on a shelf near him, and informed the children that it was swelling dreadfully. He then told them a marvelous story of a bird found in his country called the "dodo." It laid eggs that swelled to great size when boiled, and he added, after taking a second peep at the egg, that he was quite sure it was a dodo's egg. Finally he took it out and held it up to the gaze of the delighted children. It had been made as follows: Two dozen eggs had been broken, the whites being placed in one dish and the yolks in another, v/hile the shells were placed in an earthen dish that was quite new. The yolks were well mixed and then poured into a bladder, which was tied up closely, then left in water until set, as if boiled hard. This ball was then taken from the bladder and placed in a larger one, and the whites of the eggs, carefully mixed, were poured around it. The bladder was then tied compactly in the shape of an egg and boiled hard. Care was taken to keep it turning as it boiled, so that the yellow remained in the middle. The egg shells were soaked in vinegar for several hours until they became a sort of paste. The bladder was removed from the boiled egg, which was then covered with the egg-shell paste, a brush being used for the purpose. The whole was then left in water for twenty-four hours, when the shell was hard and the mammoth egg complete. It is much more easily done than one would think. 158 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. and produces an effect on little people that is not soon forgotten. Jibboree Jeth next produced several stuffed animals that looked quite stiff and inanimate when passed around among the children for examination. But he told them that he really had a great deal of trouble with them at times, and that he should be glad of any suggestions that would aid him in keeping them quiet, as stuffed animals ought to be. Through the tail of each animal he had run a tough, springy length of steel tape. When the ani- mals were returned to him he placed them on tables a little distance apart. "Poor Pussy, go to sleep,** he said to the cat, laying her on her side. He had stuck wax on the end of her tail, without being seen, of course, and then brought it around to one side, where he pressed it so that it would hold to the table. He then turned his back, treating a small dog on another table in a similar way. But the dog was hardly put to sleep when the steel in the cat's tail worked aw^ay from the wax, and the body sprang up and rolled about in a most comical manner. He rushed to the cat in pretended dismay, hushing her to sleep as he had done before, then turned his attention to still another animal; but before he could get it in order the dog began to perform. The children were soon in ecstacies of laughter over the poor man's efforts to keep his stuffed animals quiet, and were not at all ready to part with them when he, pretending to be angry, locked them into a box. Several sleight-of-hand tricks, easily done by an A PUNCH AND JUDY PARTY. 159 amateur, next claimed their attention, and, finally. Punch and Judy were brought forward. Oh, what glee there was then! For there was never a child who could not enjoy a Punch and Judy show. When it was nearly time for the children to go home they were led into the dining-room, where simple refreshments were served. They went home so excited and so happy over the wonderful things they had seen that their hostess felt more than repaid for the really small amount of time and trouble the entertainment had cost her. Any one having a young man friend who loves child- ren and knows how to talk to them, can get up such an entertainment, "Jibboree Jeth" and all, and she may be sure that, in the minds of the little folks, it will be considered the finest event of the season. A magic lantern can be used to good purpose for the first part of the entertainment, if there is no one who can carry out the programme outlined above. In that case the room should be darkened. Only such pictures should be chosen as will be likely to interest the little ones, and some one should be ready with a story of each as it appears. If he can select a series of pictures around which he can weave a story of adventure, with himself for the hero, his success will be assured from the start. A MODERN BATTLE. You are hereby invited to take part in a modem battle to be given at the home of Mr. John Crawford, on the evening of June 25, 1898. Boys will follow the leadership of Russell Crawford; girls, that of Nettie Crawford. When these invitations reached the friends of Rus- sell Crawford and his sister Nettie, they were very curious as to what might be in store for them, but the secret was carefully guarded. When the guests arrived it was ascertained that the number of boys and of girls was equal. Russell immediately formed his troops in battle array on one side of the room, while Nettie arranged hers opposite. Father, mother and Will, the big brother, came in and seated themselves at the head of the two columns, for the two former were to be judges, and Will was to be umpire and "Lord High Everything Else," as needed. After explaining the first game. Will asked of Net- tie, "What do you want for supper?" "Pie," she replied, promptly. "Pie and coffee," said Russell. 160 A MODERN BATTLE. 161 'Tie, coffee and cake," said Nettie's right-hand neighbor. "Pie, coffee, cake and sandwiches," said the boy who stood next to Russell. And so it continued, first a girl, then a boy adding a word, after repeating all that had gone before. Any one omitting a word was obliged to take his seat. Will wrote dovv'n the additions to the bill of fare, as they were mentioned, for the sake of accuracy. The game became very exciting at the last, when more than a dozen dishes had been named, and the **sol- diers" were falling rapidly. When all were dov/n on one side the others were declared winners. Then they rose again, and Will asked, *'Vv^hat do you see?" ''Piano, " replied Russell. "Piano and carpet," said Nettie. "Piano, carpet and rocking chair," was the next response, and so it continued until all were seated, as in the first instance. The third time Will asked, "What would you like to wear?" "New dress," replied Nettie. "New dress and new boots," said Russell amid a shout of laughter. "New dress, new boots and new hat," said Nettie's first soldier. "New dress, new boots, new hat and new coat," was the next response. It did not take long to decide who was the winner this time, for amid the laughter caused by the gen- 162 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. eral mixture of wearing apparel, few could remember all that had gone before. The side winning two of the three games was marked one hundred on a blackboard that had been hung against the wall for that purpose, and after a few moments devoted to laughter and general com- ments on the game, the two forces were once more drawn up in battle array. As soon as the game was explained, Russell began by saying: "Adam Anderson ate apples.'* "Adam Anderson ate apples and boys buy brooms," said Nettie. "Adam Anderson ate apples, boys buy brooms and cats catch chickens," said the third speaker. The fourth repeated what had gone before and added, "and dogs dig dates," the fifth, "and elephants eat elderberries." As will be seen, each speaker was obliged to repeat all that had gone before and add a sentence the words of which began with the next following letter in the alphabet or take his seat. This soon became so diffi- cult that the game ended quickly, and the victorious party scored thirty. Then Nettie said "A." "A boy," responded Russell. "A boy catches," said the next speaker. "A boy catches dogs," said the fourth. "A boy catches dogs every," said the fifth. "A boy catches dogs every forenoon," said the sixth. A MODERN BATTLE. 163 It was thought that the seventh soldier could not add a word and must take his seat, but they found him equal to the occasion, and the sentence was lengthened until it ended like this: "A boy catches dogs every forenoon, going in June, kicking loose mud nests on porches, quite ruinously, sometimes, too, until various women — " The one whose turn came next could not add a word beginning with X, and was obliged to take his seat; then the one next in order began a new sen- tence, using the letter "A" or some word beginning with A. When the game was ended, the victorious party scored thirty. If liked, this game may be tried three times, the side winning twice scoring one hun- dred. Next the entire party, excepting Russell and Nettie, was sent into an adjoining room and told to look around them very carefully. At the end of seven minutes they were recalled; then each one was given a pencil and paper and told to write the names of as many of the objects he had seen in that room as he could remember. Fifteen minutes later the papers were signed and then handed to Will — those written by the girls being in one pile, those by the boys in another. While refreshments were served and partaken of. Will went over the papers, making two lists of words, one for each side. These lists included the names of the different objects mentioned by each side. That is, if three girls had "clock" in their lists, it was counted but once in the list made out by Will. It 164: MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. could, of course, appear in the list made out for the boys, provided any one of them remembered to put it in. The side having the largest number of objects rep- resented scored thirty. Two pictures, or even more, were counted, provided their names were given, or they were indentined as "one picture in gilt frame," "one picture in oak frame," etc. Chairs might also be described so as to allow of more than one being counted. When the young people returned from the dining- room, they were again given pencils and paper and seated where they had a good view of a small table, behind which Will was standing. An ink well was then placed on the table, and they were told to guess its height, making a note of it on their papers something as follows: Ink well, two inches. A bottle, hat, teacup, box, vase and different ar- ticles, to the number of two dozen, were placed on the table, no two at the same time, for it was not in- tended that the young people should have the aid of comparison. When they had guessed the height of the two dozen articles the papers were exchanged, the boys taking those of the girls, and "handing theirs over to the enemy," as they expressed it. Then Will read the names of the articles in their order from a list he had previously prepared, giving their exact height. Such shouts of laughter as filled the room when the different guesses were read aloud are not often heard! The number of correct guesses was A MODERN BATTLE. 165 noted at the bottom of each paper, then the papers were exchanged again and anxiously inspected to see if they had been properly marked. Will added the number of correct guesses on each side, and the side having the larger number scored thirty. Next Will read a list of twenty-four words of three syllables each, pronouncing them very nearly as fast as an ordinary reader would read a paragraph from a book. The young people wrote as rapidly as pos- sible, but not one succeeded in getting every word. The words were then counted and the sums added, thirty being scored by the victorious party. This was the last game of the evening, which was now far advanced, and dainty boxes of bonbons were distributed among the members of the victorious **army,'* who were all generous enough to divide with the conquered. It would not do at all to tell which side won. Try giving a similar party, and then you will be prepared to say whether girls or boys would be most likely to win *'A Modern Battle." A MYSTIC CIRCLE. A party given by a twelve-year-old girl to her class not long ago bore this mysterious title, occasioning much excitement among those receiving invitations, which were as follows: Miss Nettie Blair, At Home, Wednesday, May 10th, 1898. From 3 to 6 P. M. Mystic Circle. The last two words were enclosed in a circle of tiny leaves, and a larger circle of the leaves enclosed all the words of the invitation, including the smaller circle. Miss Nettie lived so close to neighbors that it was decided that the guests must be amused as quietly as possible, and so an elder sister had planned the party with that end in view, securing the help of one of her own friends. "Now, children," she said, when the guests had assembled, "Laura will leave the room and while she is gone we must decide upon the name of some ani- mal. When she returns I'll write something upc n 166 A MYSTIC CIRCLE. 167 the floor with this cane, and you shall say whether or not I have told her the name of the animal.'* Laura left the room, and after considerable whis- pering, the word "hear" was decided upon; then Laura was called back. "Begin here," said Lucy, Nettie's sister, drawing the cane along the floor in an irregular line, then giv- ing tv/o smart taps on the floor with it, after which there was a perceptible pause, then one tap. Then she drew the cane in another direction, saying: "Run along here." "Bear," said Laura, immediately. "You knew%" accused the children. "You had de- cided on that before." To convince them Laura again left the room, and the children reached a decision without Lucy's help, merely whispering the word "rat" in her ear before Laura was admitted. Then they watched closely for telegraphic signals, but Lucy kept her eyes on the floor. "Run along here," she said, giving the cane a sweep and a smart tap; "try it over here," with an- other aimless sweep. "Rat," said Laura, and the children were almost too surprised to speak. Again and again Laura was sent from the room, long names and short names and all sorts of names of animals being chosen, and she guessed every one correctly. This explanation of the game was not told the children, for little folks enjoy a thing better if they do not understand it. 168 MUDEKN E.N TEKTAINMBNTS. If the word chosen began with a consonant, Lucy always began her sentence with the same consonant. The direction given the cane had nothing to do with it, except to mystify the audience. If the next letter were a, she gave one tap of the cane; e, two taps; 1, three taps; o, four taps; u, five taps. It was very simple, as you see, but it interested the children a long time, and they were not tired of the game when Lucy proposed something else. Standing tefore thern, she tapped with the cane on the floor, meanwhile beating time to the following couplet: Malaga raisins are very good raisins, But raisins from Smyrna are better. Then she said: "I do not believe there is one of you who can do it as I did." All failed at first, al- though Lucy showed them repeatedly; but at the sec- ond trial one very observing little girl noticed that Lucy began by saying. "Now see me.'' So she did likewise, and had the pleasure of explaining the se- cret to the rest of the company. Then they tried the old game of passing the scis- sors around the circle, each one saying as he passed them on, *'I hand you the scissors crossed," or "I hand you the scissors uncrossed." For some time they thought the words crossed and uncrossed re- ferred to the scissors, and were greatly surprised when told that they had not done it correctly. After a while, however, they began to discover that the words referred entirely to the position of the feet when the scissors were passed. A MYSTIC CIRCLE. 169 Lucy then handed each guest a slip of paper, all the slips having been cut of uniform size. **Write something on the paper," she said, "but don't tell any one what you have written, for I'm going to prove to you that Laura can read through her forehead with her eyes shut.'* All the slips were collected in a hat as soon as the children had finished writing, and Laura took a seat in a chair facing the audience. Lucy pretended to put her into a trance by making passes before her eyes. At the same time she cautioned the children to keep quiet, so as not to disturb her. Then, pressing a slip of paper to Laura's forehead, with the writing next the skin, she held it there for a moment, when Laura said, slowly, as if reading poor writing: **We are to have popcorn very soon." **Why," exclaimed Lucy, "I wrote that myself!" **Did I get it right?" asked Laura, who seemed hardly able to believe it. "Let me see," she added, opening her eyes. Lucy let her have the slip for a moment, then took it away, telling her to close her eyes again, and when she had done so, another slip v/as taken from the hat and pressed to her forehead. "Ralph has a black spot on his face," she read. "I wrote that," shouted Ralph's sister, gleefully. "Oh! how did she read it?" exclaimed the others, and again the delighted Laura had to satisfy herself, by looking at the slip, that she had read correctly. And so it continued until all the slips had been read and safely stowed away in Lucy's pocket. 170 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. This little game is very clever, and will often puzzle the wisest heads, but the method of procedure is quite simple. The first slip of paper Lucy had pressed on Laura's forehead had been the one written by Ralph's sister. What Laura had pretended to read about the popcorn had really been made up, for Lucy had written noth- ing. When Laura had taken the slip to see if it were really correct, she had read what was on it, and that was what she pretended to read the next time. In the excitement it was not noticed that she always wished to verify what she had read. The last slip pressed to her forehead was blank, and was simply used in order that she might read aloud the sentence on the slip of paper which she had just read silently and handed back to Lucy. Lucy then took the cane, and, thumping on the floor with it, said: "He can do little who can't do this." Laura took it, and repeated the words, and Lucy pronounced her performance correct, but none of the children got it right until they had tried sev- eral times and observed quite closely. The secret lies in the fact that the stick, when passed on, is first re- ceived in the left-hand and thence transferred to the right before going through the thumping ceremony. An uninitiated person almost instinctively takes the stick in the right hand at once. Once more Laura was sent from the room and the children were asked to decide upon some ol> ject in the room, which Laura was to guess on her return. A MYSTIC CIRCLE. 171 They decided upon the clock. "Is it in the book- case?" asked Lucy when Laura had been called in. ^'No." "The piano?" "No." **That picture?" "No." "The cat?" "No." "The clock?" "Yes." The children guessed that the fifth question was always to be answered in the aflarmative; that she had pointed to the clock differently from the others; that there was a different inflection given her voice, and a dozen other methods of distinction, but when other words were tried and they watched closely for proof of their views, they always found themselves mistaken. I The secret lay in mentioning something having four legs, just before the object that had been decided upon. When the cat was the specified object the table was mentioned, then the cat, bringing two objects having four legs together. When this last game had been made clear to all, the children were greatly surprised upon being told that they would have just time enough to eat supper and get home by the time they were expected there, lj.| for they had not thought the party had lasted more ' than an hour. A SHOOTING MATCH. The following party was given by a boy on his fourteenth birthday, both boys and girls being in- vited. The invitations were as follows: Earle Wilson presents compliments to and re- quests the pleasure of his company at his home, on the evening of May 21st, 1898, when there will be held a shoot- ing match (no powder being used), in honor of his birth- day, When the guests arrived they found nine pins, bean bags and toy pistols in the parlor. The pistols used may be purchased anywhere at fifty cents apiece. They are loaded with a rubber-tipped arrow that will stick closely to a smooth, hard surface when fired against it. A square of cardboard, with a bullseye in the center and various colored rings around it, comes with the pistol. This was hung against one wall of ' the parlor when the young people entered. Two of the guests were at once set to work to choose sides, as for a spelling match; then the leaders drew lots to see which should have the first shot. They were to take turns firing at the bullseye, to de- 172 A SHOOTING MATCH. 173 termine which side would have the best score in ten rounds. Each one shot three times at the mark be- fore passing the pistol to the one on the opposite side. There were figures on the cardboard that told how much a shot counted when the rubber "ammunition" stuck in the bullseye or in any of the outer circles. Earl's young lady sister kept the score cards and acted as umpire. The excitement was intense as the game drew to a close, for the sides were nearly even, and every shot was watched with anxiety. When the twelve rounds were finished a bouquet of carnations was distributed among the members of the victorious side. Then the game of bean bag was started, and again sides were chosen, different persons being called upon to act as leaders. The board was painted red. Three holes were made in it, and above each one were black figures that told how many might be counted when the bean bags went through. If a bag were thrown through the largest hole it only counted ten, but there were two smaller holes, one marked twenty, the other thirty. There were five of the bean bags, and each contestant threw them all before resigning his place to another. In this, as in the game with the pistols, the leaders began and were followed by their "soldiers," who came forward in the order they had been chosen, first a member of one side, then of the other. Six rounds were played, the sister again keep- ing count and acting as umpire. When the game was finished a bouquet of white carnations was distrib- uted among the members of the winning side. 174: MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. Next came the game of ninepins, and for the third time sides were chosen. The game was played as usual, with such variations as were necessary to make it suitable for two armies of such size. Any bright boy will know how to manage it. When the game was ended, flowers were distributed as before, pansies having been selected for the purpose. Then a home-made table was brought in. It had been made by Earle, who had read of round gypsy tables with legs made of broom sticks. He had rubbed the round top with sandpaper until it was perfectly smooth, then v/ritten figures as closely to- gether as possible all around the outer edge. Next an arrow was fastened on a pivot to the center of the table, so that it would easilj^ revolve. One of the boys stepped to the arrow and gave it a twirl, then all watched it until it had become perfectly still. The figure it then pointed to was called out, and Earle's sister immediately looked into a large covered clothes basket that had been brought into the room, and took out a tiny bag of peanuts bearing a tag, showing the same figure. This was given to the boy. Then an- other twirled the arrow, and this time it pointed to a figure that brought a bag containing an orange. Each guest twirled the arrow in turn. The bags in the basket contained but little, but there were a great many of them. Nuts, popcorn, candy, oranges, ba- nanas, cakes, turnovers, popcorn balls, doughnuts and, indeed, all sorts of "goodies" were thus served to the guests amid the wildest hilarity. No other re- freshments were served, and such fun as they had di- A SHOOTING MATCH. 175 viding their prizes, or, rather, making exchanges, when not entirely satisfied with what they had drawn! Every one went home as tired as could be, but full of enthusiasm over Earle's ** Shooting Match." A PEANUT PARTY; I If you want to please your little folks very much let them invite their friends to a peanut party. In send- ing out the invitations, be sure to say that fine cloth- ing is not to be worn. When the little guests arrive start them on a pea- nut hunt, for which you must have made provision during the day. Give each a little basket, or, if you do not care to purchase so many baskets, make little silk bags, with draw strings, or common pasteboard boxes may be used. The peanuts must be secreted about the rooms be- fore the children arrive, tucking one wherever you can find space for it, but first put away any articles of bric-a-brac that they might injure. It is better to do this than to worry yourself and the children. Let them hunt the peanuts as long as it amuses them, and tell them they are to be counted afterward to see who ) has found the most. Do not give prizes, for some little one will then be made unhappy, but find some- thing nice for the victor to do. To prevent the children from eating more of the peanuts than is good for them, encourage them to put 176 m A PEANUT PARTY. 177 the bags or boxes away with their wraps, so that they will have them to take home. Then bring in a small tub of clear water, pour a handful of peanuts into it and set them to "bobbing" for peanuts; that is, trying to catch them in their mouths without the aid of their hands. Next suspend a few peanuts by means of threads fastened in the doorway, and let the children try to catch them in their mouths while passing through the doorway. When they tire of this, let them stand in two rows and have a saucer of peanuts at the head of each row and an empty saucer at the foot. The peanuts are to be taken from the saucer one at a time and passed down the rows to be deposited in the empty saucers At the foot. Each child must take the peanut and hand it to his neighbor. The side that first succeeds in getting the peanuts from one saucer into the other is declared the winning side. Suspend a small paper bag of peanuts from the doorway, then, blindfolding the children one at a time, give them a cane and let them pass through the door, trying to hit the bag of peanut^ as they do so. Each child should make three attempts, then give his place to another. ! When one bag has burst, let the cMldren scramble for the nuts; then hang up another bb,g. The refreshments served at this entertainment should be exceedingly simple or some little guest may go home sick, but even this will not prevent all from declaring that they've had "an awfully good time." A CHRISTMAS ENTERTAINMENT. Last year the mistress of a certain pleasant home gave a Christmas entertainment so satisfactory to all present that it is thought a description of it may please some of our readers. The notes of invitation announced that Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus would receive a few friends on Christmas Eve in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Blank, and that the recipient of these notes were expected to bring their entire families. Only as many families were invited as could be nicely accommodated. The mammas were given to understand that gifts were to be distributed during the evening, and so managed to send various mysterious parcels to the home of the Blanks during the day without the knowledge of the younger members of the family. A young lady and gentleman from an adjoining city personated Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. They were strangers to all, and were paid by the host and host- ess to come and entertain their guests. They were pupils in a well-known school of music and oratory, were glad to test their powers, and gave their services at a reasonable rate. It added greatly to ihe enjoy- 178 A CHRISTMAS ENTERTAINMENT. 17^ ment of the guests not to be able to discover the iden- tity of the distinguished host and hostess. Their cos- tumes had been prepared for the occasion, and were in no way disappointing to the children, whose ideas of the personal appearance of these worthies had been gained from pictures and nursery tales. A platform at .one end of the large sitting-room was covered with white Canton flannel and fur rags and strewn with bits of evergreen. On it were placed two large easy chairs, covered with scarlet draperies decked with a plentiful supply of gold tinsel. Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus stood on this platform to re- ceive their guests. When the last one arrived, Mrs. Santa Claus seated herself, while her liege lord told of the beauties of Christmas Land, where stood their ancestral home. He was continually interrupted by Mrs. Santa Claus, who was quite sure he was forget- ting the most important parts, and who was so anx- ious to supply them, that she talked at an amazing rate of speed, which never failed to set the audience into convulsions of laughter. Mr. Santa Claus had a rich baritone voice, and whenever he would sing one of the songs that, of course, were familiar to residents of Christmas Land, Mrs. Santa Claus was sure to follow with one that she considered far more characteristic and better worth hearing; then Mr. Santa Claus would sit down, resignedly, and look tired, while she sang a song as comical as his had been beautiful. Mr. Santa Claus told of an entertainment held in Christmas Land on the Fourth of July, when the doll trees, popcorn 180 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. bushes and candy vines were just beginning to bloom, and he repeated a selection from "Hiawatha" that had been given by Mr. Howling Northwind. This was immediately followed by a recitation by Mrs. Santa Glaus, which purported to be quoted verbatim from a speech by Mme. Ruffleneck Bald Eagle, the noted fe- male suffragist of the Bird Kingdom. When the quarrelsome couple had talked and sung themselves nearly hoarse, the door was suddenly opened and in walked the strangest-looking animal that could be imagined, drawing a sled piled high with parcels. The steed in question was an immense St. Bernard dog, covered with a tight-fitting coat of black Canton flannel, liberally sprinkled with dia- mond dust and ornamented with glittering tinsel. Tiny bells were fastened all over him, a string of them being wound around each leg. Covering his head and face was a mask resembling the head of some fierce beast of prey, topped off with one ugly looking horn, standing upright between the two sharply pointed ears. Great, red eyes, placed just above the eyes of the dog, drew the attention away from the holes in the mask through which the dog looked. The greater part of this mask was made of fine wire gauze, and was not as heavy as it would appear by the description. One would need to be very observing, indeed, to guess that this strange animal was a dog. The children clung to their parents for safety, but gazed with delightful fascination at the horrible beast. "This is our dear rhinylopardephant," said Mr. A CHRISTMAS ENTERTAINMENT. 181 Santa Glaus, stroking the ugly head. "All our rein- deer are on the road to-night, so he came with us." Then followed wonderful stories of the ability and marvelous achievements of the ''rhinylopardephant" that filled the children with an ecstasy of delight. As Mr. Santa Glaus finished his story, he unhitched his steed from the sled, led him from the room and then distributed the parcels on the sled. He read the name of the recipient, who was obliged to come to him and get his gift. When all had been distributed, Mrs. Santa Glaus jumped from her seat and informed the guests that the best was yet to come. She said she had brought along some seed cakes, tarts, sandwiches and other goodies which she had made only that day, and she was convinced the guests would like them better than anything that had been given them by Mr. Santa Glaus. Small tables were brought in and scattered about the room, and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Glaus passed the good things which were packed away in the sled, while Mr. and Mrs. Blank furnished hot coffee. While the guests were chatting over the refreshments, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Glaus quietly slipped from the room. Soon there was a sound of sleigh bells at the door. The children rushed to the windows in time to see the famous personages carried away in a cutter with a large black animal seated in front of them. "Oh," they cried, "Mr. and Mrs. Santa Glaus have gone, and we wanted to see them again." "We should all like to see them again," replied one of the guests, and there was a hearty response from all the others. A HURLY-BURLY. There will be a Hurly-Burly at the home of Keith and Lottie Watson, on the evening of November 12th, 1897. You are cordially invited to be present. "What is a Hurly-Burly?" asked the recipients of these invitations, finally deciding that Keith and Lot- tie did not know themselves, but had used the name simply because nothing better had suggested itself. Without doubt they were not far out of the way, al- though each decided, at the close of the evening, that the party given by these original young people could not have been more appropriately named. First they played an old-fashioned game sometimes called "clumps." Sides were chosen, as for a spelling bee, and then the two leaders left the room to decide upon some object that the others were to guess. They selected a pearl scarf-pin worn by Lottie, then re- turned to the room, and each took places on the oppo- site side. The questions were asked of them by the opposition. In this case they did not ask the quest- ions in turn, as is sometimes done, but each side gath- ered around the leader from the opposite side, asking him questions without regard to what was being done 182 A HURLY-BURLY. 183 Hy the other side. It was funny to see two excited groups of young people, each so interested in them- selves that they seemed to have no knowledge of each other. The task was to guess the object chosen before the other side guessed it, for the one who discovered it first gained both leaders. Only such questions could be asked as might be answered by yes or no. For instance, they could not ask **What color is it?" but could ask, "Is it blue?" When one side had suc- ceeded in guessing the object decided upon they shouted "clumps," and their own leader came back to his party, the other, of course, remaining also. Two other leaders were then sent out to select an object, one from each side, and so the game continued until one side had won over all the members of the other Bide. When the company is large it is better to call the game ended when a certain number has been drawn from one side to the other; what number should be decided at the beginning of the game. It takes an entire evening to get all the members from one side to the other in a large company. In the case referred to it was decided that the game would be ended when one side had six members more than the other. Then all but one member of the party left the room. The one who remained placed a silver thimble on top of a picture frame, where it rested against a silken scarf, but yet was in plain sight. The rest of the party was then called back into the room and told that the silver thimble had been hidden, and that each was to take a seat as soon as he saw it, being 184 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. careful that he did not point out the hiding place to any one else. It was amusing to see each one walk- ing about the room peering eagerly about, then see them start as they caught a glimpse of the thimble and walk away to a seat, trying to pretend that they had not seen it at all. I' he one who was last to see it was condemned to be postmaster in the next game. Sufficient chairs were arranged around the room for all but the postmas- ter. Each player took the name of a city, then the postmaster called out, **From Chicago to St. Paul" or any other combination that suited him. The players who represented those cities were then obliged to change seats, and the postmaster endeavored to get one of the chairs before the "visiting city'* reached it. The two players who were endeavoring to change seats often made a feint of doing so before getting far away, for each had the privilege of running back to his own place If he thought he could not reach the other place safely, and so much dodging back and forth made the game very laughable. If one of the players could throw a large handkerchief, provided for the occasion, so that it rested on the postmaster's head, he was then supposed to be "put to sleep," and must allow the players to change places without at- tempting to take either chair. He then called out two more cities, and tried again. This game was played for nearly an hour without becoming tiresome to the young people; then refresh- ments were served. The latter part of the evening was spent in acting A HURLY-BURLY. 185 proverbs. The party was divided into two companies, who took turns in going into another room, where the proverb to be acted was agreed upon; then they returned and acted it before the remaining party, who must guess it. For instance, one company came in as a baseball nine, with a knotted towel for the ball and a tennis racket for the bat. There were coachers and an um- pire, and every one else needed to make the game realistic. They played a few moments, then quietly took their seats, inviting the "opposition" to guess their proverb. It was fully ten minutes before a bright girl chanced to study the pitcher, who was small for his age, and had rather large ears. "Little pitchers have large ears!" she exclaimed, triumphantly, and the pitcher laughed with the rest, for he had planned the act himself. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," was acted by a part of the company, calling themselves the "Marvellous Investment Company," who tried to induce others to do different things, by offering vast sums of money to be paid after the work was done, but in every case the parties pretending to be in search of employment replied that they would do it for half the sum mentioned, but it must be paid in advance. "Rolling stones gather no moss" was also enacted without a word of the proverb being repeated. Sev- eral players represented officers employed by the As- sociated Charities, while the others came in singly or in couples to ask for help. When questioned, it 186 MODERN ENTERTAINMENTS. always transpired that they had done a great deal of traveling from place to place, or had made many changes of occupation. It is not hard to act proverbs, and there can be no pleasanter way of spending an evening. The friends who attended the hurly-burly given by Keith and Lottie had no fault to find with the enter- tainment provided. THE END. LEJe'lO 3lv77-3