eautiful compositions at
our disposal, is easily done.

[Illustration: ENTERTAINING THE GUESTS WITH A SONG.]

Observe scrupulous silence while others are playing and singing. If
you possess any musical accomplishments, and are asked to contribute
your share toward the entertainment of others, do so without waiting
to be urged; or, if you decline, decline absolutely. Urging should
not be resorted to by the hostess, which custom would soon cure a
certain class of performers from the disagreeable habit of holding
back for repeated solicitations. If you consent to play or sing, do
not weary your audience. Two or three stanzas of a song, or four or
five pages from a long instrumental piece are sufficient. If more is
greatly desired it will always be called for.

Remember, it is only the lady of the house who has the right to ask
you to play or sing, and to all other requests give a smiling refusal.

Beware of too Much Reserve.

Remember also, that, for the time being, owing to your mutual
acquaintance with the host and hostess, you stand on a perfect
equality with all the guests present and should, therefore, without
further preliminaries, converse freely with any.

Never commit the blunder of stealing away to a side table, and there
affecting to be absorbed in some volume of engravings, or finding some
unlucky acquaintance in the room, fasten upon him or her for the
entire evening. These are social crimes that no shyness can or should
excuse.

Where the party is a small social gathering and various parlor games
are resorted to for amusement, one should always join in when asked,
even while not caring so to do. Exercise skill, appear pleased, and
while, perhaps, not enjoying the evening greatly one's self, there
will be at least the consciousness of having contributed to the
happiness of others. In reality, there is no better field for
employing the Golden Rule than in the whirl of social life--no wider
field for unselfishness.

A superficial knowledge of the etiquette and rules that govern the
various social games of cards will be found a great advantage in
society, since, if one does not dance or play cards, he will be forced
to content himself with other wall-flowers like himself. A gentleman
should never let even urgent solicitation induce him to play for
stakes at a party. There is a code of right and wrong beside which the
code of society has no weight.

Hours of Arrival and Departure.

An evening par