original group of a half dozen or so. Let us for example say the complete
list is fifty. Fifty ladies, therefore, the most prominent possible, are
the patronesses or managers, or whatever they choose to call themselves.
They also elect a chairman, a vice-chairman, a secretary, and a treasurer.
They then elect seven or eight others who are to constitute the managing
committee. The other thirty-eight or forty are merely "members" who will
pay their dues and have the right to a certain number of tickets for each
of the balls. These tickets, by the way, are never actually sent by the
members themselves, who merely submit the names of the guests they have
chosen to the committee on invitations. This is the only practical way to
avoid duplication. Otherwise, let us say that Mrs. Oldname, Mrs. Worldly,
Mrs. Norman and Mrs. Gilding each send their two tickets to the young
Smartlingtons, which would mean that the Smartlingtons would have to
return three, and those three invitations would start off on a second
journey perhaps to be returned again.

On the other hand, if each patroness sends in a list, the top names which
have not yet been entered in the "invitation book" are automatically
selected, and the committee notify her to whom her invitations went.

There is also another very important reason for the sending in of every
name to the committee: exclusiveness. Otherwise the balls would all too
easily deteriorate into the character of public ones. Every name must be
approved by the committee on invitations, who always hold a special
meeting for the purpose, so that no matter how willing a certain careless
member would be to include Mr. and Mrs. Unsuitable, she is powerless to
send them tickets if they are not approved of.

As a matter of fact there is rarely any question of withholding
invitations, since a serious objection would have to be sustained against
one to warrant such an action on the part of the committee.

_Number of Invitations Issued_

With fifty members, each might perhaps be allowed, besides her own ticket,
two ladies' invitations and four gentlemen's. That would make three
hundred and fifty invitations available altogether. The founders can of
course decide on whatever number they choose. Patronesses can also
exchange tickets. One who might want to ask a double number of guests to
the "First Assembly" can arrange with another to exchange her "Second
Assembly" invitations for "First" ones. Also it often