tside of their own family circle, and that in
the case of only children such association is calculated to render them
lively and intelligent. Another argument in favour of these juvenile
parties is, that children who are in the habit of constantly attending
them acquire self-possessed and confident manners, and that all shyness,
_mauvaise honte_ and _gaucherie_, which distinguish many children when in
the company of strangers, are dispelled by frequent intercourse with
children of all ages. Thus, in place of the noisy game of romps, the
little gentlemen ask the little ladies to dance, pull costume bon-bons
with their favourite partners, and offer them similar attentions
throughout the evening. Of course, there are shy little gentlemen and
shy little ladies even at a juvenile ball; but it is the constant
endeavour of those who accompany them, whether mammas, elder sisters,
young aunts, or grown-up cousins, to persuade them to get the better of
this diffidence, and to induce taciturn Master Tommy to dance with timid
Miss Tiny. Sometimes Master Tommy is obstinate, as well as taciturn, and
his "won't" is as strong as his will. As with all things, so with
children's parties, the medium course is, perhaps, the wisest to take,
running into neither extreme--avoiding too much seclusion or overmuch
gaiety, and rendering such gaiety and amusement suitable to the ages of
the children invited. When an evening's entertainment consists of a
series of amusements, it is a mistake to crowd too great a variety into
the space of four hours, the usual limits of a child's party, for if so
the programme has to be hurriedly gone through, and is hardly finished
before the hour of departure. No little judgment is required when
organising juvenile parties. The hours usually selected for children's
parties, whether on a large or small scale, are from four to eight, five
to nine, six to ten, or from seven to eleven.

* * * * *

=The children on their arrival= are received in the drawing-room. In
most cases their relatives, either mothers or grown-up sisters, are
asked to accompany them.

There is great punctuality observed as regards the hour of arrival, and
tea is usually served in the dining-room about half an hour after that
named on the invitation card. The interim is generally passed by
children in watching each fresh arrival, and in greeting their little
acquaintances, comparing notes with each other as to the