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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1876)
G T1IE WEST SnORE. August. INTRODUCTIONS. i i 1 here is one subject concerning ! J which the American people labor un- , . dcr a most grievous error. I allude to 1 the .ganeral and indiscriminate passion fr introductions. Not introductions to hooks, which are very good things in ( ; I ' their way, provided they be not too 1 long, uui jiiirodiiLiioiis lu persons l I forcible abductions, so to sjicak, of a ! ' 1 human bicng out from the jurisdiction of hj'r- or her rational inclinations with- out fhc preliminary form of an extra dural treaty. j '' If there he one inherent right of a j man which should he respected under j ' f, any and all forms of government im- . ' perial, constiitioiial monarchic, pa- ' t. triarchal, or clcctivo it is the un doubted perogative of each individual to have a voice ill the selection of his acquaintances. An old Spanish pro : verb says, "Tell me who your asso- p ' ciutes are, and I will tell you what you are;" and yet, in the face of the uni . . versal credence attached to this saying, a man's character and reputation are, In our great republic, entirely at the mercy of every ruthless monomaniac of whom he may have the slightest possi ble knowledge. , The worst feature of this great social ' v evil is that it increases in a geomatrieal ' j progression with for n ratio. The common hut surprising problem rcl.it- i ing to a barter, founded on the num- t ber of nails in a horse's shoe, is a trivial impertinence compared with the stu pendous proportions soon assumed by one's rangeofaciiuaiiitenances in a large city under the hideout system that i prevails. For instance you have the . ' ill luck to meet one John Smith some day at one of your usial resorts. Smith was, perhaps, iLcollcgu classmate, or a fellow-clerk ill a counting-house (before , you rose to your present commercial r. eminence); or, pieadvcnture, he is a I client, or a patient (if a learned profes- j won claim you). At all events, Smith is a fact ; a disagreeable one, it may be, but none the less a fact. Smith is, of ( course, delighted to see you, and, after ('j o few anxious inquiries touching vour health and "your folk's," avails him self of the opportunity to " make you ( acquainted" with Messrs. Ilrown, Jones (and Robinson, three friends of his, who happen to lie with him on that occasion. If you should be residents of the same city, the chances are that you will meet I i Smith nearly every day. and that, at , j! each meeting, he will present you to a ) fresh batch of "friends;" for such fcl- l"w as he arc popular men, and seldom go abroad without picking up n few I desultory companions. This is bad enough; but it is only a beginning to , vmir catalogue of nndcsired introduet , ions, i.ai h ot Smith's friends has as ( ""'? '"'cle ol acq ntenances as the original poisoner ot your social exist ence; and, go where vou will to a j '"''li '" a reading room,' in cars, stcam- f lioals, banking houses, restaurants in ,1 lmv" county you ale sine to meet , ,.i i.Miwn, joncs, Kolmison nun ionipanv,aml as sure to be nr- sented to some half dozen moreofMcV inenits until vour imnd reels, and , l'"vy position, social and physical, ot St. Simon Styliles as one precluding introductions except through ing-trumpct, ll you lie Kpcilk- nervnus temperament, you arc forced to shu public promenades and other "busy haunts of nu n" bv themomcntarv fcar that some " veste'rdated" acquaintance may grappel with you, ami para.lc his arm-in-arm vulgarity horrible ideal even thrust upon you still others of his cognizance anil kidney. This is the most apalling phase of! ..... ime.uic in question; but there are other forms of the disease less grave as to their ellect. HH.n the reputation orthesutlerrr, but involving an even more acute pang at the timeot infliction. I nimmrnt among these is what mav be termed llalbniom Morgianism" a sacrificial ecrrmnnv wherein the lady ot the house ollici'atcs as high-priestes's, ami immolates defenseless male youth upon the altars of unresponsive Wall Horns. ou find afan vollr ulir,lrv table a crested missive, through whose cper-plaicd medium Mrs. ll .ulevolec request, the pleasure of vour company on Monday tlie-lh instant, .1 q o'clock. Dancing, R. S. V. I'. Kwin)t that the adorable Euphrasia will be there, you have, veniciously and con ventionallv, "great pleasure in accept ing Mn Ilautcvolees polite invitation for Monday evening next, and Bridget receives particular attention about "do ing up" your white cravat with the em broiderered ends, and the elaborate shirt-bosom you brought from Paris. A week passes, filled with entrancing vis ions of Euphrasia and Fairyland; mur mured rapture in the mazy waltz; de licious intercourse of souls in the con servatory's leafiest nook sweet sounds and floating perfumes; and at last Mon day evening comes. Who that sees you enter those resplendent rooms can realize the anxious care bestowed up on that dctrape costume the ars cehre artem adroitly manifested in the easy tie of the white cravat with the em broidered ends? Who among that throng of worldly votaries can know that beneath the elaborate shirt-bosom swelling heart crinkles the superjacent starch with palpable tremor? The saloons swarm with lovely girls; a van ishing perspective of gauzy robes and flashing j'ewels is indefinitely reflected in opposing mirrors ; soft, languid music steals through the air, rising and fall ing in the hum of conversation; the "world" is there with its 'hopes and tears, its intrigues and enmities; but what are all these to you? Your eyes, your ears, your thoughts are cen tred m Euphrasia; Euphrasia, who sits yonder, more bewitchingly than ever, being terribly bored (you feel sure) by that stupid, conceited puppy, Hliftins, whom you remember when his father kept a small shop in the "thread-needle" line of business, and whose intelligence, education, and for tune you are confident are very much overrated. Heing a man of the world, vou arc, of course, too diplomatic to address the obj'ect of your devotion at once; your policy (worldly schemer that you are) is to wait until the ear lier crowd shall have dispersed ; to he dutifully polite to ladies present who have invited you to their parties, and ingratiatingly attentive to those who may invite you hereafter; and then, when supper-time arrives, to offer her your arm; minister to her wants; to struggle fiercely for her refection; and atterwaril to thrill through three bliss ful hours of "German" with her as part ner. Vou pass her, therefore, with a bow and an expressive glance, and en ter upon your routine of "business," arttuiiy contriving, as midnight draws near, to remain unencumbered by con fining your civilities to such fair beings as are certain to be claimed by other admiring swains. Finally, the suppcr-room doors swing open, and the reward of -all your toil seems close at hand; you are hast ening to where buphrasia's delicate kill glove awaits your protecting broad cloth, when the hostess arrests your progress, and like a civil highwav- woiuan, robs you of your birth-right of nee agency, ami remorselessly suitchcs from your grasp the prize for which you have waited and served so long. .mic "wants to introduce you to a very sweet gin wno oocsn t know many gentlemen, and who has no partner for the 'German.' Would you kindly see that she gets some supper?" Resist ance is lutile. ou know that there ii no eseaiw; so, with a gulp of rcsigna- tion, you sutler yourself to I handed over to the custody of an immature seraph with pronounced collar-bones and a freckled complexion, whose vo cabulary consists mainly of monosyl lables, and whose comprehension has never soared higher than the level of a school history. She feeds voraciously at supper (how different from the deli cate daintiness of Euphrasia !), and when the 'German' commences you discover that she dances execrably, and nuts water on her hair. To add' to your an guish, Euphrasia (doubtless reserving herself for you) it for sometime without a partner, but finally dances with the brutal Hlillins, whom you watch, eight couples away, grinning and basking in the light of her smile, while you, the legitimate heir to that happiness, are mini io me anil promontories and sterile plains or the seraph's mind and liodv. Hut if an "arbitrary arrest," such as ine loregotng, be reprehensible, even w hen made hv the hiirh nrhVi.l .... thoritv of the hostess, what language sn wirquumy anatncmatise the still more aggravated instances of kidnan. ping constantly perpetrated in "society" by brothers, cousins, uncles, and guar dians of an unprotected debutantes? I he hand that traces these lines has scores of timet been clasped with hypo critical fetvor by felonious men who ought a victim to whom they might transfer the iucubus of some forlorn fe male relative, and whom, once lodged within her desperate clutch, they would leave to his fate throughout the weary night, pursuing the pleasures of then own emancipation in heartless indif ference to the languishing captive. Can no species of social habeas cor pus be devised for the relief of such cases of distress? Is there no law to prevent such flagrant breaches of the peace of mind? The minor miscreant restricts your personal liberty in the outer world is condignly punished by the laws of the land; but what are their crimes compared with the offence against the nobler inner man, involved in these fashionable garrotings? Many people consider it a point of good breeding to present cacti ot their visitors to ail the rest; and, consequent ly, every new-comer on their "recep tion days" is formally retailed out to some dozen or fifteen previous arrivals. This may occasionally produce some awkward complications. Cardovan and I fell out some ten years or more ago. (Oh, Sophronial there are scars which never, never fade.) From that time to this a mortal enmity has been between us. We glare defiance at each other in the streets, and each is to the other gall and worm-wood; and yet scarcely a month passes wherein we are not introduced by some-well meaning person at whose house we chance to meet. To me the oft-re peated form has lost its bitterness; but 1 can see his coarser nature wince un der the chilling courtesy with which I recognized his presence. By continued practice I have succeeded in imparting to my " delighted to make vour ac- quaintence, Sir," a barb which I can see rankle in his plcbian soul; and my adolescent anguish is amply revenged. A trustful mind, unlearned in the world's vile ways, might innocently imagine that by refraining from the outer intercourse of society, and adopt ing an eremitical course ot lite, these persecutions could be avoided. .Vain delusion 1 You may forego the privi lege of breathing the free air of heaven; you may shun your fellow-men, and resign the sphere of lovely woman's in spiring influence; you may forget old acquaintances, Dut you can not escape new ones. Popular solicitude will be aroused by your absence from your wonted resorts, and objectionable inter lopers will "just drop in to see how you are," each one "taking the liberty to present a friend who happened to be passing with him." Should you lie so utterly unfortunate as to possess a taste fully furnished house, a valuable picture. a fine group of statuary, a cabinet of coins or concnoiogy, or any other at traction to public curiosity, your fate is sealed. "Not at home" is an entirely ineffective barrier against inroads. Every one who has ever had the most distant intercourse with you will bring scores of country connections to examine the interesting features of your domicile, and they troop from garret to cellar, hunting you down in any place of con cealment you may have resorted to, and forcing upon your hospitality a crowd ol prying inquisitors, each of whom will probably within the week presume upon this formality to act as cicerone to a party of his own selection. At your club you are pursued by the same relentless ill-fortune. A visitor from another city, perhaps, brings a letter of introduction to you, and as the simplest mode of disposing of him, you inscribe his name upon the list of club guests. Now, one would suppose that to the most ordinary cnmnnhi.ninn it would be self-evident that the fact of jour neglecting to avail yourself of the facilities oflered by club life to form the acquaintance of some of your fellow members of long standing, must neces sarily arise from disinclination on one side or the other; but the very first demonstration of gratitude on the part of your invited guest is to introduce you to the man whom, of all others, you nave most sedulously striven not to know. Illustrations of the nuisance ,,,!., consideration could be multiplied ad "ui i trust that enough has already been said to imprest upon my kind readers the importance of speedy and thorough reform; not precluding the inauguration of an intercourse be tween persons likelv in nmv . u agreeable, but branding the want of n.i imagines it necessary to in flict an abominable formality upon even the worst assorted members of the human family. A HINT ON CARPETS. Of all the expensive things in a mod. cm house of the ordinary class, perhaps, carpets are the dearest. In case of re moval, they become almost useless, and have to be sacrificed at any price that can be got for them, because, having occu i.ui Him iiictiauicu iui one room, perhaps of a peculiar shape, they are useless in any other; for if the patern could be matched, which it often can not, a bit of bran new carpet sown on to a bit not so new, would be out of harmony, and tell a story which the pride of poverty would rather wear conccilcd. The Persian and Turkish system of carpeting rooms is infinitely L' 1 ill .1 . rw,. oeucr unu picuici mail ours, The Persian carpet, cspcially those from Besht, are exquisitely beautiful. Their colors arc brighter, the designs prettier, anu nicy are lar more ournDie tnan Our carpets. They are made in strips usu ally between two and three yards long, and about one yard in breadth, to go around the sides of the room, with a square carpet, of any size, preferred for the center. They do not require to be nailed or fitted, and a sufficient number of them will of course carpet any room, how ever large or small. They have a very rich and grand appearance, too. In Summer they are easily taken up, beaten, rolled, and put aside by a sin gle servant man ; and in the hot weather why should we not more generally im itate Continental custom, by painting or polishing floors! Floors painted or polished look far prettier in July sun shine than any carpets, which are then mere fustry traps to catch dust, harbor insects and retain bad smells. Every thing has its use and its seasons. The use and season of carpets are not in the Summer time. Where it is impossible to paint or polish the floors of a house the employment of oil cloth will be found good economy in Summer, and far cleaner. Oil cloth, too, of charming patters, may now be bought very cheap, and it keeps a room delightful ly cool and fresh. An Inverted Glass of Watkh. Wipe a wine-glass perfectly dry; ....... j...... nuibl IlliU 11 UI1L11 II 1 quIlC full. Now take a card, carefully place it on the top of the water, and press it on the rim of the glass. If this be cleverly done, there will be no air bub. hie between the card and the water; and if the glass be very full, this can he certainly accomplished. Now dex terously turn the glass upside down, keeping the finger on the card the while. This being done, the finger can be removed from the card, and yet the water will not run out, nor will the card fall away, owing to the nressurn of the air upwards on the card, and mere Being no air within the glass. If the glass still inverted be placed on n dish, the card can with care sometimes be slipped away, and yet no water will run out. in tnis way you may hand a glass of water to a friend, but he can not remove it without spilling the whole. GaTHKUINO MiUVl A .a.... pondent sends the following: "The children of Israel, when journeying toward the Promised Land, gathered manna each morning that fell each night, during a portion of their wan derings in the wilderness. What that manna was, we have no meansof know ing, as no explanation has ever been given. We were remind nf Ua r.. cumstance by witnessing the gathering . iKj new oy me noongincs. livery morning, for a long time, the Indian females were seen busily picking up some substance beneath the huge oaks in front of our residence. Curiosity led US to investigation, and they were picking up the honey dew ...- im, laucii ana canuiea, some ol them having large rolls of the Indian manna. The query in our mind was, "ie cniioren ot Israel did not gather honey dew and call it manna. Mexican Alabaster. Large de posits 'of verv fin- n1aKa- I 1 i ... i , j iinvc uccii discovered in Mexico, which resembles mc very nnest onyx of Algiers. It is extensively uted in France for tablet, docks, mantels. mnA mh .! , , man, wiiimociiiai purposes. It was supposed to be chiefly r..y , gvpsum, Dut recent analy sis made by Damour show it to be a carbonate and nm ...ii. ... ... . carbonate of lime, magneasia,' iron and ......giuicw:. cine specimens of this stone arc on Exhibition in Philadelphia. ii