Your Guest's Plans by Flora Huntley

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 7, 1916

Your Guest's Plans

By Flora Huntley

I HAVE a friend who is a charming entertainer; her luncheons are delightful, and her conversation is really worth while. I can drop in to see her informally, too, and take “potluck,” knowing that it will cause her no inconvenience. It would seem that she is an ideal hostess, and yet there is something unsatisfactory about visiting in her home.

For a long time I could not discover what gave me this feeling, but I finally decided that she kept her guests too long. After a luncheon she would urge me to stay to tea and talk it over. When I ran in of a morning to return a book on my way down town, she would insist on my staying to luncheon, and going with her in the afternoon. If it was late in the day, she would urge me to telephone home, and stay with her for dinner.

This was not mere “gush” on her part, but a sincere hospitality as well as a desire to see more of her friends. She was so well informed and so original that I longed to accept these invitations; yet they always upset my own plans.

If I was late in getting home, or my house was in disorder all day, it was usually because I had been to Mrs. A's, and at last I got into the habit of avoiding her when I had particular work to do.

This was not an ideal attitude for friends; and as I thought of it, I remembered a neighbor I had in a distant city who possessed quite different characteristics. When I told her that I must leave at a certain hour, she not only allowed me to depart when I suggested it, but she kept track of the time, and saw that I did not miss my car.

“I hate to have you go,” she would say; “but if you reach the bank, you will have to catch the next car.” Or, perhaps, “It is too bad to break up our party, but I promised Mrs. Jones that she might leave at four o'clock.”

The contrast between the two women set me to thinking, and led to a number of conclusions. A hostess should consider the plans of her guest whenever possible. A housekeeper can often spend two hours when she cannot spare a whole afternoon. By doing an errand on her way, she can save her car fare and an hour's time next day. These are considerations worth while, and should be regarded by the entertainer as well as by the entertained.

If a mother prepares luncheon for her children, it must be on time, so they will not be late for school; and if she has an appointment with dentist or dressmaker, she must make her other plans conform to these hours. No matter how greatly she enjoys her friends or values the inspiration of their society, she cannot feel satisfied when her work is disorganized and her engagements are broken or postponed. The hostess must realize this if she has any ability to put herself in another's place.

But the guest has a duty as well; and when she accepts an invitation, she should plan for that alone. The invitation of a friend is worthy of consideration, and the day's work should be planned in harmony with it.—Flora Huntley, in Christian Endeavor World.