Cupology: How to Be Entertaining Part 7

"The most successful social functions are those managed by a host and hostess," says a society scribe, "not by either alone.

Leave a man to make up a party and he is sure to forget that Mrs. B. was engaged to C. before she married D., and that Mrs.

C. is aware of the fact, and that the D.s and E.s have long been at daggers drawn, and he will have no eyes to detect the designs of Mrs. H. On the other hand, a woman gets nervous and fatigued with the constant effort to keep the ball rolling, and fails just where a man would succeed. What is wanted is a division of labor, and if this were done oftener there would be less disappointment on the part of entertainers and entertained."

LOOK AT YOUR CUP.

A cup of coffee, farmers a.s.sert, makes a pretty accurate barometer:

"To make a barometer out of a cup of coffee," a farmer said, "you must use loaf sugar. You drop a lump of this sugar exactly into the middle of your cup, and then watch the bubbles rise. It is by these bubbles that your prognostications are made.

"If the bubbles rise straight up in the middle, remaining there in a cl.u.s.ter till they disappear, the weather is to be fair; if they rise at the sides of the cup, adhering to the china, the weather will be rainy. If they rise all over the coffee's surface, and move here and there erratically, changeable conditions are to be looked for."

ENTERTAINMENT SUGGESTION.

Here are some ideas for an entertainment, which is said to be both amusing and instructive, as it makes one think, and the time put into anything that makes men or women think is never lost. Have an art gallery and invite your friends to it. Each person is supplied with a catalogue and must pay a forfeit for every piece of art he fails to find. Here is a sample of the catalogue:

1. The Bell of the Season. (A dinner bell.) 2. Saved. (A bank containing a few pennies.) 3. An Absorbing Subject. (A sponge.) 4. A Drawing Subject. (A crayon.) 5. The Skipper's Home. (Cheese.) 6. A Young Man's Horror. (The mitten.) 7. The Light of Other Days. (A candle.) 8. Tears, Idle Tears. (An onion.) 9. Can't be Beat. (A turnip.) 10. The Four Seasons. (Salt, pepper, vinegar and mustard.) 11. A Regular Bore. (A gimlet.) 12. Family Jars. (Mason's fruit jars in three sizes.) 13. True to the Core. (An apple.) 14. A Prison Scene. (A mouse in a trap.) 15. A Switchtender. (A hairpin.) 16. A Bunch of Dates. (A calendar.)

Of course, no one speaks in the art room.

Every guest fills in what names he can, hoping that his friends will miss many more than he does. Have ten or more "pieces of art" than are on the catalogue. This is to mystify a little.

HAVE A PEANUT?

An original young woman of Lamar has invented a new kind of social diversion. It is the "progressive peanut party." Four guests are seated about each table, and on the table is placed a crock full of peanuts. Each guest is provided with a hatpin, and when the word is given all begin jabbing for peanuts. The quartet that empties its crock first wins the game, and then the sets of players change. It is needless to say that the peanut party is strictly a "hen" function. A man couldn't jab a crockful of peanuts with a hatpin in a week, but the young women of Lamar played thirty games in a single afternoon.--_Kansas City Journal_.

WHAT THE EYES TELL.

The color of the eyes has. .h.i.therto chiefly concerned the novelist and the poet, but lately the cold-blooded statistician has been looking into them. It is announced that, taking the average of Europe and America, 44.6 per cent of men have light eyes, including blue and gray. The proportion of women having blue or gray eyes is 32.2 per cent. In other words, blue eyes are decidedly rarer among women than among men, says the _London Express_.

Men have light eyes oftener than women, but in the intermediate shades between light and dark the percentage of the two s.e.xes is very nearly the same.

In this intermediate category are brown and hazel eyes. The percentage of these among men is 43.1, and among women 45.1.

The percentage of black eyes is larger among women than among men, being 20.7 per cent for the women, while among men it is 12.3.

Blue eyes are considered to possess great attractions. This was the case among the Greeks and Romans of cla.s.sic times. Upon the G.o.ddess of Minerva was bestowed a surname to signify the blueness of her eyes.

Gray eyes have ever been the ideal of all great novelists; among the number Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, Wilkie Collins and Charles Reade. Most of the heroines in up-to-date fiction are gray-eyed maidens.

Of the living great, as well as the famous dead, most have eyes of gray blue.

Shakespeare had eyes of gray; so had nearly all the English poets. Coleridge's eyes were large, light gray, prominent and of liquid brilliancy. Byron's eyes were gray, fringed with long black lashes.

Charles Lamb's glittering eyes were strangely dissimilar in color, one being hazel, the other having specks of gray in the iris. Chatterton's brilliant gray eyes were his most remarkable features. Under strong excitement one appeared brighter and larger than the other.

As to green eyes they are for glory. The Empress Catherine of Russia had eyes of this hue. In Don Quixote green eyes are thus referred to:

"But, now I think on it, Sancho, thy description of her beauty was a little absurd in that particular of comparing her eyes to pearls. Sure, such eyes are more like those of a whiting or a seabeam than those of a fair lady, and in my opinion, Dulcinea's eyes are rather like two celestial emeralds, railed in with two celestial arches, which signify her eyebrows. Therefore, Sancho, you had better take your pearls from her eyes and apply them to her teeth." Green eyes are not popular, however. Cervantes spoke of them as "verdant emeralds," that more usually they are likened to the optics of the cat. Very few heroines have green eyes. Jane Eyre and Rose, in Robert Elsmere, are the only two we can think of at the moment.

REVEALED BY THE THUMB.

The thumb is a great tell-tale where character is concerned.

If nose, eyes and mouth decline to reveal the secrets or temperament, you need not be at a loss. Notice the hands, and especially the thumb of the person whom you are seeking to read.

A broad and short thumb indicates lack of refinement. Taken in conjunction with stubby finger tips and a thick wrist, it indicates coa.r.s.eness, even positive brutality.

A tapering thumb gives notice of extreme delicacy of perception and refinement of character.

A thumb of medium breadth indicates balance between the extremes mentioned, and denotes strength of character essential to success in life.

If when in repose the thumb curls outward, its owner possesses a sound const.i.tution, much vitality and cheerfulness.

On the contrary, if the thumb naturally falls inward towards the palm, a melancholy, despondent disposition is denoted, also const.i.tutional delicacy and lack of vitality.

CHARACTERS IN FINGER NAILS.

Broad nails denote a gentle natured person, inclined to be modest and una.s.suming.

Narrow nails denote a studious but not very gentle nature, with a desire for scientific knowledge.

White nails denote a fondness for society of opposite s.e.x, not overstrong in health and subject to fevers.

Round nails denote a desire for knowledge in general, apt to take great pride in own accomplishments, rather hasty, yet fairly good natured and forgiving.

Long nails denote caution, lacking confidence in human nature, decided in opinion and strictly virtuous.

Eyes are cold, enticing, sympathetic or affectionate. The mouth is kissable (as men say), cynical, cruel, sensuous or indifferent, and so with all the features.

BEAUTY'S SEVEN NURSES.

Beauty, it is said, has seven nurses, which, if given full charge, will make of the homeliest woman a picture of charm and loveliness.

These magic seven are fresh air, suns.h.i.+ne, warmth, rest, sleep, food and whatever stirs the blood, be it exercise or enthusiasm.

Be sure to get plenty of sleep. You can sleep yourself into good looks. A long nap and a hot bath will make any woman more attractive, and lift years from her shoulder.

Don't be afraid of suns.h.i.+ne and fresh air. They offer you bloom and color. And deep breathing is surely the hand-maid of the fresh-air nurse. Deep breathing gives a fine figure as well as clear complexion.

Don't sit down to table as soon as you come in from work, or a round of social duties. Lie down, or sit down, for ten minutes, waiting until you can partake of your dinner with the physical machinery rested and refreshed.

Don't bathe in hard water. Soften it with a little powdered borax, or a handful of oatmeal.