GOOD FORM
| We often hear that a person or an entertainment was in "good form," and are not clear as to just what that means. Manners have their basis in morals, but "form" is social experience and good taste. For instance, it is not impolite to use printed instead of engraved visiting cards, nor for a man to be married in evening dress in the daytime, but both are bad form. To be in good form is to do what custom has established as suitable to the occasion. Not to do these things is to appear awkward and something ridiculous. Here is a case in point: The charm of a young girl is her freshness and modesty. For her to appear at her coming out party in a low cut gown and diamond necklace is an offense against good taste. She is a "bud" not a full-blown rose. |
Young Men and Women in Society
When Debuts are Usually Made—Dress of the Debutante—Her Mother's Dress—How Long Callers Should Stay—The Table and Its Color Scheme—The Refreshments and Who Should be Invited—Reasons for the Chaperon—The Young Man's Social Duties—What He May Do and What He May Not Do.
A young girl may be introduced to society at any age that her formal education is finished—at eighteen, on leaving high or boarding school, or when she has completed the course at college. In her first season in society she is called a debutante, a French word that means "one making a first appearance in society."
INTRODUCING A DEBUTANTE.
The introduction may be made at an afternoon tea or reception, or at an evening reception and dance. It is usually made in November, at the beginning of winter gaieties. The affair is like any other of the sort with the exception that the young lady's name appears below her mother's on the invitations, and she stands beside her mother to help receive the guests and to be introduced to those of her mother's acquaintances who are unknown to her. The proper form of this and other invitations will be found in the article on "The Etiquette of Invitations."
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