Failing Graden Party Etiquette

Some of the guests at the tea remembered the duty they owed their hostesses. They knew enough to step up at the end of the party and express their appreciation of the afternoon. Some guests were so rude that they just walked away with never a “thank you” nor “good-bye.” 

The trustees and the school board were giving a garden party for the graduating class. On the lawn in the school yard a large umbrella had been erected and under it was placed the tea table. It held the punch bowl and the urn with the hot tea. Most of the faculty wives took tea, but the graduating class all gravitated to the punch bowl. 

On another table were plates of sandwiches. Little pennants, painted in the class colors, were put on skewers and inserted in a pile of sandwiches and bore the name of the sandwich on the plate. It was easy to choose the minced ham or the cool green cucumber or the orange marmalade, because the name was right there. In addition there were salted nuts and small hard candies, no bonbons and no cakes.

Some of the guests at the tea remembered the duty they owed their hostesses. They knew enough to step up at the end of the party and express their appreciation of the afternoon. Some guests were so rude that they just walked away with never a “thank you” nor “good-bye.” The faculty decided that a course in etiquette would be a most desirable one to have in the curriculum next year. 

There was no entertainment planned for this garden party. The guests strolled here and there saying those usual nothings which parting classmates find to say one to another. Had it rained the faculty were prepared to set up the tea tables in the gymnasium. If that were necessary they planned to have the orchestra play for dancing. But the weather was with them and the party was a great success. – “Nancy Page” for San Pedro Pilot, 1929

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia