As has been said, the dinner takes first rank among general entertainments and usually involves more or less formality. Invitations are sent out at least two weeks in advance, and should be answered immediately. The formal invitation is engraved; the guest's name, hour and date written in by hand,

Mr. and Mrs. Henry B. Anderson request the pleasure of

Mr. and Mrs. James Brown's company at dinner on Wednesday, April the fourteenth at eight o'clock.

12 West Burton Place, March the thirty-first.

For a less formal dinner a note in the first person may be sent:

My dear Mrs. Brown:

Will you and Mr. Brown dine with us informally on Thursday evening, January the eighteenth, at eight o'clock?

Sincerely yours,

Elizabeth Smith Anderson.

12 West Burton Place, January the fourth.

The dinner in this case may be quite as formal as that for which the third-person invitation was sent, and evening dress is required.

For a very informal little dinner an unconventional note is sent a week or less before the date set; and dinner dress is not required.

Invitations to luncheon are similar to those used for dinner, although, as the affair is generally less formal, the engraved invitation is much less frequently used.

Invitations for afternoon or evening occasions vary according to the number of guests and the degree of formality. For small, informal affairs the hostess simply uses her visiting card (or one engraved a trifle larger), writing in the lower left-hand corner, "Cards," "Musicale," or whatever the entertainment is to be, and under it the date and hour. She may write under her own name, "To meet Miss Mary Jones" if the entertainment is given in honor of Miss Jones. Often, however, the cordial little note of invitation is preferred by many, perhaps because it carries a more direct and personal appeal. It is a subtle compliment, sometimes well calculated to make a diffident invited guest feel that she is really wanted.

The Formal Dinner Party

For the large dinner party, guests are expected to arrive at the hour appointed, and courtesy does not demand that the hostess wait more than fifteen minutes for a tardy guest.

Each gentleman finds on a tray in the dressing-room a small addressed envelope containing a card on which is written the name of the lady whom he is to escort to dinner, and "R" or "L" in one corner to indicate on which side of the table they are to sit. If he does not know the lady, the hostess should see that he is presented to her.