Tea at Trianon: A Resurgence in the Forsaken Art of Feminine Hospitality

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, July 29, 2023

A Resurgence in the Forsaken Art of Feminine Hospitality

From Catholic Exchange:

In an attempt to justify laziness with common causality, modern society has deviated from a place of order and ordinary decency to an uninterrupted abuse of noise, isolation, and immoral behaviors in the name of mercenary realism. Society once viewed decency standards, both moral and societal, essential to the continuous flow for an upright and structured civilization. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the standards of common decency changed (drastically decreased) as technological innovations raced to the forefront and left cultural customs to be dragged through the dust. Though many good inventions resulted from the Industrial Age and have been developed to continue for an increase in productivity, yet, along with these innovations society has continued to retreat into a self-centered shell. It has now hit a point at which many people cannot handle basic social nuances that were once an intricate and important aspect of everyday life. In an age of uncontrolled technological developments, the art of common decency, charitable hospitality, and social customs are digressing into the lost pages of ignored historical practices. Or are they? Though it is quite evident that many traditional customs from previous generations are currently disregarded, there is hope as a resurgence as transgressed through women who see past the lies of the feminist agenda and desire to learn the art of feminine hospitality.

To recognize the lack of common decency in modern society, it is important to reflect upon the art of hospitality. There is a sense today that hospitality requires a perfectly manicured home with an endless supply of craft projects for the children, a four-course meal for the adults, and the perfect preset to filter the photos for social media. As all of this sounds enchantingly unrealistic and most definitely a scene from the internet, it is not the reality of life, it is not the reality of true friendship, and it is not the reality of genuine hospitality. (Read more.)