MEETING HIS PEOPLE

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 100, 22 January 1927, Page 18

MEETING HIS PEOPLE

Meeting her fiance’s people is the first stile which the engaged girl has to surmount. . , . A man looks forward to introducing the woman of his choice to his family. “How they will love her,” he thinks, and his heart swells with pride as he picturcs the delight his people will feel when they see what an exquisite creature he lias won for his bride. A girl has no illusions. She realises that she will be received warily and judged critically, for it is practically impossible for any mother to admit that the loveliest and most accomplished girl in the world is good enough for her son. , How, then, can the ordeal of meeting his people” be best face.d ? It has obviously got to be endured and the wise girl does not allow her fiance to see that she dreads the occasion. He would only assure her that “naturally, his people will love her, just as does.** If lie was bcsottedly in love lie might add that in any case it would not matter if his fiancee did not get on with his family, as there would be no need to see them if tlicy were insane enough not to appreciate her.

This is, of course, a gesture inspired by love’s folly, for, whatever anyone may say to. the contrary, it is a verv grave disadvantage to a woman —both from the practical and the sentimental point of view—if she is not on good terms with her husband s people. There is only one thing to be done. The stile must'be climbed, and as soon as possoble. When one goes to the house of one’s .future mother-in-law for the first time the essential thing is to be natural. Remember that vour fiance’s people are going to know you’ as well as vour own family do, and that if you are a gay, dashing, modern tvpe it is useless to pretend to be the' modest violet maiden. You mav “get away with it” for the first visit or two, but they will find you out in the end. . .

Just in the same way it is waste of time to try to impress these implacable judges. If von boast to them about vour smart friepds, vour accomplishments, or vour travels, it will do no real good T hey are bound to find out everything about you for themselves and if there reallv is anything brilliant in vour character or circumstances it will shine more brightlv if it be discovered in due course and not flourished like a banner. Be yourself and trust to hick —and good manners, if von were luckv enough to be tairnht them in vour vnnth. After all, “his” people onlv criticise von out of love for him, and if vou can convince them bv vour attitude that von do not intend to take vour future husband awav from his family, but that vou would like to be received into it, vou will find that the dangerous looking stile is a gate after all—a gate into a second family circle.—Jane Ramsay’in the Kerr “Daily Mail.”

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