nt upon its embassy. In every
case where personal cards are correctly used the owner is accredited
with having performed _de facto_ whatever the card expresses for him,
be it a "call," a "regret," a "congratulation," an "apology," an
"introduction," a "farewell-taking," or whatever.

The rules guiding the uses of visiting cards are based upon this idea
of representation. The deputy is on duty only in the absence of his
superior, so the card is usually superfluous when the owner himself is
present.

A card sent at a wrong time suggests the possibility that the owner
might blunder similarly in his personal appearing. The neglect to send
a card at a proper time is equivalent to a _personal_ neglect. The man
who comes himself and hands you his card also is apt to have too many
elbows at a dinner, too many feet at a ball. He has about him a
suggestion of awkward superfluousness that is subtly consistent with
his duplicate announcement of himself.

For want of the much-needed genderless singular pronoun I have been
using the masculine form; but upon reflection I remember that it is the
women of society who have the most diverse responsibility in the
management of personal cards, their duties extending even to the care
and oversight of the cards of their socially careless and negligent
male relatives. But no matter who attends to the proprieties, the
relation of the card to its owner is the same in all cases. If his
card blunders, he gets the discredit of it. If his card always
flutters gracefully into the salver at exactly the right time and
place, the glory is all his own, even though his tireless wife or
mother or sister has done all the hard thinking bestowed on the matter.
Happy the man allied by the ties of close kindred to a gifted society
woman, for lo! his cards shall never be found missing, wherever _he_
may stray.

STYLE OF CARDS

The prevailing shape of cards for women is nearly square (about 2 1/2 x
3 inches). A fine dull-finished card-board of medium weight and
stiffness is used.

A man's card is smaller, and narrower proportionately; and is of
slightly heavier card-board.

The color is pearl white, not cream. Tinted cards are not admissible.

The engraving is plain script, or elaborate text; as the fashion may
for the time decree.

The responsibility of furnishing the correct style of card rests with
the engraver, whose business it is to know the ruling fashion of the
day. Any one may h