Do not forget that an invitation to dinner is the highest social compliment, and value it accordingly; also answer at once.

Formulas for Invitations.

The formula for a dinner invitation is this: 

Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Smith
request the pleasure of
Mr. and Mrs. George Brown’s company at dinner,
127 Blank Avenue.
on March fifteenth at seven o’clock.

This invitation may be written on note paper or engraved on a card.

[Manners and social customs 693]

The correct form of reply is this: 

Mr. and Mrs. George Brown
accept with pleasure the polite invitation of
Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Smith for dinner
on March fifteenth, at seven o’clock.

If the dinner is in honor of guests, the formula may be: 

To meet
Mr. and Mrs. William Dash,
Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Smith request the pleasure of
Miss Anderson’s
company at dinner,
on Wednesday, January twenty-sixth,
at seven o’clock. 
R. S. V. P. 91 East Ninety-fourth street.

If the invitation must be declined, this form may be observed: 

Mr. and Mrs. Brown
regret that owing to a previous engagement
they are unable to accept
Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Smith’s
very kind invitation
for Tuesday evening, March fifteenth.

Any other reason, as illness, proposed absence, or the like, may be substituted for a “previous engagement.”

In acknowledging invitations it is better to err on the side of over-politeness than the reverse.

If a dance or theatre party is to follow the dinner, words indicating the fact are written across the lower part of the card or in the lower left-hand corner.

“R. s v. p.” stands for the French phrase, “Respondez, sit vous plait,”—­meaning that a reply is desired.

[694 Mothers’ remedies]

Replies.—­The reply to an invitation should be in the same form as the invitation; thus if in the third person the reply should also be made in the third person.  Such invitations are the most formal.  The reply is to be addressed according to the wording of the invitation:  thus if Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Smith issue it, address the reply to them; if Mrs. John Henry Smith’s name alone appears, address it to her.  The same rule applies to a wedding invitation.  The acknowledgement is sent to the parties issuing the invitation, not to those to be married.

Must Not Ask Invitations.—­It is not allowable to ask for an invitation to a dinner, a luncheon or a card party for a guest or friend.  These are functions arranged for a definite number of guests; to include another person is not possible.  If your hostess knows you have a guest, she will, if her arrangements make it practicable, include her; if not, there is no slight to you or your guest.  The presence of a guest does not excuse one from a dinner, luncheon or card party, the invitation having been already accepted.  Provide some pleasure for your friend, or leave her to a quiet evening at home.