To the OP, I don’t know, because I only read half of the posts in this thread half as well as I should like; and I read less than half of them half as well as they deserve. Sorry.
All this talk of “class” or “classes” in The Shire is quite fascinating, however…
I still want Rosie’s phone number.
Sam will kick your ass.
I’m quoting from memory and I’m sure it’s paraphrases, so my apologies to Chesterton:
“If you ask her ‘is there anybody in the house with you?’ and she answers ‘no’, that does not mean she is the only person present; it means that no other person of your social class is. Had the same question been asked by the doctor who’s tending her of an infection, her answer would have included the maid, the gardener and the cook.”
It’s from one of the Father Brown short stories; the time setting varies somewhat, ranging from a time when nobody had phones to another when they’re taken for granted in middle class households.
In regards to “everyone” being invited:
What social class did Tolkein himself belong to?
In his stories, a lot of people are heroes because of their superior bredding. Aragorn was at least partly Numenorean (sp?), the kings of Gondor and Rohan came form noble bloodlines, and in the tales of Turin/Hurin, the heroes are also of noble blood. [Several Human clans or tribes helped the elves in the First Age against Morgoth, and they were seen or blessed as superior, more “noble”, then others. The “easterlings” and the Haradrim, from the south, are described in less flattering terms.]
In the old socialogical question of nature (breeding, genes, bloodlines) v. nuture pops up here, with it seeming like Tolkein leans towards nature, but not entirely so. The Hobbits might be explained as “good folk” because of their simple, pratical, honest natures… but they still don’t become kings or heroes on the level of Aragorn, Elrond, Gandalf, etc.
The custom of not wearing shoes was started so they could discreetly count how many toes somebody had.
I thought it was so that they could make change.