The McArthur enquirer. (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1873-1884, 1873-04-02

l ~ SfehtfauhL WHO use 70 coine from
town with the pockets Of her bonn
bazinc dress standing way out with
| nice things for the children, but
| she would come in looking black as
a thunder-cloud until she had got
through with her first cup Of tea,
when she would empty her right
.lpoclyetrof sugar-plums, and having
fninshed her second cup would
empty the other pocket, and after
/ she had taken an extra third cup,
Fbceause She felt so very chilly, it
took allthe sitting-room and parlor
and kitchen to contain her exhila-
ration.
Be not surprised if, after your
friends are seated at the table, the
style Of the conversation depends
very muchIon the kind Of tea that
the housedife pours for Che guests.
If it be genuine Young Hyson, the
leaves of which are gathered early
in the season, the talk will be fresh,
and spirited, and sunshiny. If it
be what the Chinese call Pearl tea,
but our merchants have named
Gunpowder, the conversation will
be explosive, and somebody's repu-
tation will be killed before you get
through, If it be green tea, pre-
pared by large infusion of Prussian
blue and gypsum, or black tea mix
ed with pulverized black lead,
you may expect there will be
poisonous effect in the conversation
and the moral health damaged.
The English Parliament found that
there had come into the country
two million pounds of what the
merchants call "lie tea," and, as
far as can estimate, about the
same amount has been imported in
to the United States; and when the
housewife pours into the cups of her
guests q decoction Of this "lie tea"
the group are sure to fall to talk
ing about their neighbors, and mis-
representing ever thing they touch,
One meeting of a sewing society"
up in Canada where this tea was
served, resulted in two lawsuits for
slander, four black eyes that were
not originally that color, the expul-
sion Of the minister, and the abrupt
removal from the top of the sex
toms head Of all capillary adorn-
ment.
But on our minister's tea-table we
will have first-rate Ningyong, or
Pouchong, or Souchong, Oolong, so
that conversation may be pure and
healthy.
We propose from time to time to
report some of the talk of our visit
ors at the tea-table. We do not en-
tertain at tea many very great men.
The fact is that great men at the
tea-table for the most part are a
bore. They are apt to be self-ab-
sorbed, or so profound I cannot un-
derstand them, or analytical of food
or nervous from having studied
themselves half to death, or exhume
piece of brown bread from their
coat-tail because they are dyspep-
tic, or make such solemn remarks
about hydro o-benzamide or sulphin-
digotic acid, that the children get
frightened and burst out crying,
thinking something dreadful is 60
ing to happen. Learned johnson,
splashing his pompous wit over the
table for Boswell to pick up, must
have been a sublime nuisance. 1t
was said Of Goldsmith that she
wrote like an angel, and talked like
poor POLL" There is more interest
in the dining-room when we have
ordinary people than when we have
extraordinary.
There are men and women who
occasionally meet at our tea-table,
whose portraits are worth taking,
There are DR.. Butterfield, Mr.. Civ
emfts, DR.. Heavyasbricks, Miss
Stinger, who come to see us, We
expect to invite them all to tea very
soon, and as you will in future hear
of their talk, it is better that l tell
you now some Of their characteris-
tics.
DR.. Butterfeld is one of our most
welcome visitors at the tea-table.
AS his name indicates, he is both
melting and beautiful. He always
takes pleasant views of things
He likes his tea sweet, and after
his cup is passed to him, he fre-
quently hands it back, and says,
"rhis is really delightful, but a
little more sugar If you please" He