, 1874-11-06

only can. But thero wore respectable chimney
pots, flabby wide awakos. WITH broad brinA, and
others with iittlo button Ut tho top, and oap-
limos round It,"
A CHAT ABOUT DINING.
The Convorsntion and tho Table.
tfon ths London Spectator.
ead = new-malo Poor to = ir'lond who lad limited
that aialko to q rOrorct WAS only another form
Of Nolo oplacopari. "Why, in half Tho houHes I
dine At shall havo to tako my hostcse down to
5e{te Hooms TO share tho new roer'a opinion, for
Lug Erows furious ovor his obligation to dino soat-
Cd boLWoen two wonon WHO Gun nevor talk ard
eHks either for their exclusion. or such altora
nanl 70 talk all around. and Presumably, pay no
astontlon to hls nolghbors. Tho writer has prob
ABLY peon provoked by ali accidental welging ho-
twoGn aowaEorB,, which, particularly II YOU do
ior IL onr day wo1non, on tho whole, talk In 10
clety Quite as well as mon. Thoy arc not quite
70 eptgranmatto, md sometimes lack condensa-
t9 out ansy aIe decidedly moro spghty mud
| preasfon, good doal botter. Their grand dofoct
In conversation is obligingness. II the eubieot
started 10 bose TO him, Or QUO h oktoWs uoihinc
abous the nlan will change 1t or bo sllont; but =
| ness, with alow of interest which Is yisihIy
protonsot and series of rupiica which aro yapid
| as wlito Of cgg. No naan talks as badly AZ mnst
| womou on nsubjoets thoy caro- nothing about, for
ALL hositntes to be little bittor-nnt vauillo, be
| 1t nice or not, Inns at worst more flavor thxn
crcntn-cheoso. But the Bcrono, oqnablo flow of
| wo1nen's talk holps nightly to prevent conver-
/ lng-whoh. though am'ining for two minutes, in
n Weariuess after i've, and to bo por1oot should
| DO arrested after two slotB each-aud they wake
up talkatiyoneas 10 tho men, m attribute Of tho
Evon ho wanted to Talk when tho dowagorH wora
| Gu each Bido OF him, and resented hiB Inability,
! whoroRB, BnndWiched bntweon two mon, ho would
have wantod to cat, and have settled Ills temper
| for the nvnninR, not according to tho p1oaaant-
ness Of his nclg nbors, but according to tho flavor
Of tho.aoup,-nino times out Of ton tue weak point
! Of tho entertainment. (Wo wonder why, evon
| In very fair houscs, tho soup 70 otton fa'ss \
trie short Of perfection. Il It booause 1t is tho
only dish to which perfection is ensentaai, bo-
cause It is lilo only QUO noyor soon in tho sor~
wants. hall2) With "X.'s" second complaint so
hayo moro sympathy, and rather wonlor that tho
upholstoror, poet and artist, who ia lining eyory
hody's walls, and beginning to cover evorybody'a
floors, and who, II ho Wora httlo lHBs nfraia OF
brightness, might be aald to hnve M Oiontal'a
instinct for color doea not evolve out Of himself
| table which shall receive universal acceptance.
| Tho way in which tho idcaof The grim old dining
| tRblo Of our grandfathors has stood its ground lg
| tho bcst proof We know Of tho inherent conservA~
tsm Of tho British mind. It mas, Of courae, orr
ginully usoful, being intended to hold whole
dlnnor-big dishes, little dishos, and all nlannor
Of implements and addouda, baHdos ~ mitch
| plato ~ it could be made to carry. That was
convenient sShi!o it WAS conceived hospitablo to
display your food and regale your guests, az tho
ancionts rcgalcd thoir godB. with tho rock of
heetad 1lcah, hot soup, and Fapidty~cooliug veg
ctables; but all TINT has passed away. Tho 1lus-
| sian dinner bns woo, and ought from tho rory
| first to have led to potter form Of tnble but
/ somehow, innovation In Tint manner Inns boon
x,fr =.
chairs, Improvement in which WAS arrosted by a
ulctliDyal mania. Tho table docs not lose AcBh
rapidly ouough, With tho Russian dinner,
broadth IN tahIo IL not required, but longth.
j. strip Of tabio. broAd enough to hold two
[ plates opposito each other, and leave 6 inches
between them is amnc for moro utility, and ne
I may question If the donauds Of tho oya roquiro
more than inches moro. That gives room for
| cnhdelabra, Whch 1nay widen in tho air, not on
tho tablo, and for as much color, proferoutially
in the Bhapo Of towors. as tho eyo can bear with
| ont either Tearinosa or sonao Of special Attrac-
ton and Vhat mora is required? It ia horri-
bio horcay, no doubt but We hold Btill that tho
whto daulaak tablo-closh. though M e1coIont
ground~color, throwing everything olso up, il
not the only color which would be pleasing; it
| rofracts light little too much. ovon if you like
brilianco, and ri any dealer will tell you, 1t afa-
nf1lB tho eiroct Of that most beautiful OF modern
creations, Englis, table gass. Nobody oyor says
enough about that. Venetian glass i8 beautiful
| In its place, but tho por'ect modern English
wino-glass might havo boon mado by fairios from
the dow. and hecn struck into crystal by tho va-
| ltion OF Il Peri. Our torcfathors, with tlelr
| thick glass aud chased gold md silver cups, were
Al brutal in their conception Of drnking-vessela
as they were in tllor tasto in drinks. People
who know thoso things say thay. could drink hot
Bl,orry, and mul!cd ciarct. md brown heor. and
| cider, and an abomination called perry, aud ,
| though VIC confess VIC 10 not belevo this, culBtl
douominatcd "mead," stuT ~orae by degrees
tLnn koun,iss Or troacle and water. Will sone-
Af
Of thas telut degrade, tho soft gray green whici,
| Mr. Morris is no fond Of for his walls? Seated
by whnt IL virtually 3 mahogany trcstlo with
nothing to obatruct the vow, tho gueats can tnlls
misaiblo arrangement will gye, thcm moro;
whle on oach s.do tlloy nlay, il tho chairs aro
| aonaibly made, hRYo I'll assured consciousness OF
room. Alas! chairs arc not sensible. Tho old
chair was an inBtrumont of torture, and tho new
chair, tho modmyal caair. the chair upholsterors
delight in, well Us it sometimes looks, allows Of
| too cloYo packing, and tires tho back. Nobody
wauts to sit 30 upright as all TINT, aud every-
| noty away from dlnuor likes I'm easy chair. Why
ahoull llo not havo ono-not, indeed, an old oasy
chair. like al improved Tatch-box, aud big
enough for asoToroigu opening Parliament
| but All caHy-chair OF to-day, with tho scat tho
right height for tho table--tahleH arc tritc too
| high stll, aud make the women worry for foot
htools-with tho back not too tall for tho ser-
| wants. and tho sides carefully kept down, till
| you can lounge without interpreting bstriar be-
tween YOU and your next-door ncighbor. In
provcmout IL coming in those chairs, but it
spreads a'owly, and tho suhjoct requires study
! just as mitch I'd TINT OF light docs. Light IL not
right yet, and will not DO put right iu ! minute.
"N." .proteata rightly against blaze, hut still
light is required, oquablo light, light without TOO
many shadows. and light, above all, Which docs
| not cross the limo Of sight too directly. fas
docs not do, except rs sl1ccedanouin; candles
| tako roou aud throw shadows; and We suspect
that oil, with which VIC can produce tho nocdful
quality, viz, aoftenod ntonBty till We can man.
ago electricity, and dine by ali intenBe, yet soft
and atl-poryad,ng moonlight, will be the medium
ultimately ndopted.
| Thors is Quo point connected with dinner on
which opinion seems still to DO little chaotic,
and that IL tllo arrangement OF tho guoa1s. Tl.e
tendency is to lot them arrange thomHolvos, a,d
ns this ia III accordance with modern manners,
tho object Of which IL unrasEraint, and the noto
OF w1icl, il temporary intimacy. tho tendency
will probably prevail. It diminishcs tho tronblo
Of entertaining, aud abolishoa tho responsibility
nevertheless. Where everybody il really en- fa-