The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-01-05
Table Manners.
Harper's Bazaar.


Behavior at the table. Perhaps
none have quite the whole body OF
the law At their command; but
everybody has = little manual of
the chief points, and in that life
where there is any material Gtten-
ton paid to comfort the greater
part of the people know enough
to cause them to eat with their
forks, to keep their arms of the
cloth, not to lie sidewise on the
table, to use their spoon right
aide up, to butter their bread on
the plate instead of the air, to put
their food into their mouths in q
single morsel instead of in 9 dis
appearing length like conjurer'l
ribbon, to forbear the use OF
tooth-picks, to drink their tea
from their cups. to keep the plate
the hostess sends them-these
and other similar small observan
ces everybody knows and practic-
es. Yet futher refnements, more
over, are in the possession OF
others; the knowledge of how
much or how little it is proper to
press, a dish; the manner OF
speaking to a servant; the neces-
sity, where there are servants, OF
letting every dish absolutely alone.
and keeping ones fingers off OF
so much as a salt cellar. But there
are other points of behavior al
table quite as valuable as these
mere points of etiquette; for
etiquette is, after all, but the re.
suit OF convention of opinions
OF course cleanliness and the
common decencies of life one
might suppose would be preserv.
ed by any short of savages; nor
would we much expect to see al
any semi civilized table anything
like overreaching; these are mat
tiers Of self-respect. and though
tri1Ing in themselves, are indica-
tive OF chara cter, and conductive
or otherwise to the comfort o1
those about us. Thus we have
heard people who thought we'll OF
themselves, at table where, ow-
ing to unfortunate circumstances,
it was impossible to have other
than plated silver, enter into q
conversation upon plated ware,
and the vulgarity of it's use; and
We remember having heard a per
son, at a neighbours tea-table
where china was entirely in the
vocstive, declare. as she slipped
her tea from cup of stone-ware,
that it made no difference to her
what kind of tea she drank, so
long as she drank it from china.
OF course that may be forgetful-
ness, and is just as likely to hap
pen in the parlor apropos of the
horse-hair furniture; but it is GER
tainly want of tact, and want OF
tact is about as sure as any agen-
cy to bring about a further breach
of good manners.
Another form of just this want
of tact is to be seen in the accep-
lance or declination of certain
dishes. 81 am extravagantly
fond of it, says some one, con-
corning a delicacy, quite oblivi-
GUS of the fact that the supply is
not unlimited; and consequently
that individual obtains, though
the very necessities of hospitality
the delicacy passed and pressed
again and again, something much
more than a proper share. Or
else the very opposite course is
maintained to the ruin Of any
simple or frugal table. s'Thank
you, l will take the other; Inever
eat this when I get that is 8
speech We have all of US heard
repeatedly, and perhaps some
times made without ever thinking
what it entailed upon the proyider,
to whom "this" may be very con
venient and chat" very difficult
of attainment. To decline a dish
because one is "nOt fond of it,
of course prevents any free use
of that dish, unless something
else is especially prepared tor the
daintier appetite. And to tell an
anecdote illustrating ones dislike
of something else is equally OBJ
jectionRble. There is almost al
ways on the tables that are not
spread by poverty other articles
upon which one can satisfy such
hunger as sits down at those ia
bles, and to decline in the man
ner mentioned, or to stats incon-
Venint preferences, is something
that can not help making several
other people at tho table uncom
Portable. Truly good manners
would always take the undesired
portion upon the plate, if only to
trifie with it, so as not to hurt the
feelings of those providing it;
and if the providing party were
equally good hammered, it would
be observed that the article was
unplatable, and something else
would be substituted. or the dish
would fail to be repeated. For,
on the other hand, the good man
ners on that side are just as care
folly to be regarded; and if after
the dislike has been noticed. the
same object is again presented on
other days, if seasoning con
tinue to be used, or flavoring
that is not agreeable, then the can
mons are violated quite as badly
by the hosts. Yet if, after stat
ing dislike and preference. a per-
son not otherwise starved to it is
seen to take his portion and send
back his plate for = second one.
it would seem as il the dislike
were too slight to justify its state
ment at all, and the person stating
it were utterly iAexcusable, and
should have no notice taken of
bis objection.
But perhaps the greatest indie
corum of all is voluntary instruc-