The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-07-22
[Bill Nye's Boomerang
Table EtinIIatta.

There are great many people who behave
well otherwise, but at table they do things that
If not absolutely outre and ensemble, are at
least pidnissimo and sine die.
1t is with view to elevating the popular
taste and etherealizing, so to speak, the man
ners and customs of our readers, that we give
below few hints rpon table etiquette.
Ii by writing an article OF this kind we can
induce one man who now wipes his hands on
the Table cloth to come up aud take higher
ground and wipe them on his pants, we shall
feel amply repaid.
Ii you cannot accept an iAyitation to dinner.
do not write your regrets on the back of a nool
check with q blue pencil. This is now re.
garded as richochst.
A simple note your host informing him
that your washermoman refuses to relent is
sufficient
On seating yourself at the table draw off
your gloves and put them in your lap under
your napkin. Do not put them in the gravy,
as it would ruin the gloves and cast gloom
over the gravy. If you have just cleaned
your gloves with benzine, you might leave
them out in the front yard.
If you happen to drop gravy on your knife
blade, back near the handle, do not run the
blade down your throat to remove the gravy,
as it might injure your epglottis, and IS not
considered enabonpoiat. anyway.
When you are at dinner do rot take up a
raw oyster on your fork and playfully ask your
host if it is dead. Remarks about death at
dinner are in very poor taste.
Pears should be held by the stem and peeled
gently but firmly not as though you were skin
ming dead horse. 1t is not bon ton.
Oranges are held on fork while being
Dullad and the fapatiouS etvla Of en11;rf;rer No
Juice into the eye of your hostess is now Q,t
reUoir.
Stones in cherries or other fruit shoald not
be placed upon the tablecloth, but slid quietly
and unostentatously INTO the pocket of your
neighbor Or noiselessly tossed under the table
Ii you strike worm in your fruit DO not call
attention to it by mashing it with the nut
cracker. This is not only uncouth, bat it is
regarded IN the best society as 6ldS6 and ex-
ceedingly 0ice UefSG.
Macaroni should be cut into short pieces and
eaten with an even, graceful motion, not ab-
sorbed by the yard
In drinking wine, when you get 10 the bot
tom OF your glass do not throw your head back
and draw in your breath like the exhaust of q
bath tub in order to get the last drop, as it en-
genders feeling of the most depressing mel
ancholy among the guests
After eating a considerable amount do not
rise and unbuckle your vest strap in order to
get more room, as it is exceedingly an fait and
diShdbiIe.
Ii by mistake you drink out of your finger
bowl, laugh heartily and make soine facetious
remark which will change the course OF cou-
versation and renew the friendly feeling
among the members Of the party.
Ladies should take but one glass of wine at
dinner. Otherwise there might be difficulty in
steering the male portion Of the procession
home.
Do not make remarks about the amount
your companion has eaten, II the lady who is
your company at table, whether she be your
wife or the wife of some one else, should eat
quite heartily do not offer to pay your host for
his loss or say to her. "Great Scott! hope
you VIII not Kill yourself because you have the
opportunity" but be polite and gentlemanly,
even though the food supply be cut off for a
week.
Ii one of the gentlemen should drop a raw
oyster into his bosom and he should have
trouble in fishing it out, do not make facetious
remarks about ii, but assist him to find it,
laughing heartily all the time