Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-10-08
CLARA DE WERE
ON the Laying of the Table aud the
Manners of the Men and
women
who are to Sit at livery Timely Adj
vice 10 Young Girls About
Familiarity.

Clara De We're says that the modern way
of laying a table in which several sets of
knives and forks are laid at each plate is APT
to embarrass a neophyte, who does not know
which to take first. The smallest fork is for
the raw oysters, which generally precede a
handsome dinner, the next smallest for the
6sh, and so on. In eating oysters the shell is
stesdied on the plate With the fingers Of the
left hand, and the oysters are not cut but
eaten whole. Soup should be served with
large spoons and never with dessert spoons,
and there is good reason for this etiquette OF
spoous. Soup is nothing if not hot; and, as
it is The custom 10 give but very small help
ing of soup-about half ladleful to each
person-it is eaten quicker, and, therefore,
hotter with large spoon than with a email
one. The way in which man takes his
soup is by many people regarded 80 the test
OF his table mauners-to tip the plate and 10
take the Foup from the point OF the spoon
are signs against the morality of the dinner
table, great to suck down the liquid
with the sound of the miniature maebirom.
The best law -givers on the subject demand
that the spoon shall be swept through the
soup away from the person, aud the soup
drunk noiselessly from the side of the spoon,
which should be slightly tipped, as if it were
a small cup or bowl. For thirty years, until
brief time ago, fish had been eaten with
fork and a bit of bread crust to poke the
hskey bits upon the tines and 10 this day
old-fashoned people fancy that bread crust
improves the favor of their salmon or black
bass But one evening the youngest son Of
an earl discarded this crust of bread and ate
his fish with two oliver forks. This notion
found such favor that society dropped the
humble crust and adopted the extra fork.
After time it was found cumbersome and
was superseded by dainty little fish
knife and fork, which are in general use in
houses where the latest adjuncts to
convenience and elegance are in
order. II no fish knife be forthcoming,
the diner -out can fall back upon either his
crust or his extra fork, and still be SHINING
in good company. Very small helps OF fish
are always given. When game is given it is
needless TO say that the old license for held
ing the bone delicately between the finger
and the thumb has long since expired. "Set
never on fish nor flesh, beast nor fowl, truly
more than two fingers and thumb, that is
courtesy" is the old measure for manners.
now disbarred. The leg Of fowl or game
bird is never given as 8 helping 10 guest,
unless at pinch, but the wing or breast
cuts. From these he cuts off the meat which
can be easily got at, and leaves all those
morsels about which there is the slightest
difficulty. A good host looks with greater
favor upon greediness than upon indecision.
Always refuse or accept promptly, and know
whether you prefer light or dark meat One
of the most objectionable diners out is the
woman "who really has no choice" in
these matters. Vegetables are generally eaten
with fork, with Two or three exceptions, as
rafishes, wa.er-cress and olives. Aspara-
gus is eaten by elderly gentlemen,
who adhere to the customs of their youth by
holding the stalks in their fingers. The
younger generation cut off the points of the
asparagus with fork, and knife if mecca
sary, that is, if tough, and leave altogether
the upper parts Of the stalk. Salads belong
TO the joint, and are eaten off small salad
plates, placed at the left of the dinner plate.
The usual mode of eating cheese is to cut i, in
small squares and place IT with the knife On
a morsel of bread, which is then conveyed
TO the mouth by the fingers. The English
fashion OF serving celery with cheese ia a
growing one. 1t is cut into fair-sized mouth
fuls, and thus eaten instead OF bites being
taken from the end of the stick of celery, |
held Between the fingers, schoolboy fashion.
If wine is drank the lass should be tsken
by the stem and not by the bowl. Sparkling
wi mes, the latest dictu0t declares, should be
drank at once, ard not slipped. In the
matter of taking wine, one can decline
altogether, if one chooses, without
any breach of good manners. Men
turn down the glass, and some of them
make considerable unnecessary parade in so
doing. A woman motions the waiter awsy
glass. If a lady does not intend drinking
more wine than remains 10 her glass, she
should make little motion of dissent when
the servant is about TO replenish it-o:her-
wise good glass of wine is sent away I'M
tssted until The artful waiter consumes il
himself behind the door of the buffers pan
try. No condiments except salts are now put |
upon the table. Individual salts,are purely |
American. In the best houses preference is
shown for ample silver s0lieres. The custom
cherished by many people of putting little |
piles OF salt on the tablecloth is a violation |
Of the incest table etiquette, and, though not |
exactly crime, is vexatious to the hostess |
and gives her faultless table shabby look |
during the removes. The salt should be |
deposited on the rim of the plate, on The left |
side, too, if you have respect for the old |
time tradition that salt and pepper should |
always be handled from left to right" 1t is |
no longer the custom, as i. once was TO wait |
till everyone is helped. A little tact |
will decide that question if a doubt |
arises. The hostess mist pretend 10 eat |
till her most lingering guest is done, 10 |
keep him company. 1t is always proper to |
ask for second cut or TO declare prefer |
ence for rare or underdone beef, or the re- |
verse, at an informal dinner but one never
asks twice for soup, fish, salad and rarely for |
de sert. When dinper served Ia Rtt:se,
one asks for nothing, except, perhaps, time
TO see what is on his plate before the waiter
spirits it away. When the 6nger-boWl, /
placed on napkin and glass plate, arrives |
in the progress of the dinner, theifuger- bowl |
should be removed with the right hand and
set in front OF the plate, and the little doyley |
should then be placed at the left, leaving the |
plate free for the fruit. 1t Is always proper
to pare an apple, cut a peach or prepare an
orange with the knife and the fingers Some
people waste their energies by sticking these
f1r o,,1 ha,,
any touch of the fingers, but this is unneces-
sary. Cake at dessert is brokeniand eaten as
bread would be, and not cut into small
squares with knife. After the fruit is eaten
the fingers are dipped into the 6nger-bowl,
and dried on The napkin with as little parade
as possible. 1t is permissible for man to
dip a corner of the napkin in the fnger-glass
and wipe his mustache, but it must be done
deity and quickly, for it is not a pretty sight
to see man so engaged at the table, though
much may be forgiven to the owner of
luxuriant mustache patriarchal beard.
One word more, and this to young girls
who have been carefully taught nice courtesy
to servants in their own homes, and it is
word not out of place, we know from per-
sonal observation in fashionable hotels and
restaurants. 1t is bad form 10 show cour-
tesy to the walters by looking up into their
faces rs they hand the dishes. 1t savors Of
familiarity; also the habit of looking up
when saying, NO, thank you" or when
helping herself, is thing TO be avoided by
a fastidious girl, or one who does not fancy
being laughed at.
Mr.. B. B. BRUCE, of Cleveland, O., writes:
Il felt generally unwen Not desiring to get into
the clutches of some rapaeious doctor, stepped
edy that would cure any thing and everything. |
rhe clerk promptly handed me a bottle of Browns
IRON Bitters. / said, Is IL good for dyspepsia?'
BE replied, There's nothing like it said, MY
lrine isn't just the right color, guess Kidneys
out of order Just the thing said he, Tor
Iidney disorders; yeu will find IL strengthens all
PARTS OF the body, and very refreshing to the men
al faculties Just the thing want thought /.
nd it suited my complaint precisely never be