Milford chronicle., 1885-01-30
IN THE HOME CIRCLE.
Hints and Helps About the Table and Its
Appointments.

l. As to table appointments. The
cloth should be scrupulously clean,
though it be only coarse material; nicely
starched and ironed, and put on straight,
its folds parallel with the sides Of the
table, and they with the sides OF the
room. The napkins, Of however coarse
material, must also be clean, carefully
ironed and put on in place. The ar
rangement Of the dishes on the table
must be uniform, regular and tasteful,
each dish, plate, spoon, glass, being in
its appointed place and kept there. Any
one accustomed to orderly appointments
by habit soon learns to feel the neces-
sity Of taste and exacitude. These are
fearfully neglected in many families.
Table furniture Of all sorts is hustled on
without regard to appearance or order,
the napery is disgusting, the careless
ness in disposing it equally so, and the
results are only such as might be ex-
pected.
2. As to the food. It is impossible to
feel polite and well hammered over
unpalatable, coarse, ill-prepared, indi-
gestible food. Every mouthful of it
provokes i'll humor, resentment, dissat-
isfaction. The house mother who insists
on good table manners must give her
family good food. There is no need Of
sour bread, muddy coffee, soggy pota-
toes, heavy pie crust, leathery batter
cakes. Chesterfield himself would for
get his manners if compelled for any
length of time to subsist on such diet
8. As to methods of eating. With the
assistance Of the knife and fork the food
may be so divided as to relieve the incis-
ors of the heaviest part OF their work,
and make small mouthfuls a pleasure.
The grinders indicate that grinding in
the mouth is a part of the process of nu-
triton. Animals destitute of grinders
bolt their food, It is not fitting that
-thuman beings should eat as dogs do,
siA'0'-sS eY have each a ''mill" ready for
use-Whlen du6 have not. The lips
are so constructed thai tIe ns4.S = tbe
grinding, which is intolerable to ears
polite, may be effectually disguised.
This is a point that cannot be too ur.
gently insisted on. Food, whether
liquid or solid, must be conveyed into
the mouth and from the mouth down.
ward silently.
The position at table, should be uncon-
strained and easy, the person sitting
erect or slightly bent forward when
eating, so that the mouth may be direct
ly above the plate; the arms should be
held at the side, not extended at right
angles with the body. The elbows
should be kept off the table. Leaning
back in ones chair, or dancing on one
leg of the chair, is grievous violation
of table etiquette, permitted only and
wrongly to spoiled children. The mouth
and fingers must be kept, during all the
process of eating, absolutely clean. The
dainty eater will keep his plate in order
and leave it so, with the knife and fork
laid together across the plate. The use
OF the fork to the exclusion OF the knife
in carrying food to the mouth is insisted
on. Leave-takiDg is admissible only by
permission Of the hostess. Table talk
should be light, agreeable, general, each
person present contributing his or her
quota to the general fund, and children
observing the excellent rule of being
''seen and not heard, unless they are IN
such majority that the conversation is
keyed to their level.
Parents who will be at the pains to
set their children such examples as they
wish to see followed, and will them
selves conform to a high standard of
table etiquette, will have little difficulty
in attaining the results Of culture they
all desire. We have treated this subject
with elemental simplicity, as requested,
and additional suggestions will find room
if needed. Parents who have helpful
hints ready are invited to forward them,
especially if collected from successful
experiment.