The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-12-18
,fhe Art of Good Dinlng..

| Let the table, when no one.is pres
| ent but the home circle, be the modef
| of what 1t should be when surrounded
by guests. Lay piece of thick Cam
ton flannel under your table cloth,
Even coarse napery will look much
better quality with sub-cover than il
spread directly over the. bare table
top.
Avoid the cheap trick of hotels and
restaurants in the arrangement o!
napkins and table utensils. Simplic'
ity is never ridiculous, while preterl
sion usually is. Place the napkin OIL
the left side of the plate with a piece
of bread in its folds, the fork on the
right hand, next to that the knife with
the sharp edge turned from the onS
who is to use it, beyond this the soup
spoon.
A the point of these set the tumb
ler and individual butter plate. Mats,
tablespoons, salt cellars and pepper
cruets may be arranged to- suit ones
taste.
Danish the heavy castor from the
center of the table and put there in
stead vase of flowers, if it benothin2
more ambitious than some bits OF ivy
or evergreen frightened by spray OF
bittersweet.
At the carver's place spread a white
napkin, the point toward the middle
of the table, to protect the cloth from
FLASHES of gravy.
Let the soup be served by the mis-
tress and eaten with 40 accompani
ment except piece of dry bread in
the hand. Buttering is only less vulgar
than thickening the contents of the
plate with crumbs. When this course
has been removed the meat and vege
tables may be placed on the table.
If there is salad, it should be served
separately, in course by itself.
The heavy part of the dinner eaten,
the maid should be summoned and
should commence the clearing of the
table by carrying out first the meat,
then the dishes of vegetables, and
after that plates and butter plates
placing one on top of the other and
using tray to transfer everything
except the large platters.
Do not permit her to 90 through the
operation of scraping the contents OF
one plate into another, with clatter
of knives and forks, and then bearing
off the whole at once. Two plates al
time are enough for one load.
Next after the soiled dishes, have
taken off mats, salt cellars and other
table furniture but tumblers, wateI
bottle or pitcher, napkin rings and ice
bowl, and then have the crumbs
brushed and tray used.
The desert is then served, and ex--
cept at ceremonious dinner the tea
Or coffee, which should never appear
earlier in the action, and the work OF
waiting is done.
When one realizes the exceeding
of this much dreaded branch
of domestic service it seems incompre.
hensible that in so many families
dainty waiting should be unknown. J.
am well aware that the question OF
serving is generally the sticking point
1t is very hard lmpossi-
ble-for the mistress with but one
maid of -all-work to demand that thai
one shall be practical waitress. Il.
is much easier to have the food Jumb.
led on the table in helter-skelter
fashion than to run the risk of making
trouble by insisting that it shall be
served in courses. But the matter is
not so difficult, after all, if the ser.
want understands from the beginning
that this will be required of her
Good Cheer.