The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-09-04
JAPANESE NAPKINS.
FUNNY LITTLE MOUTH WIPERS
MADE FROM RICE PAPER.

"A Great Demand Tor the Dainty Articles,
Which Arc Ornamental as Well Use
ful-Chat with a Japanese XoutE-Big
sales-fienic Napkins.
Paper napkins, Who ever heard Of such
hoisenSe! What COOL are they!" were among
the many exclanations uttered by good house
wives when they first learned that paper nap
lins were being sold for table use. They pic
turcd to themselves squares of thin, white
paper thnt would break mt the first attempt
IT, put them t. uSr, AMI sighed over the friv-
olity Of the JaIun>.. for bothering to make
such articles.
Now, however, since their value has become
known, every picnic party must he well sup
piled with these little squares of japanese art
Hotels and boarding houses have begun to
use them, greatly To the delight of their guests,
and IL will not be long before restaurants,
steamboats, and even private families will have
them III use
I'VE make no prctcnsions to what Is called
style. We are still in that social stratum
where the article called the napkin ring is
recognized as admissible at the dinner table
The napkin ring Is the boundary between Ger
tain CLASSES" says Oliver Wendell Holmes in
his most recent story, "A Mortal Antipathy."
PAPER NAPKINS INTRODUCED.
But the Introduction of paper napkins will
do away with this social stratum and instead
OF a clean napkin once a day, or twice a week,
as the rule may be- every one may lie even
more fastiious than Vanderbilt or a Gould,
and have IA dainty and new napkin three
times a day, and at very trifiing expense.
For family of six three napkins for each
one Every day would make III "A week, which
is quite an extra" in the wash, besides the
care Ia keep them in nice order.
The reporter visited quaint little japanese
store ON Broadway, which, strange to say, Is
Kept 10y IA Turk and "a youth from the Mkado
land. Queer little dolls with bald heads ami
bright, black eyes pecp.d out from Nankn
bowls and Toki" pots; mattings and ham
Ii'S'.i>, fans and umbrellas of wonderful size,
siEinSlei with Impossible japanese ladies and
gentlemen ia painful attitudes of Japanese
grace; funny little ivory black scratchers,"
tobacco jars, tea set bamboo chairs and
hundreds of other aiI, yet useful, articles,
which the two countries have taught how
tn us. for our own comfort filed the little
place.
"Ahou Ben Adhem,' in a flowing gown of
aft red silk ami little cap on the back of
his broad head, sat iii the back of the shop
square box covered with u bright rug and
p'iicd calmly away at his long pipe, while
his Yokohama assistant fitted about with
IA biz Nilken handkerchief Tipping specks of
dust from the Thousand ARTICLES of bric-i,- brac
The reporter asked TIN little japanese if lie
soil many paper napkins.
How many hundred you want - he said
bringing out four five packages. For
picnic these very nice. Sell for fifty cents
lOb" and he took out soft bit of crumpicd
whit stuff bori,ret with pale blue man
darins, each one trying To hit his neirhhor
with "A mushroom like parasol, while a big
mandarin sat in the center in seeming bliss
We sill great many ri these for picnic.
Americans say they are funny l sec no
funny hut still like they please. Here some
more fancy 81 one hundred. These good for
own dinner table"
THE MORE EXPENSIVE KIND.
The more expensive napkins We're not gen
orally comical in design ac, or,iing to the
japanese idea Some were as soft as silk
and could be doubled up in the palm into
little balls and smoothed out again without a
break. They in white, pink and blue
and while the majority had only borders of IA
different color about them many were COW
cred with birds and flowers, umbrellas, weep
ing willows, teacuI,s and pots, and every kind
Of japanese figure.
do you sell many of these" pucriei the
reporter.
"oh, yes, VESSEL this warm time thousands
asd hundreds They go for picnics, they 90
for summer resort cottages where ladies want
no trouble with washing. They go with
travelling parties, who like them ut all times
Then sell them for decoration of parlors."
DO the Japanese use theme"
oh, yes, ut all times. We have only the
Iiye and the bamboo for our house Out of
rice make our food, our paper some of our
wraps. Rice makes the soft paper like this,
that does not break. Other things we make
Of bamboo
The reporter learned that scented paper
napkins, as high rs fifty cents each, are used
in New York Jay Gould and many other
men of wealth have them for their yachts,
and many of the cottagers at Newport and
Long Branch using them this summer
For watermelon or berry parties, for picnics
and garden parties, they are considered just
the thing. Fine linen isapt to become stained
or get lost, but paper napkins are sweet and
fresh and may be thrown away when used
The japanese expect To drive IA big trade in
them next winter, and several cargoes have
been sent herc.--Ncw York Journal
Wesley n Horn Leader.