The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-30
NOVELTIES FOR S O'CLOCK TEA.
Flower Decorations, Tea Cloths, Silver
Glass and Gowns.
TNo.,,.~;.bt,J

has uuuelSOuS Tdplu eVOluIlOn bnlS Winter.
1t now exists in half dozen different forms.
There is, first, the original English after
noon tea, imported and adhered to by some
three or four women who understand
thoroughly how to entertain. Tea, as served
by them, is a needed simpli6cation of our
forms of social intercourse. 1t makes their
houses daily rendezvous where young mon,
after business hours and while it is vet too
early to assume the formalities and respon-
Slbllltles of the dress coat, can count on find
ing one or more of the ladies of the house,
surrounded 10y home atmosphere and the
centre of attraction for group of pleasant
women and girls. At such daily tea there
are no floral decorations beyond a vase or
two of roses no music and no menu more
elaborate than thin bread and butter.
waters, tea and cake.
AT the other end of the scale and coming
but once or twice a season is the tea as it
has been elaborated by the competition of
society matronS with debutante daughters
to introduce. Combined with a reception
to some hundreds of people, costing more
for flowers than a bali and more for vlands
than a state dinner, tea and the debutante
have fallen foul of each other with results
satisfactory to the debutante, but causing
the tea to doubt its identity. Between these
two extremes come weekly teas, monthly
teas, occasional teas. all sorts OF teas, but
all, in spite of their diversity, amenable to
much the same general social laws.
Flowers for afternoon teas have assumed
this season an Importance they never
aspired to before. 1t was the original ira
ditlon that you should offer your guests COM
paratively little to eat or drink and SO,
however much you depart from the tradi-
ton, it still influences you mentally to feast
their eyes right royalty IN addition, if not
instead. The flower of all flowers for after
noon tea is the orchid. Next the orchid
comes the rose, next the rose, the violet {;
but the orchid by all means if you can.
The orchid is weirdIy delicate and
luxurious flower and it wants luxurious
surroundings. No orchids unless you have
a Silkeu cloth for the table. ana unless your
silver and your glass is quantity graceful in
shape and curiOusly wrought. The splend-
idly decorative blossoms of the lycaste skin
neri, catteya maxima, oncidium varicOsum
and odontoglosum cordatum are the tea
table queens, If you can give them royal
welcoming. Mass Them in low open baskets
of delicate porcelain or white enamel.
Roses for the tea table are wholesome
flowers that suit robust taste better than
the unearthly orchids. Use a single variety
of one of the larger hybrids aud cut them
with long stems, filling a couple of dozen
are the rich dark red melton, the perles DIES
jardIns, the jacqueminot. pere Coulter,
sunset, Puritan, bon silence and above all
the splendid great Ameri an beauty, with
its spread of six inches across.
When the number of guests is large
enough and the menu elaborate enough to
set small separate tables, it is pretty trick
of flower decoration to put a dish of fine
poses divided into nosegays in the middle
g ~, NolN Ia hat loIx f,l-
with her when she goes, a bunch of violets
or valley lilies or white Roman hyacinths.
The waxy camellia, which your mother
wore in her hair when she was married, is
long ago favorite lately revived, and the
fragrant daphne odora is liked everywhere.
Ferns and mignonette, if you like. But
don't mix flowers All roses, all vIolets OF
no flowers at all.
The cloth for 5 o'clock tea drinkings is
delicate thing to spread. The acme of
elegance~-for orchid peoples a set of
hand-woven silk cloths, in delicate colors,
ADAPTED to the tiny tea tables in vogue.
There are women who have put 2,000 or
s., 900 into embroidered silk spreads. Next
theSe-for rose or violet tables-are tea
cloths aud sets of tea cloths in monte
These are novelty and come with inserted
borders of handmade lace costing 500 or
$3.50. Fine linen cambria is occasionally
used for tea spreads, and is covered entirely
with the beautiful drawn work, which is
the latest craze. These never run lower
than $50 and rise above 500. Heavy
damask, when used for tea spreads, is lace
trimmed or embroidered o. edged with
drawn work. Tea cloths are the only
variety of table linen on which a fringe is
now allowable, and even here it is not
commonly used
Menu cards are essential at the more elab-
crate teas only. When used it is the
latest thing to have them of tinted fine
gauze, lined with soft silk, of an oblong
shape, with painted conventional design
on the gauze, fringed at one end and having
a tiny card for the name attached by
narrow ribbon. Each tea tab should seat
not over four guests, preferably intmates
or congenial spirits; and a card should lie
by each plate; favors of small dainty baS-
kets of delicate straw in pale shades of
pink and blue heaped with flowers being
added if desired.
Porcelain, silver and glass for the tea
service should be delicate in shape and
dainty in design. Porcelains from the
English factories are preferred, as superior
in design and wearing better as to metallic
decoration than the French. Sevres ware
especially has degenerated, the maker being
hampered by the conventionalities that
always surround factory under govern
ment supervision. English crystal is the
preferred glass, though Venetian is used by
some people.
Frocks for afternoon teas assume char
acter dstinctively their own. TIE contrast
between hostess and guest is less marked
than last season, visitors now assuming
bonnets and gowns ceremonious enough as
well as pretty enough to do honor to the oc-
cason. Tea drinkers wear this winter fancy
combinations of silk, velvet and lace, or
fine embroidered cloth frocks, altogether
too dressy for the promenade, but invariably
short and distinguished from evening gowns,
by being cut high in the neck and by the
artistic simplicity ofsdrapery appropriate
to day wear. Jewels are not out of place,
but too many are not desirable. Gloves may
be in monsquetaire or button style, Suede
gloves are the first choice in tan colors,
lavender, pale silver gray and other tints.
The corsage bouq ct, which is tabooed for
evening dress, is in favor for teas 1t con-
sists of three or four roses, long stemmed,
ali of a color and kind, a spray Of valley
lilies. heliotrope, or something not too large
and harmonic ng with the gown.
The tea gown par excellence, the privilege
Of the hostess. is responsible for much of
the popularity Of the tea. 1t is not only the
prettiest, IL is the only comfortable gown
made. It exhibits no striking novelties, but
the best designers are putting some CT their
best work into it. One of the choicest of
the tea gowns seen in New York this winter
is worn bv the artist Dora Wheeler. II is of
white cloth braided in gold. This is worn
over a white silk skirt and is confined at tine