The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-01-22
A SIX O'CLOCK TEA.
A Pretty Entertainment for Home That
May Be Worth Trying.

A very pretty and effective entertain
ment came within my experience a
short time ago. 1t was what was call
ed o'clock tea for young ladies, the
guests numbering about seventy-five.
After supper was served, the hostess
brought in on large silver tray what
appeared to be a heap of the freshest
of lettuce leaves, crinkled and tender
looking; at the stem of each was slip
of white paper, on which was written
familiar quotations from standard au-
thors. The attention of the company,
who had risen from their seats and
were engaged in social converse, was
attracted by the call of a bell, when
the hostess announced that she would
further serve her guests by giving them
''literary salad;" each was to take a
leaf and guess the author of the quota
ton; should she guess rightly she was
to keep the leaf and wear it in her cor
sage; if she could not guess, it must be
returned to the platter, and she might
have the privilege of trying again and
as many times as she liked. Those
who guessed correctly could also re-
peat the trial; one or two succeeded
in securing large corsage bouquet of
the leaves, while some obtained none
at all.
Card tables and cards were provided
in the meantime for those not interest
ed in the literary effort, and in another
room was provided a spelling game"
for those not liking cards, or relishing
the salad. This afforded much amuse-
ment, for even well-kuown scholars
and people who never fail to spell cor
rectly when writing, often develop a
great weakness when called on sudden
ly to spell a word verbally, and this
weakness is often most manifest in the
simplest and commonest words.
In this game every one is to spell
their very best, and if you choose a
prize can be given to the best speller,
and a BOBBY prize to the poorest. The
words to be spelled should be on a
printed slip of paper, with q definition
added, and placed in box On the table
around which your company is seated.
The person to start the game selects a
word without seeing it when selecting,
pronounces the word and gives the
definition to the one next to him. If
number two spells the word correctly
he takes the card and draws another,
if he misses the word, the one pro-
nouncing it spells it and places it by
itself. The last speller draws the next
twice on one word, Each participant
should keep his own pile of correctly
spelled and mis-spelled words, being
careful not to mix them. The prize
goes, of course, to the last speller.
i Like all games, to be interesting it
needs interested people, but having
these it affords % very great amount of
amusement, for only too often where
the greatest confidence is displayed on
a word do we find the amusing mis-
take.
! As the supper was excellent and well
served, and the diversity of the enter
tainment met the various tastes of the
company, and had also the merit OF
being novel and new, the departing
guests expressed in a most hearty man
ner their appreciation of the effort and
their congratulations on its success.
To make the leaves for the literary
salad" get some tissue paper of light
green shade, as near the color of tender
lettuce leaves as possible; cut in shape
like the leaf, leaving a little strip at the
bottom for pasting on the quotation,
notch the edges and then fold ovel
lengthwise through the middle, slip
over a hair-pin on this fold and press
closely together in the rounding part
of the pin, then take off, and if it is
rightly done the center of the leaf will
be beautifully crinkled; write your quo
tation on white slip of paper, number
it and paste on the little strip of tissue
paper left below the leaf. Have book
with a corresponding number in it witt
the authors name, that you may be
able to tell when the quotations art
rightly guessed. Housekeeping.