The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-05-25
THE MODERN DINING TABLE.
Its Evolution from the Rude Boards of
Primitive Ages.


The modern dining table, with its wealth of
crystal and silver, its artistic adornments of
flowers, its fine damask cloths, and silken
scarfs, has been slowly evolved through
the centuries from the rudest beginnings.
At first wooden tables were used with
out any species of cloth. Care was taken,
however, to keep the table highly polished. In
later times it was covered with skin. This
was finally succeeded by a cloth of linen or cot
ton. Till the time of Charles V napkins were
almost unknown. The first of these now indis-
pensable articles of table use came from Khinns.
This city presented one to Charles V which was
of great intrinsic value Thenceforth in the
days of chivalry the napkin had high signif-
canoe. 1t was cut with the utmost ceremony
before the place of a knight, who was, in
modern parlance, 'under cloud" and his
plate was turned bottom upwards. This con-
strained the knight to clear himself from stain,
or show that he had been injured. 1t is related
that at the table of Charles VI herald, with
great ceremony, cut napkin before the place
of Count d'Ostravan, saying that prince who
did not bear arms was unworthy to dine at the
table of the King. The Count replied with as
tonishment, 81 carry lance and buckler as
well as any other knight" 'That cannot be-"
replied the herald, cor you would have revenged
the death of your grand-uncle.'
History tells us that this public reprimand had
the desired effect. The first plates were crusts
of bread of a circular form, next they were made
of wood, then of all sorts of metals, and finally
of porcelain. Dinner ceremonies were much
more elaborate than at the present day. An in
teresting custom of the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries was at feast to seat two of opposite
sexes together and allow only one dish between
them In families one goblet sufficed for all,
and St. Berland was disnherited by his father
for having wiped the family goblet before drink
ing, thereby casting slurs on the other members
The custom of one goblet has come down to us
in the Glowing cup"
At dinner given in Lausanne early last win
ter by the President of the Republic of Switzer-
land in honor of the Duke of Orleans, Gust be-
fore his escapade in Paris at the close of the
dinner, the host took magnificent silver goblet
large enough to hold the contents of bottle of
wine, took drink, then handed the goblet to
the young Duke, who did the same, and then to
each of the other guests after which the host
took the cup again and proposed the health Of
two young West Point cadets, one of whom, a
native of Switzerland, is at the Military Acad-
emy by special act of Congress, and the other is
the son of an Army officer residing at Lausanne,
and who was one OF the hOnOred dinner guests
on this occasion.
Among the Romans the drinking of healths
was regarded as duty. Fifty years ago it was
the custom in Germany to drink the heaths not
sisters, their cousins, and their aunts." Earlier
they even drank toasts to departed relatives, so
that before banquet it was necessary for a
stranger to learn the genealogy of all those with
whom he was about to dine. Pasquier relates
that Mary Queen of Scots the evening before her
death drank after supper to the health of all her
attendants, praying them to do the like to her.
All obeyed, and in drinking to their beloved
mistress the tears fell into their glasses, great
was their sorrow.
The nations of antiquity considered it neces-
sary to diversity the chief repast of the day by
shows and representations of various kinds.
In the early days of Christianity the minstrels
and troubadours sang their verses accompany
ing them upon the harp. In the refectories of
the converts pious books were read, or some
one performed on musical instrument. This
| latter custom also remains with us In the deli
cious soft music frequently played at ceremoni-
Gus banquets. In "Lady Morgan's France" a
work sedom' read in these days, there is a
charming description of dinner at Rothschild's
| villa, near Paris, served by the celebrated Ca
RENE, at which she was present. She says:
''With less genius than went to the compost
tion of this dinner men have written epic
poems. Every meat presented its natural
aroma, every vegetable its shade of verdure,"
Lady Morgan describes the dining-room as
standing apart from the villa in the shade of
orange trees, the elegant pavilion of green mar
BILE refreshed by lovely fountains. OF the table
itself, which was in perfect conformity with
the freshness of the scene and the warmth of
| the season, Lady Morgan says: "No FURNISHED
gold reflected the glowing sunset, nor brilliant
silver dazzled the eye; porcelain, beyond the
price of all precious metals by its beauty and
its fragility, every plate picture, consorted
| with the general character of sumptuous sim
/ plicity which reigned over the whole, and
showed how well the master of the feast had
consulted the genius of the place in ALL" And
| in the words 'sumptuous simplicity" there is
any amount of suggestion to the increasing
Rothschilds of this country when about to give
| their first ''swell dnner.n
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