The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-06-27
FORKS.

Did you know that Queen Elizabeth ate
" it'll her fingers? You may have know IA
that she loved show and style, that she
was so fond OF fine clothes that when she
died She left thee Thousand dresses ard
any quantity OF jew els; but did you ever
imagine that such a great lady could be 30
inelegant as to eat v ith her fingers? But
She did. and SO did Shakespeare. and
Chaucer, and William the Conqueror, aud
King Alfred, and every body else Who
lived before her time. These last were
more exeusable than she-they had no
forks; but even she was not without ex-
cuse, for though she had several. they had
been given her as curiosities, which /
suppose, nobody expected her TO use.
There was enc of crystal gaTnished aud
with gold sparks of eaInet, another Of
gold With two little rubies and w pendent
pearls. aud still another OF coral.
Why didn't she use them? you ask.
Well, because she had never seen or known
anybody that used one, besides, there was
a prejudice against this invention just from
Italy. But you must not think because
there was no forks that the old fashioned
dinner made no pretentions to elegance or
refinement.
The guests had knives and they had
fingers. and with these two implements
they managed nicely. From these old
books of etiquette We learn how they did it.
In the first place, the fingers must be
publicly washed before beginning the meal;
even if ibis had just been done privately
it must be repeated at the table, that NO
one might feel uneasy in eating after his
neighbours fingers had been in the dish.
To aid farther, the meat was prepared as
far as possible before it was brought on
the table. Ii in a stew, as WAS usually the
case, it was in bits, il roasted, it was cut
by a carver, and passed in large plates with
a knife.
As to the way Of helping himself, each
guest must choose and keep a particular
part oil The dish for his own. He must
help himself daintily from this place, use
ing only three fingers; ~afterwaid, in carry
ing the food To the mouth. which. ofeourse,
as lone " it'll the hand, these same three
must be used. taking care, however, not to
touch the lose " it'll them, to do which was
extremely inelegant, and showed a lacking
Of good breeding.
OF course all this soiied the hands, and
in refiucd households at various intervals
bowls of pertumed water aud napkins were
passed and no one must refuse to wash.
This old fashion Of handing around a
silver DOW or dish of rose-water is still
sometimes seen in Europe.
After a while man found out that he
needed forks, or, rather woman did, for IL
was she " Tho first used them. Great danes
kept them ia their rooms to eat confits
With and to toast bread; and in course Of
time, they brought them to the table.
As | have said, there was a prejudice
against them, and the first few persons
who we're brave enough to use them were
aug he'd at and called efIeminate; a preach
or even went SO far as to say thai for any
one to refuse to touch his meat with his
fingers was an insult to Providence.
Nevertheless they spread; in England,
slowly, even after Italy. the home of their
birth, vas full of them. Those who knew
their value, however, found them SO con-
yenient that up To $50 years ago-since
which it has been no longer necessary
gentlemen travelling from place to place,
and knowing how poorly supplied were the
inns, carried Que with them Ia a case with
a knife. Since that time the old two D prong