The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-10-31
HOW TO SET A TABLE.
Delmonico Tells Just How Every.
thing Should be Arranged.

LEARN FIRST" says Delmonico, in
an article in the November Ladies
Home Journal, how to set d table. A
round table is better than a square
table, if the dining room is large
enough to permit it. If not, then the
ordinary oblong extension table must
be used. The round table is much
more preferable and easier to seat
people at, besides it gives a suggestion
'cf the famous King Arthur
and the Knights of the
Round Table" A few promi-
nent society wonen still cling to the
old fashioned long, narrow table. Mrs.
Aston, for example. still uses that
style Of dining table in order that her
famous gold dinner set may be placed
to the best advantage. Mrs. August
Belmont, on the contrary, prefers an
oblong table, aud the decorations for
an elaborate dinner are carried out to
make the shape more pronounced.
Flowers should never be absent from
the dinner table. No matter how
homely, they add to the picturesque
ness of the feast.
Let us see how a table is set for a
fashionable dinner party. On the
table is first placed a thick flannel
cloth, the thicker it is the better, as it
prevents noise of the dishes as they
are placed on it, Over this Is spread
a snowy-white daInask table cloth,
bearing the family crest or coat-of-
arms. Sometimes over this is placed
still another, Of elaborate embroidery
and lace, lined with pink or yellow
satin, as taste dictates, or whatever
color is to predominant at the dinner.
The plates are first placed upon the
table. AS these are to remain until
after soup is served. they are
always the handsomest in the
gold or china sets, as the
case may be. Don'tcrowd. Each guest
should be allowed q space of two feet
or twenty-six inches, II the table will
admit of it, and the plates placed at
equal distances apart. Place two
dinner forks to the left of each plate;
also an oyster fork with prongs rest
ing on the edge of the plate. On the
right must be a dinner knife and a
spoon for soup. The glasses are ar
ranged at the right of each guest on a
line with the inner edge of the plate.
The water glass is set next to the
plate. Then glasses for whatever
other beverages are intended to be
served. A glass, whether of water or
any other liquid, should never be
filled more than three-auarters full.
Waist Innings.
Never use Saline as lining for a
bodice which is to be tight and plain.
In cutting both lining and material,
see that each piece has the waist line
straight across the goods, so that the
back will pull firmly in a close, even
line around the figure. If the armhole
is large in the back make alterations
in the side pieces. In lacking lining
and material always keep the lining
the looser Of the two, and below the
waist line downward pull the material
down until, though material and lin
ing are cut exactly the same, the ma
terial is fully a quarter OF an inch
longer than the lining. When the
figure is thin the front OF the shoulder
should be strained in lacking to the
back, and the curved side piece should
be held a little more tightly than tn g
back to avoid wrinkles. A very i'm
portant matter in the finishing of a
bodice is the boning. The Prussian
binding, used as a casing, should be
thin and put on slightly full. The
whalebone should be fastened at the
bottom first, them push down hard
and fasten at the top and also at the
waist.