Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-12-23
pINING-ROOM CHINA.
Variety in Table Dishes the Popular
Fancy of the Day.

Variety in Table Dishes the Popular |
Fancy of the Day.
! Hundreds of years ago, when at King |
Ahasuerus' famous feast Vashti refused |
to show her beauteous face, the wine |
was served in cups diverse one from an |
other. This ancient fashion of variety |
in table dishes has received added i'm |
petus during the last few years, and 1T |
not only increases the beauty and
picturesqueness of well-laid table, but
is great help to inexpensive buying,
while at the same time it gives ample
opportunity for lavish expenditure. The
old fashion of complete set through
out for dinner, breakfast and tea has
died out, as a natural result OF the
revival of decorated china, when broken
dishes, difficult to match, would quick
ly destroy the monotonous complete
ness of the s'set." In it's place has
come the division into small sets, &C
| cording to use; thus, the soup set of
| tureen and dozen plates, the salad set
| of bowl and plate, the oatmeal set the
berry set, the fish set, the lunch set and
tea set (either useful for the family
breakfast and tea), and, lastly, the
| roast set.
| To buy all these separately and en-
| tirely gives the housewife an array of
| dishes more numerous than the old
| single set, but the lunch, tea, and roast
| sets can be bought to supplement each
| other, and a reduction in numbers as
well as in cost easily brought about
The conventional roast set consists of
twelve dinner plates, twelve butter
| plates, six platters, six casseroles, COW
cred vegetable dishes, six baking or
| coverless vegetable dishes, and the
gravy or sauce boat. This is lavish,
and the number can be lessened, or
some of the pieces can be used for the
fish set, or at other meals besides din
ner. The teapot, sugar-bowl, cream
pitcher, slop-bowl, and butter dish, so
long a part of the regulation tea set,
are no longer supplied except for coun-
try trade. These are replaced either
by those alike in china, glass, or silver
plate, making a tiny set in themselves,
or each can be a different piece, as rare,
costly, odd, or rich in coloring as the
taste and purse of the buyer my admit.
All this makes it possible to be contin-
ually adding to ones store. It helps the
builder of new home to begin moder-
ately, even cheaply, without Destroy
: ing the taste for harmonious furnish
ings, and gives the pleasure of treasur-
ing each fresh addition and the chance
to buy daintier ware than q wholesale
e first purchase would allow.
"Porcelain'' is the ware between
china and the ugly coarse ''iron-stone.
1t is fully as durable as the ''iron
stone" and is thinner and more agree
able, refined in tints and decorations
and is the best and prettiest ware TO
ordinary use A so-called dinner set il
>. the cheapest grade of porcelain can b.
bought for fifteen dollars, while thos
in delicate coloring and dainty shap
j can be readily found for twenty-five
dollars. Such a set makes an admira
BILE nucleus for a service which may b.
extended ad infnitum.
Trenton porcelain is excellent, an,
comes in all grades and shapes, bot
plain and decorated in white or crear
tint Wedgwood, an English porce
? lain, is often seen in blue and whit
designs, but comes in all colors an
grades, some being highly ornamental
while the less costly is usually beautifl
in form. Copeland-ware, another Ell
glish porcelain, has a cream grount
and is generally tasteful in it's decor;
tions, while it's thinness makes it plea
IT, ant to touch without lessening i
strength. Thin porcelains are car
fully annealed and glazed, SO that the
do not crack or break as easily as tt
- coarse, strengthening earthen-war
To have best dishes ready for us
when company comes is not altogethe
so ridiculous as it seems to those WI
contend that 1.-THE best is none too GOO
for the family" and whats GOO
enough for me is good enough for N
friends" Unfortunately the sayin
that 1.-THE pitcher that goes often to tt
we'll at last gets broken" is equally a
plicable to every dish that is in col
slant use, and it is a comfort in an
well-regulated household to know tn;
there are delicate, tasteful, unchippe
dishes ready to set before guests, whic
could not be easily replaced if subje
to daily breakages. -Harper's Bazaar.