The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-05-28
Serving Tea.

Serving Tea
There are WAYS and ways Of performing
this little hospitality, and the grace and
ease with which IL is accomplished In story
books rarely has ats counterpart In real
life. The novel makes 1t ono OF the sim
plest of tasks and surrounds 1t with
charm that makes the whole performance
deli qhtfully picturesque. The time when
the tes-serving usually takes place 10 after
noon, when callers are present No parlor,
IN the home where social customs prevail,
is quite complete without it's tea-table
and appurtenences-s tea-cloth. cups
and saucers. spoons. sugar. sliced lemon
and o'clock tea, the latter the name gwen
to various articles and functions. Where
women have an announced reception day.
tea is one of the indespenssbles, and fire.
quently the hostess extends her duties and
makes and serves the beverage herself. The
operation is watched with moro or less in
terest and anxiety by the caller and in q
round OF visits she has an opportunity to
see variety of operations. So many SINH
lar haps and mishaps take place that the
caller resolves that people under the same
circumstances behave very much alike.
When the tea serving passes oft
smoothly. the duty has its agreeable
side. There is satisfaction and q
sense of having done difficult thing with
great credit. and. unconfessed. the one who
serves has an Undesirable feeling that.
somehow or other. she has been effecting q
like sensation upon her callers that some
gracefully written story of tea serving had
upon her. Should. however. an accident
QffQrnn0n W0nl0 n
miserable failure in her estimation and she
would be unhappy and declare the tea
business delusion and snare. Let o
woman take q round of afternoon calls. be
She hrst caller at some house where she
Is TO have the first cup of tea. The alcohol
light does not burn, the water
does not boil. nothing Is quite perfect for
that first CUP and the hostess in her anx-
iety pays more attention to the tea making
than to the caller. Another hostess, per-
haps. has no power TO hasten her process
and the caller. who had hoped to get
twenty or thirty calls off her list that day,
feels compelled to wait for toa, and the
time flies, and If ten calls are made she
feels disappointed ana thankful at the
same time. A third house finds the tea
strong enough to bear up an egg and by no
possibility can the caller endure the quicker
In her throat which the tee produces and
she knows if she does take 1t she'll be sick
and IL she does not the hostess will ask her
If is 10 too strong and insist on messing
it with water or making more.
90 she is miserable. These and
various other experiences belong to tho
caller In single afternoon. Her capacity
for tea is supposed to be unlimited, for
every place she goes she is offered tea. No
hostess should attempt to receive calls and
serve tea alone, for awkward situations de-
yelop when she Is serving ono set of visit
ors and q second set comes in. The only
successful tea serving when ono 10 unas-
sisted In the parlor 10 TO have
the maid bring In the tea from
another part of the house and give
to the guest Immediately upcn her
arrival. and not have any table or tea prep
erations in sight. Tea serving reads we'll.
but actually 1T is not possessed of all the
charms credited TO it. especially reception
afternoons The only time when il is truly
delightful Is when some half q dozen
friends come in to spend the afternoon and
tea making Is part of the afternoons pleas
ure and frolic. plentifully mixed with small
talk and reading or music.