Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-08-28
A rulMsLG TEA.

TIE thlmblc tca u nothing more nor
les than q revival q The time-honored
castom Of our Enndmothers Who were
to Invite few frIends to s'cca,e early
aud bring their Knitting" OF late years
such form Of entertainment has been
rvlegated Into . thing of the past, new
and morc stylIsh social functions having
been introduced. the stately luncheon
and the conventional ''crush" have
rIsued supreme. Hut such samenesa
and formality soon pail on one, hence
ne welcome this delightful and rcfrcsls-
Ing departure from the beaten path OF
conventionallty, the Informal thimble
tea.
A hostess who has no other nor higher
object In view than desire To pay on \
few social debts, and 90 Invites her
guests alphabetically, without due ic-
gard 10 their congrnlallty, should re
frAlu from such \ pleasant and social
form Of entertainment ~ the thl'nble
tea.
The Invitations must, Of necessity, be
quite limited, or the chief charm 81 the
TEA would most certainly be Loot, lts na-
ture being essentially Informal, aud the
guests must be chosen with the utmost
discretion, care being taken to bring to-
gether only such a. would be agreeable
TO one another.
In these days Of modern architecture,
when the average house contains but
small drawing.room, ten or twelve
should make q very cosey aud enjoyable
party, but n the room TO he used for
81. ~. \. 80. . M CON, Az lasss
several well-chosen groups OF ten or
twelve would he much more successful
than the sombre aspect handful OF
ladies would present In such spacious
quarters.
The hostess may Invite her guests by
telephone or by a personal Walt, but u
would be pity TO lose ouch an excel
lent opportunity for sending out dsiniy
mlssives, suggestive Of the character oi
the gathering. Note paper, rather
smaller than the customary slie, should
be selected, upon which an iufofmal In
,itation 10 come and have q cup OF tea
and "bring your sewing" should BE- writ
ten. A. the top Of the hrst page needle
threaded With pretty bit OF embroidery
.ilk, Of any color desired, should be In.
serted, aud the note should be enclosed
In q snugly fitiing envelope
The room should look ~ pretty and
cosey a. possible, being adorned With q
few growing plants aud some cut flowers
and q very graceful biz Of courtesy
~ould be- To Offer each fair guest Hover
tied With biz Of narrow ribbon. II any
90 the ladie. should happen TO be at all
musical, q happy Idea would be TO vary
the programme, which generally con-
sists sniireiy Of work aud conversation,
by an Instrumental solo or . song OF
tao.
One could not we'll imagine more de-
lishtful scene than such bevy OF charm.
ins ladies, grouped together, deftly ply
ing the needle With nlmble fingers 10 the
accompaniment Of merry chatter.
Al Ave O'Clock, according To previous
arrangement, q neat maid should enter
the drawing.room With pot Of freshly
made tea, which she should place upon
a table where the cups and ssuccrs and
light rsfrcshments have been already
lisiJ. Upon the hostess devolves the
duty Of dispensing "tbe cup that cheers
but not inebriates," and an Intimate
friend or wee daughter Of the house
may assist la passing u about.
Everything must be exqulsitely
,iainty. The china should bc ine and
should consist Of odd cups and saucer.,
accompanied by souvenir spoons. A
rare or hsnd-palntci cup and saucer may
furnish the topic of pleasant converse
ton, while the possibilities Of the souyc'
nir spoons are Infinite. The tea table
should De covered With very fibe cloth,
adorned with some embroidery az drawn
sork, aud 10 table napkins are used nj
al, they should hsrinonlfe with the
cloth. There should be no ostentatiou'
display of q variety of food; the hostess
must bear In mind that this simple ~
past IL, In all probability, but the fore
runner Of heavy dinner. and any thlng
sncroachiug upon the rights of this mea
.ayors of vulearity. Msimsladr, lettuce
cress, or any other Kind Of light sand
siches should be served With the tea,
,fter whish, sweets, bonbons aud salted
almonds should be passed about; then
shen the tea cups have been removed
ice cream should be brought In and smal
vskes served With 10.
A few dollies, trimmed With lace, OF
adorned with q little embroidery worked
IN white ELK Roman noss, would add
much To the beauty aud dsintiness OF
the various dishes.
One color may be- employed through
out for flowers, the ribbons which tie the
flowers, the tea cosey or other fancy
work. aud even for the thread which ],
Inserted Into the needles used for the in-
yitation,, but Il would he more In keep
ing With the infornalliy ofthc occasion U
al colors Of the rainbow we're employed
In the summer time this Idea could h
carried out, In . most delightful man
ner, out Of doors, II one were fortunate
enough TO possess broad piarii, a com
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