Omaha daily bee., 1894-01-14

NAA'NH
Between the roast and the game a
Roman punch is served in the most oN-
auisitely bubble.like bits Of Carlsbad
glass; said the Washington woman.
Sauccrs and souvenir spoons ACCOMPANY
the glasses. The little bread and
butter plates, which apparently still OBJ
tain at Washington dinners, are laid at
the beginning and left till dessert is
served.
Nov. the glassware exclaimed the
Washington woman, warming to the
work OF description. 'Cut glass has
been and always will be absolutely corr
rect. just at present, however, II you
are the fortunate DOssessOr OF Il setOf
the beautiful and fragile Carlsbad ware,
you can use that and be sure that You
are right, but with your cut glass you
need have no fear OF being behind the
times. The wine glass cs should be all
of the same design and make, only differ
ing in shape and size
Before the plate of the Washington
host is laid the soup ladle and the cary
ing set for the roast That to be used
with the game is brought in with thai
course. About ten minutes before din
nor is announced it is customary, accord
ing to this chronicler OF Washington
customs, TO have a cocktail of sherry
and bitters, with a caviar sandwich,
served in the drawing room as an Apo
tier, This ceremony, however, can be
dispensed with without violating any
social law,
THE %claret," concluded the satisfied
narrator, sis warmed and the cham
payne trapped in the bottle"
81 admire Mrs. X said a man of the
world the other day, speaking Of a dis
| tiprtiahaI trarphap nF EnpIpfy ''Shn
is so sure Of her position that she can be
as rude as she chooses and IL makes no
difference" What u commentary lies
there! Has society so degeneratcd
among those who regard themselves as
its leaders. says a writer in the New
York Tribune, that courtesy has be-
come a custom more honored in the
breach han in the Observance" and
the sign of q would-be aristocracy is the
seal Of i'll manners? Oh, Tor the true
grande dame. who was so sure of her
position that she feared to be courteous
to none. Her pedestal was formed of
the granite of gentle breeding, and her
gracious manner proved hUr sovereign.
The gentleman of the old SCHOOL, was
ever her obedient servant and chivalrOus
knight. The scullery maid in the
kitchen or the bootblack on the street
corner may be rude: it betokens no gen
tie birth, no fine surroundings OF their
part. Why should it be a sign in others?
Alas, for the fashion of rudeness; it is
much more easily acquired h cour-
teous ways, and this nineteenth century
is slipping away 50 fast that there is
little time to waste on anything that is
not quickly obtained. The grande
dame and gentleman of the old school
have made their courtly bow to these
ffn-de-siecle days, and, taking with them
much of dignity and courtesy, have en-
tered the realms of history.
~
The composition of a dinner is one of
the most important matters, and on that
much of its success must depend. 1t is
always q mistake to compose a dinner
entirely of brilliant people: by that |
mean intellectually brilliant. They are
generally envious, critical of one an
other, and for these reasons none of
! them is seen at his best. One gener-
ally finds the ~pleasantest dinners are
those composed of average people, says
Lady June in the North American Re-
| view. for though a brilliant galaxy of
guests gives q dinner a certain dis
tinction, it is just as likely as not to be a
dull one. | have a very vivid recollec-
tion of a dinner composed of people
bach of whom was distinguished in
every sense of the word. A prime min
lister, two cabinet ministers, a distin-
guished soldier, one of the greatest &C.
clesiustics of the day, a brilliant scien-
titic man, a great journalist, a distin-
guished lawyer, added to several agree
ale and pretty women, made
up a dinner which, at first sight,
seemed to promise a rare feast
of intellectual delight, but which one OF
the guests declared was the dullest din
ner he had ever sat down to. If such
were always the case one would despair
of the arrangement of any dinner,
and indeed the conviction is often
forced on n that judicious
mixture of ordinary and brilliant people
affords on the whole the best chance of
giving q pleasant and successful one.
Among a large number of guests a very
brilliant talker is thrown away for it is
only at a small table, when all the
guests can hear and see and, if required,
add their quota to the general flow of
conversation, that such a person adds to
the general enjoyment, though it should
not also be forgotten that very often
such a guest frightens others less bril-
liant than himself, absorbing all the at
tention and sitting the efforts of his
companions. What Is required at dinner
is that every one should be quick and
| SulICltlllll NCllS duNuISb W hSCp up llc
battledore and shuttlecock of small talk,
and that no one should be so much more
brilliant and egotistical as to swamp
everyother PERSONS individuality.
An interesting incident, apropos of
the Princess Louise's %sojourn in Canada,
and which illustrates in the most pleas
ing fashion the simplicity and natural
ness of manner which is almost invari-
ably the accompaniment of good birth
and breeding is told by the Woman at
Home. One day the princess was walk
ing without any attendants near her,
when she came to q cottage. The only
person visible was an old woman busily
ironing one of her husbands shirts. The
princess was thirsty after her walk, and
stopping at the cottage door asked the
old woman If she would kindly get her a
glass of water. The busy old woman
somewhat shortly refused to do so. THE
spring was a little distance" she said,
and she was busy ironing her old mans
shirts, for he was going with her to see
the queens child on the morrow"
The princess, no doubt, with a secret
thrill of amusement, said that she would
iron the shirt if the old lady would