The morning times., 1895-10-13
Taking Care
Of Cut GIass
HINTS FOR THE PRESERyA-
TION OF FINE TABLE WARE.
Why Porcelain Nicks, China
Chips and Colors and Gid
ing Grow Faded and Dull.

Many bride, rejoicing in the beautiful
china provided by loving friends to adorD
her table and who, wishing to see her new
possessions as often as possible, used them
frequently, grieves over the mishaps which
befall the dainty articles, often without sus
pecting the real cause.
"Nicks," the bane of the hsusekeeper-
appear, the gliding looks dull, or even begins
to wear Off, the colors of the exquisite
Royal Worcester DISH which has been SO
pretty to hold few daInties, fade, the
decorations on a set of handpainted dessert
plates look here and there as if bits of the
color had come off.
NUT ILATING CHINA
Nor is it only the china brought forth TO
deck her board on special occasions " which
suffers. The palmer ware purchased for
daily use shows unaccountable cracks in the
glaze which in the course OF time becomes
brown, especially in the case of platters
or Otherdishes, on which meat is or any greasy
kinds of food are served. This cracking OF
the glaze is commonly due to ex posure to too
much heat, for instance in warming the
plates, setting dishes in the oven to keep
their contents hot, or even plunging them
into water that is near the boiling point to
wash them.
After the glaze is injured, every time
the dishes are washed the water gets
into tile porous clay underneath, and in
the same way the grease from gravies,
etc, enters it. This cracking of the glaze,
however, fortunately, rarely occurs in the
costber wares, because they are subjected
TO greater heat in the process of manu-
facture.
PROPER PRECAUTIONS.
moner ware, a suggestion which will ma
terially lessen the amount OF breakage
OF articles in daily use, will be helpful
to the economical housewife. II the yellow
bowls, crockery baking dishes, tea-pots,
etc, are placed in cold water, which is
heated until it boiis, then taken off the
fire anG allowed to cool gradually, their
power to resist heat viii be very greatly
Increased, and the bin for replacing broken
cooking utensils CORES pondingly diminished.
To return TO the fine china-''nicks''
can scarcely be avoided if servants are
allowed to raise and lower it upon q
dumb waiter. II is far safer-if it can
not be washed in the dining room or a
buffers pantry on the same floor-to
have. it carried over the stairs on large
tray, as the jarring of the dishes against
each other is a fruitful source OF nicks
and even breakage, and this jarring can
be avoided by setting them apart on
a tray which. in careful hands is safe
from the iolting and Jarring OF the average
dumb waiter.
The dullness of the gliding is often
due to the location of the closet in which
the china is kept; if this is damp even
the very best gold will tarnish. If, how
ever, the misfortune does occur, its bril-
Iiancy can be restored by rubbing with
a little dry whiting aud soft wash leather.
but this should be done as rarely as
possible or the gliding will lie worn off.
IN THE CLOSET.
Having first taken care that the china
is Kept in a dry place, the next step in
preserving the gliding and decoration is
never to permit plates or dishes to be
set one upon the other without some
thing between them. Canton flannel is
the best material for this purpose, but
blotting paper, cut into circles the size
OF the plates, is an excellent substitute.
The bottoms of all dishes are liable to
be a little rough, and many a delicate
bit of china has had its gliding or color
decoration scratched or marred for lacs
of the precaution Just mentioned. Cups
may be protected from injury by hang
Ing them in rows by the handles on small
brass hooks, screwed in Just below the
closet shelves, instead OF following the
more frequent custom of piling them.
sometimes three or four deep, one inside
the other, which often results in fail.
The effect of the china cups, each on its
swn hook, is alsu far preJtier when ar
ranged In the closets With glass doors.
which are now found in almost every mod
ern dining room.
The secret of the fading of the colurs
OF dishes In which pickles and salads are
served is the acid of the vinegar, which
sometimes, through some almost invis-
ible hole in the glaze, penetrates be-
meath. Royal Worcester is especially apt
to suffer from this cause, and. therefore, 10
is safer not to use it for such yiands-
BRILLIANT GLASS.
Cut glass. which rivals china In many
a woman's affections, requires fewer
precautions. 1t may be kept in good