Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1896-03-12
GRADE N=Lf.esoN XVIII.
TEA-PARFII.S N OLD TIMES

TEA-FARFIES ~ OLD TIMES.
In those days, II weIl-reguated family
always rose with th, dawn, dincd at eley-
en-, and went TO bed at shutdown. Dinner
wns invariably private meal, and the fat
old burEher- showed incontc-tsble -yu4g
toms Of di-approbat ion and unea-inre- at
! being surprised hya visit from neigAher
on such occasions. But though our " or
thy ancestors were thu, singularly avrrse
to giving dinners, yet they kept up the
social bonds OF intimacy 10y occasional
banquctlngs, called tea parties.
As this is the first introduction of Hoe
delectabl orgies, which have since BE-
come SO fashionah bic in his city, am con-
-cious my fair readers vii. b, very curious
to receive information on the subject.
Sorry am that there " i'll be hut little. n
my description, calculated to excite their
admiration. ! can neither delight them
with accounts OF suffocatng crowds, nor
brilliant drawing rooms, nor towering
feathers. nor sparkling diamonds nor in
measure bile trains. can detalI no choice
anecdotes OF scandal, for in those ptimi-
tive times the simple folk were either too
stupid or to good-natured to pull eac II
others characters to pieces; nor can | fur
nish any whimsical. anecdotes Of brag
how one lady cheated, or another bounced
into passion; for, rs yet, there was no
lunto OF dulcet old doWagers who met TO
win each others money and lose the
own tempers at card table.
These fashionable parties were general
ly confined to he higher classes, or ne
hle-se-that is to say, such rs kept their
own cows and drove their own wagon.
The company commonly assembled AT
three O'Clock, and went away about -iN,
unless it was in winter time, " hen the
fashionable hours were little earlier,
that the ladies might get home before
dark. do not find that they ever treated
/ their company to iced creams, jelies, or
syllabubs, or RECALLED them with musty al
monds, mouldy rai,ins, or sour oranges,
a- is often done in the present age OF re-
hnement. Our ancestors were fond of
more sturdy substantial fare. The tea
table WAS crowned with huge earthen
DISH we'll stored with slices OF fat pork,
fried brown, cut up into morsels, and
swimming in gravy.
The company being seated around the
genial board, and each furnished with
fork, evinced their deXterity in launching
al the fattest pieces of'this mighty dish,
in much the same manner as sailors har
! pooh porpoises at sea, or our Indians spear
salmon in the lakes. Sometimes the table
was grRced with immense apple-pies or
saucers full of preserved peaches and
pears but it was always sure to boast of
an enormous dish Of balls of sWeetened
| dough fried in hogs fat, and called
doughnuts; a delicious kind of cake, at
present scarce known in this city, except
ing in genuine Dutch families
The tea was served out OF majestic
delft teapot, ornamented with paintings
of fat little Dutch shepherds and shep-
herdesses tending pigs, with boats sailing
| in the air, and houses built in the clouds,
| and sundry other ingenious Dutch fan
tastes The beaux distinguished them
selves by their adrotness in replenishing
this pot from huge copper tea kettle,
which would have made the pigmy mRca-
ronie- Of these degenerate days sweat
merely to look at it. To sWeeten the hey
craze, "A lump OF sugar WIS laid beside
each cup. aud the company alternately