The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-09-17
GIFT CUPS AND INSCRIPTIONS.
A Group Marked MOther-In-Law, Grandpa,
Uncle and So On.

A Group Marked MOther-In-Law, Grandpa,
Uncle and So On.
Gift cups and saucers are made in
many STYLES and with various inscrip-
tons. They are given most commonly
to children. But there is curious and
interesting group of II gift cups and
saucers of large size, the cup holding
pint, that are presented to adults
only. The cups are inscribed respec-
lively Mother-in-law, Grandpa. Grand
ma, Sister, Brother, Uncle, Aunt, Hus-
band, Wife, Father, Mother. Big cups
and saucers with some or perhaps all
of these inscriptions have been sold
more or less for a long time; but as
regular article of stock, in full line,
this group is practically new, having
been on the market only about four
years They are made in this country.
As with all gift cups and saucers, the
greater number of these are sold in
the holiday season, but there is de-
mand for them the year round, and
the sale of them is steady and consid-
cradle.
To those who are accustomed to cof-
fee cups of ordinary size, and, if they
wished more coffee, would prefer to
have their cup replenished, it might
seem that nobody would want such
big cup; but there are a good many
people, taking them altogether, that
like to drink out of a big cup. Stone
china coffee cups holding pint, with
saucers to correspond, are regular
article of stock in wholesale and job
bling erockery houses, and many are
sold. For example: Here is a young
couple whose uncle, a great coffee
drinker, is coming to make them a
visit. The young husband says to his
wife:
We've never been able tog give Uncle
Bill coffee enough. Let's give him a
cup that will hold all he can drink"
And the young wife says: 'All
right; let US do it.
And they buy him one of those big
cups, marked Uncle" and when Uncle
Bill sits down to breakfast for the first
time in his nephews house his coffee
is brought to him in that cap, and he
is pleased, as it is intended he should
be.
1t might be supposed that the total
number of demands such as this
wouldn't be enough to amount to
much; but as a matter of fact among
20, 900, 900 people the number of just
such demands is in the aggregate
large.
A eupinseribed ''Mother-in-law' may
be presented for the same reason as
that assigned for the presentation to
an uncle as above set forth. Or it may
be that the presentation of the mother
in-law cup is intended as a joke; but,
if So, it is certainly meant to be
good-humored joke. Various occasions
for the presentation of any of the other
cups will readily suggest themselves.
as birthdays, and so on, all inspired by
friendly feeling. In fact, the only
people who have anything to. do with
these cups that do not regard them in
friendly light are the decorators who
make the inscriptions upon them.
The decorators are paid for their
work per dozen cups, and when the
mother-in-law cup came out they pro-
tested. They got no more for that
long compound word than they did for
the short and simple word wife, which
they put on many cups. Obviously
decorator receiving cups for decoration
would rather have two wives than one
mother-in-law, and a number of the
other inscriptions are nearly twice as
long as wife. So, to make it fair in
allotting the cups to the decorators at
the pottery establishment, it is Gus
tomary so to divide them, with respect
to their inscriptions, that each decor
ator will get as near as possible the
same number of letters to make.-N.
Y. Sun.