The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-20
GIFT CUPS AND INSCRIPTIONS.
4 Group or Eleven Zig Cups Marked Mothess
in-InM. GRANDPA. Incle. md SO On.

in-Inw. Grandpa. Uncle. and SO On.
Gift cups and sauccrs are made in many STYLES
and with various inscriptions. They are given
most commonly to children. Bat there is a curt
Gus and interesting group OF eleven gift cups
and sauccrs OF large size. the cup holding a pint,
that are presented to adults only. These cups
are inscribed respectively ,hcr-in-law,
Grandpa, Grandma. Sister. Brother. Uncle,
Aunt, Husband. Wife, Father. Mother. Big
cups and sauccrs with some or perhaps all Of
these inscriptions have been sold more or less for
n long time; but as n regular article OF stock,
In full line, this group Is practically new, hGv-
ing been on the market only about four years.
They are made in this country. As with all gifb
cups and saucers, the greatest number OF these
are sold In the holiday season, but there is a do
mnnd for them the year round, and the sale of
them is steady and considerable.
To those who are accustomed to coffee cups of
ordinary size, and. II they wished more coffee,
would prefer to have their cup replcnished. 10
might seem that nobody would want such a big
cup; hpt there are, a good many, people, taking
cup. stone china coffee cups holding n pint,
with sauccrs TO correspond. are n regular article
OF stock in wholesale and %.iobbing crockcry
is u Young married couple whose uncle. a great
The young husband says TO his wife:
We've never, been ahlc to give Uncle Bill
S Soht ~ SponSh, niS,,S give him a cup that will
And the young wife says: IAN right: let VI
do H."
And they buy him one of those big Guns.
marked "tnClc"; and when Uncle Bill sits
down TO breakfast for the first time in his
nephew's house his coffee In brought to him In
that cup; and he is pleased, as it is intended he
should be.
1t might he supposed that the total number Of
demands such AS this wouldn't DO enough to
amount TO muChi but as u matter OF fact among
seventy million, people the number OF lust suck
demands ID in the aggregate large.
A cup inscribed "Mothcr-in-law" may be pro-
scented FOR the same reason as that assigned for
the presentation TO an uncle as above set forth.
Or II may be that the presentation of the mother
inlaw cup Ii intended a9 u joke; but, IL 20, IL In
certainly meant TO be a g~ood-humored Joke.
various occasions for the presentation OF any of
the other cups will readily suggest themselves, az
Dir hdays. and 50 on, al inspired by friendly
feeling. In fact, the only people who have any
thing to do with these cups that do not regard
Them In Il friendly light are the decorators who
MAKE the inscriptions upon them,
INC decorators are paid for their work per
dozen cups. and when the mothcrin.law Gun
came out they protested. They got no moro for
that long compound word than they did for The
short and simple word wife. which they nut on
many cups. obviously a decorator receiving
cups for decoration would rather have two
! wives than on" mOthrr-in-lrw and a number OF
Inc other inscrilt ions are nearly twice as long
AS wife. 80, 10 make II fair in ~allOtling the
cups TO the decorators AT the pottery Cstablish.
ment, II Is customary 50 to divide them, with ro-
spsct TO their inscriptions, that each decoratox
VII got as near as possible tho same numb<g c
I letters 70 mako.