The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-30
BARE BOARDS.
Genial Mahogany Is No Longer Hid
den Under Damask.


den Under DamasIS.
If white is for brides, 1t is also the
most fashionable decoration for dining
tables, and all the lovers of fancy work
who not long since were covering yards
of linen with colored floss and flo silk,
are now giving their energy to the per-
fection of Swiss embroidery.
Plain white linen, embroidered only In
white, is the character Of all the best
new tea cloths and center pieces though
white lace has not lost one whit Of its
popularity. From the inexpensive re
Nuisance to the most exquisite duchess
and rose point dinner tables are resplen-
dent and some of the point lace center
pieces are splendid enough to serve as
the bridal handkerchiefs for royal prin-
cesses. They are rather SMALL and the
lace is set fiat on a round or scalloped
center of finest French batiste that is en-
broidered in a wreath of white flowers.
In consequence of this lavish use of lace,
nearly all the most formal dinners of the
past spring, and of the present autumn,
have been served on bare boards. The
lace center piece accompanied by plate,
decanter and candelabra doilies. IS laid on
the brilliantly polished, naked mahogany,
or dull black oak, in order to achieve the
best effect and show just how beautiful
your lace set is. The same scheme is fol-
lowed where the board is ornamented with
a set of Mexican drawn work, and though
the rule is all for white, some women
gild refined gold by embroidery, in colored
floss, sprays and bouquets, both on re-
naissance lace and on drawn work. The
consequence is brilliant, certainly, but
scarcely so refined in appearance as the
pure white.
Luneheons, suppers and midday break
fasts are now so universally served on the
boards, with doilies only, that the hand
soonest damask table cloths are looking
for jobs on bargain counters, and the
smartest little breakfast cloth one can
USE informally and en- famille, is large
square of hemstitched linen that is dam
asked all over. but not in figures and
then richly wrought in white Swiss en-
broidery.
Great attention is given to the designs
done in this new needlework. 1t would
require too much space TO describe the
Jacobean, Egyptian and Henri Deux pat
terms that are stamped on these squares
for working, and that emanate from able
artists in London and Paris. Quite as
highly esteemed as the beautiful Next
| can drawn work Is that which comes from
Russia. 1t is different from the Mexican,
| being done on heavy home woven linen
| In the natural or half bleeched tints of
| the fax.
From Russia is brought over also the
almost forgotten art of doing cut work.
The patterns on the handspun linen
squares are first embroidered and then
cut out until the finished piece resembles
a sort of superb lace. With all these ar
ticles the owners initials are worked in
M 10
Women who find pleasure in introduce
ing novelties in the arrangement of their
dinner tables are using candelabra and
candlesticks in the form of vases. A tall
or short, crystal or silver vase, with a
| rather wide lip and slender STEM is SO
| arranged that when filled with flowers
| a candle can be fixed in the midst of the
| blooms, while a most unique and more
expensive decoration is an illuminated Ice
castle. Caterers freeze these in any form
| desired, and some are most eXquisit min
| iatures of Chantilly, Warwick, the Wart-
| burg, or Hohenschwangan in Bavaria. In
| clear or pale tinted ice the castle is froz-
| en- and all its towers ornamented with
/ small candles. Not only is the castle an
/ odd and pretty ornament, but it keeps the
room at very pleasant temperature, in
| spite of candle heat and the presence Of
| many guests.
| Among the lesser Items of interest at
| the dinner table this autumn are name
| cards at every corner in the form of tiny
| slips of very thin glass The edges are
| beveled and the names are engraved on or
| laid on in gilt Souvenirs and menu cards
are just as much ignored as ever and it
! is no longer considered in good taste to
| lay bouquets and boutonnieres beside the
| guests's plates
Those. however who do not keep a very
| wary eye on the march of Improvements
| in the way of table comforts, will be sur
| prised to find several new silver utensils
| this winter beside their covers With the
| fruit course is now served an odd-looking
| knife that has a silver handle and the
| narrowest of steel blade. This is accom-
| panied by a rather deadly weapon that
| appears to be a silver corkscrew mount
| ed on a straight silver shaft handle. In
/ reality these new arrivals are designed
| for the better mastery of oranges, apples
| and pears. The corckscrew is driven. by
| a deft rotary motion, into the fruit, which
| is thus firmly held during the removal
of the skin and the pairing off of slices.
| Good form dictates the having of the screw
| in the fruit when all that Is desired is
| eaten from the heart or core
| Another addition to the def handling OF
| food is a pretty pair of scissors with saw
like points, in place of a knife-like edge,
| along the blades. Between the saws, the
tough ends of asparagus are caught and
held fast and the tender head can then be
neatly elevated and nipped off by the teeth.
! These same little scissors are employed in
eating artiehokes. Fannie Finders.
There will be no performances Of the
Swiss passion play at Selzach until after