The times., 1898-10-30

giving their energy to the perfection 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 popular
| ity- From he inexpensive renaissance
| to the most exquisite duchess and rose
point dinner tables are resplendent, and
/ some of the point lace center pieces are
| splef did enough to serve as the bridal
| handkerchiefs for royal princesses. They
are rather small. and the lace is set hat
on round OF scallOped center of finest
| French batiste that is embroidered N 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 10 achieve the
best effect AID show Just how beautiful
your lace set is. The same scheme is fol-
lowed where the board IS ornamental with
a set of Mexican drawn work, and though
the rule is all for white, some women gid
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.
Luncheons. sUppers and midday break
fastS are now so universally served OF
the boards, with doilies only, that the
handsomest damask tabIecIoths are
looking for jobs on bargain counters.
and the smartest H,tle breakfast cloth
one can use. informally and en- famiHe
is large square of hemstitched linen
that is damaskei all over, but not in
figures, and then richly wrought in
white Swiss embroidery
Great attention is given to the designs
done in this new needlework. II would
require too much space 10 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. Qnite a.
highly esteemed as the beautiful Mexi-
can drawn work is that which comes
from Russia II is different from the
Mexican. being done on heavy home
woven linen, in the natural or half
bleached tints Of the fax.
F.om 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 re-
sembles a sort of superb lace. With all
these articles the owners initials are
worked in ore corner of the narrow hem
Women who find pleasure in intro
ducirg novelties in the arrangement of
their dinner tables are using candslabra
and candlesticks in the form Of vases. a
tall or short, crystal or silver vase. with 4
rather wide lip and slender stem. is so
arranged that when filed with flowers
candle can lie fixed In the midst of tbs
blooms, while a most unique and most
expensive decoration is an Illuminated ice
castle Caterers freeze these in any
form desired. and some are most exqui-
site miniatures of Chantilly Warwick. the
Wartburg or Hohens .hwangan in Bava-
ria. In clear or pale tinted ice the castle
is frozen and all its towers ornamented
with small candies. 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 tables this autumn are name
cards at every cover in the form of tinv
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 plates.
Those, however, who do not keep verv
wary eye on the march of improvements
in the way Of table comforts, will be sur
prised to find several silver utensils this
winter beside their covers. With the fruit
course Is now served an odd-Iooking
knife that has a silver handle and the
narrOwest of steel blades. This j.
accompanied by rather deadly weapon
that appears to be silver corkscrew
mounted on a straight silver shaft ham
| die. In reality these new arrivals are
designed for the mastery of oranges.
| apples and pears. The corkscrew 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 deft handling
of food is a pretty pair Of scissors with
saw-like points, in place of q knife-lile
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 ara
employed in eating articholkes.