The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-28
OF Spoons and crks

It is curious 10 think that the only I'm
plerent our for5ears fed themselves with
was the spoon-and as tertalners in
these days were not required or supposed
10 provide their guests with such out-of-
/ the-way luxuries. each man brought his
| own IN his pocket
As soon would alady or gentleman OF
qualify think OF travelling without q spoon
case in the days between Henry VIII and
James 1 as We moderns would De likely.
on railway journeys TO go without
watches Il persons. then. received spoons
from their godparsnts. more or less or
nate, according 10 the means o. these
worthy folk. the most ordinary shape be-
| ing the Apostle handle: but in old Cath
Ole times various sacred objects and le-
gends were commonly engraved thereon
with great elaboration
II was Somersetshire squire. and aG-
venture seeking Tom Coryate- who. n
nally delivered England from being alto
gether spoon fed. and gave II over 10
the enlightenment of forks, This was
when James 1 was King. and when few
OF his subjects moved out OF their own
country for pleasure, the grand tour
being still unknown, and beyond Chan
mel an undiscovered land 20 most true
born Britons.
OF sights, did his devoilrs OF sightseeing
with a thoroughness not always posi-
bic of repetition to ears polite AT Gre
mona he ate frogs. at Heidelberg drank
wine from the great cask. at Venice saw
for the first time women on the stage
Here he also saw some less orthodox
others. whose high-heeled shoes (cho-
pines especially enthraIled the receptive
man from Somerse,shire.
But OF still life. the Italian fork most
pleased this Travelled bucolic. Not fifty
years later did the parasol Of his Devil
dered senses come TO town." under
Jonas Hanway's introduction. But for hay
ing forks on their tables did our ancestors
stand undoubtedly indebted 10 Tom
Coryate. AT first the conservative Brit
ish constitution waged fierce war on the
heathenish innovation; topical fork-at-
lacking songs were sung on the stage.
senorous denunciation was leveled from
the pulpit.
But the fork had actually come to stay,
nalgre tout, and the better classes soon
found that, though fingers were made
before forks, the latter could prove a
most valuable aide-de-camp to the for
mer and so three-pronged steel tridents
gradually made themselves necessity
to the daintier section of society, though
ii was not until tue merry days or CnarleS
II that they became sommon with the
middle classes. "A cut from the joint"
was not possible, therefore, 10 a nation
which had spooned its 'gallimaufrys
and fingered its "gobets'' Of meat for
centuries.
Think of a dinner party where the
guests hungrily grabbed choice bits from
the dishes in their immediate neighboT
hood, and. having dipped their "gobbets'
in sauceboats which were more common
wealths of. gravy, then proceeded 10 get
the dripping morsel indoors" with the
best grace they might. Truly there are
compensations for not having dwelt in
We good old times. Silver forks were
considered the last extreme OF foppery
in the Seventeenth century. and even
early IN our own good Queens reign.
black-handled. steel-pronged instruments
were the only wear of lower and middle
classes.
In the days of Queen Anne forks were
treated variously TO prongs. some being
made with two, while many counted 20
six. Yellow handles had a vogue one year |
green another, and so on. funtil every !
shade in the rainbow was reached. Many /
Of these quaint relics are still preserved /
as heirlOoms and in one north country /
mansion a set of pink coral handled. pear /
inlaid forks are used on great occasions, !
which tradition has it once graccd Mis-
tress Anne's own foyal board.