The sun., 1899-12-31
LUNCHEON.
Ii itain's Characteristic Mcai-Its Etymol-
oEy, Etiquette and Development.

From the Pail Mall Gazette
| The terms lunch" and luncheon" then are
old ones and have pressed the first into service
as an intTansiivc verb: but IL is some times for.
gotten how very recent is luncheon as an institu.
, ton. Eighty years ago the house of Long man
| published little volume entitled Essays and
! Sketches Of Life and Character, by One Who Hos
| Left His lodgings" Dropping into this upon an
! idle morning in a friends library found the
papers much better than their promise that
! gave some trouble TO the publishers in tracing
! out the author. This turned out 70 be none other
/ than Lord John Russell. who 1t may be assumed.
/ Understood the society he undertook 10 crticise.
! and whosc statements about It's habits must be
/ considered above cavil He grumbled about the
excessive latencSs ot the dinner hour in Lordon.
( even in the reign Of George Ill. and advocates
the establishment Of luncheon at 5 or Is o clock
/ tea being, Of course, an unknown luxury. lie
/ said.
The first inconvenience of a London life Is the
Late hour Of dinner To pass the day i'm pronSps.
and then 10 SIT down to great dinner at & clock.
Is entirely against the first dictates Of common
( sense and-commoa stomach Women. how
ever, are not so irrational - men in London, and
| generally SIT down 10 a substantial luncheon at
or 4 II men would do the same the
meal at mishtb be lightcned OF many Of its
weighty dishes. and conversation would be no
loser: for II Is ROT 20 be concealed that conyersa-
tion suffers great interruption from the manner
In which Eaglish dinners managed. First
the host and hostess COR her unfortunate cnodutor)
are employed durin.; three parts Of dinner in doing
the work oi helping fish or carving
large plcces Of venisoa u twenty hungry souls
II guest wishes for glass OF wine he
must peep through the Apollos and Cupids OF the
p.dleGu in order To find someone 10 drink with
him otherwise he must wait ull someone asks
him, which will probably happen in rapid success
sion, so that after having had no wine for half an
hour he will have u drink Ave glasses in d ve min
utes
Well Lord John Russell lived to sco the tire
some custom Of taking wine with other guests
given up: he witnessed. also, host and hostess
relieved from the laboIs Of carving by the intro
Guotion 81 diner a Ia Russo: lastly luncheon
became firmly established among our services
Of otl-atoa-so firmly that il NAV &c hacked
90 ou'laS' several other British institutions that
mrhr re- named Two o'clock luncheon, and
,hc etiquette under which laGics leave the dinner
tail" before III" mon, now constitute the most
1ncn,al domestic habits, Attempts have been
made in This country by rhose who appreciate
or business afforded by the interval between
the carly coffee y chocolate and the midday de.
mint Of hours and digestion. II has much 10
commend Il, and one can hut eomm!srrarc those
,,g.la,ams" who may he seen each tours, scason
igsts Ean0ldiss in Continental hotels But
!, does not flourish IN our sill. chiefly. perhaps
To Held sports, and more than one hostess Of
IcpT'c has had 10 revert 10 the normal British
Approach 10 maturty-lct M name fyc-and.
MY as the prime of life in both sexes though
",hcTs ,hT may hc found 70 fix The age both earlier
ana latcr-aprr'ach 10 maturity. / say. In usu-
ally accompanied by an increasing reliance upon
luncheon as a prop hn, !, must te admitted that
pAr,ieS, even where that terror Of uncertain Gi.
gcsti ms, Daylight champagne, is not offered,
Gra!"n rom dinner pnrics nn IN p.oSSoh ao n5, b,
q !3.y 10 ne lupcheon table, indeed but license
Won % nSS, whom you ehGHs" E is no, always aiorded
9,J %si | xS Sonc STt sS shoepc is tho
matter Il imminent apprehension Guests arc
not not ,aLianscd lIc"rdinS to picccGcn.c Of rank;
OF the hon-'!rama'ic literary, artistic or other.
Wis and you may estimate with considerable
precision tht psit!op you havs alta ined in any Of
I. y4HrSlf in n" c9n'cn.ric disposal Of the party
al inhlr IN relation 10 the star OF the day
some the sole justification ior titles @Iersditaty
or Otherwise exists In the immutable laws 0i
They relieve host Of all responsibility, and al
ttanu[n r%a!ftd rank Is not alTays ina!ienab!e
born soilc ,s"-w!ll at times aswrt her rirSt
tr chief rooms Of our ica IT, il i, not tic hosts
lduIt II ) me O ms guests bprG one another IL
wa not he who iccrcri that a maid Of honor
should rank bciorc g." wife of haronct il is part
Of the British Constitution that she dp.s liut
J." goes on ticklish ground who attempts tn al'
lust his party on ihrir Individual atlainmcnts
Whatever care and tact are applied % arranging
q luncheon party (and these cannot be applied 10
better purpDs') the meal itclf loses half ts CHARM
u y Is suffered to part with al least the suggestion
Of imprpmptu.
And let ! not last too long. Luncheon should
b" dealt Wit only 10 a say Many people want
all are brt'- II they Grt-no more Shooting
!upchcoES have attained an cxOrhtant excess;
] have even sccn-and partakcn of vpracinu ,v-
Nnt !pInt served IN an oslo he'd in the Mavay
seas ~ All t.c mp,t astcIic is not proof against
the p'rSua,ipn Of an agreeable host Most
spo,tNn"n mus have npticed that open air exercise
ahat's the appetite ior luncheon, A very mo!c-utc
lhihIl carries one comfortably over a long day
bgt that ration must not BE- in The form Of sand.
wi"hgS On mo- How little that noble Car
SH,orctsl = what u melancholy series oi pale
inaiOil Gril GtrlciticS hc WAS lending his name,
i"rh@p' witaput tina. namc-without any con
y"nient specific term, the unhallowcd union Of
broad aud mca: wJuld have withercl In its honey.
moon, and some moe bencncl and less cxcril.
eating form Of food would have held the Acid
MATTER or INTEREST TO real.
ESTATE DEALERS.
"SatiannI