Graham guardian., 1900-12-21
TABLE CHINA.
Longer Regarded az IN
Good Taste,

OVOu hoht9'
The term table china" by cer-
tain license of phrase, has come to
include all pottery used ON the table,
whether it be fine porcelain or an
Opaque earthenware. The old-fash-
ioned idea that all the tableware
should match has been given up long
ago by people of good taste, says the
New York Tribune. 1t is the excep-
ton rather than the rule for house
keepers TO purchase an entire set of
table china in one pattern. A great
many Of the pieces formerly included
in full dinner service are no longer
used on the table. 1t therefore hap
pens that the purchaser of full set
can buy it at considerable reduction
on its former price: but at the same
time she must take many pieces
some quite expensive ones, like the
soup which she will never
be likely 10 use outside the limits of
the kitchen or the pantry The high
compotiers, which We're generally a
part of the old china set, are seldom
used to-day. Fashion has decreed
that lower and more tasteful shes,
which do not obstruct the view . ross
the table. shall be used in their place.
Yet. the manufacturers of china have
gone OH making sets of something
over 200 pieces, including an expen-
sive soup tureen, compotiers and
other practically valuelcss pieces. 1t
is wiser, therefore, to buy a set of
sUch pieces as one needs for the table
service of the roast and some other
dinner courses, with coffee and tea
cups and saucers, there being in addi-
tion special china sets for the soup,
the dessert and the salad courses, or
any other courses that one may pre-
fer to serve in special china,
\ great deal of taste may be shown
in the choice of the proper china for
the various dinner courses. Good
taste DEGREES that the decoration of
the r3ate designed to receive clear
conSomjr must be simple The de-
sign rHSt ,bc confined to the border
and s'nt@le pattern in the center of
the 'o, in order to show to per-
fection ,,,c sparkling clearness OF the
sous. cream soup or an opaque
soEr ~ 0rr iiiUI may be served in old
CautnN. O. any rich or simple soup
plates in Cne's possession. AS this
coursH IS a'ways put on the table in
the ir''ir.tEel plate. the soup tureen
is Ji,r, of Kitchen china. and should
he OF S'r,Ie earthenwarc, Ike other
kitchen r.s. The plattcys for the
roast avn other services of meat
match b2 ten-inch dinner plates,
which arr preferred in simple. deli
cate d';'gH. \ more ornate china is
allolra :. for the game plates, plat
ter ana sauce boat than for the reg
uar Eea; course. The game platter
is rather small while the largest plat
ter used on the table is that used for
the chief meat course. The game
+. plate variys from one the size of a
breakfast plate to one the size of q
tea plate. The salad course allows
the display of picturesque china. 1t
consists Of fiat salad bowl OF ample
dimensions, and small individual
plates or saucers to match. Some of
the prettiest salad sets are designed
in Italian maiolica after lettuce
leaf. Less expensive sets are shown
in the same delicate medley of greens
that blend so well with the colors of
dinner salads. Glittering crystal,
suggesting the clearness and coltlness
Of ice, is often used for salad sets
but is too costly for ordinary use and
too easily broken. The dessert serv-
ice may be crystal or china. The
most beautiful and deliberately de-
signed china may be displayed in the
dessert set and in the harlequin"
set of after dinner coffee cups, each
one representing different ra tern
and color. Charles Lamb cCufess.s TO
"a feminine partially for Old china"
He says: "When ! go to see any
great house | inquire for the chna
closet, and next for the picture enl-
lery." China of tasteful color and
pattern may be found TO-DAY at a
price that would have amazed our
grandmothers, II we choose glarirg
colors and coarse patterns, "all 10
match" we have only ourselves TO
l,I...,o a..