River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-08-01
CURIOUS TABLE MANNERS.
Behavior at Meals That Excites Much
Comment in Hotels aud Bonrd-
ing Houses.

81 am sure you make mistake, mann
ma" confdes Elizabeth in her much
tallzed-about Visits" "in what you
told me, that well-bred people behave
nicely at dinner and sit up, because
they don't bit; lots of them put their
elbows on the table, and nearly all sat
anyhow in their chairs. Only two be-
haved like you, but, then, they were
quite old--over 40"
The astonishing fact that all we'll
bred people do not behave nicely at the
table is also borne in upon the casual
observer who goes to hotel for meal,
who watches the actions of his reigh-
bors, or upon one who boards or takes
many meals from under his own roof
tree. The writer would not be believed
if she told all that she knew on this
subject, for it has been her lot in life
to be thrown in contact with many
charming persons IF undeniable aris-
tocratic birth whose table manners
Mary Anne, eating with the footman
in the kitchen, would have scorned to
emulate, says the Baltimore News.
She remembers one such individual,
the self-confessed descendant of a
hundred earls, who always took the
hot cakes at breakfast off the plate
that was proffered her with herfingers,
scorning the fork that went along as
an implement of no use on this occa-
sion. Some times when the top cake did
n pf ho I, u - D
taken the next one, to the great dis
tress of mind of the persons who come
next in line.
The same person, still going on the
principle that fingers were made be
fore forks, or even spoons, has also
been known to take potatoes out of a
vegetable dish-not potatoes with
their jackets on, but other sorts-also
with her fingers, if the one that she
fancied proved elusive or ran around
the dish in provoking manner.
A certain other great lady, the rela-
tive of noted American-she isn't
lineal descendant simply because he
had no lineal escendants-looks upon
a sugar spoon as a useless toy, and tri-
umphantly forks piece of bread from
the other side of the table, whenever ii
SUITS her to do so.
Still another one drinks her tea from
her saucer, the old-fashioned wav. no
matter where she is, and does not
scorn to eat peas with her knife when
the occasion, according to her ideas
demands.
These are all, of course, extreme
cases OF bad manners. The notable
thing about them is that in every case
the ladies are well born and would
Indignantly repel any insinuation that
they were not also we'll bred. Less
fagrant cases are noticed every dav.
where grown-ups, as Elizabeth saws.
sit anyway in their chairs and do 9th
er things that they would surely rep
rimand their children for initiating.
One man, for instance, carefully pol-
ishes the silver at his plate on his nap
kin at dinner parties before using it,
much to his hostess distress, and still
he is accounted very desirable ac-
quaintance, and this the merest lido
syncrasy incidental to a great and alb
sorbed mind.
The business of eating is apparently
one to be over as eNpcditiously al pos
sible in America, and anything that
serves to hasten matters is adopted by
certain persons, just as sewing ma
chine stitching is tolerated for its eco
nomic value