Delaware gazette and state journal., 1902-11-06
FoR TIE HousEkEEPER.

Philadelphia Ledger
The young wife yearns to make her
home, however small, more than mere
dwelling, place where she may enter
tain her own friends, and where her
husband will be glad to dine at his
will, 1t is hard to get up even YER,
informal little dinner at, perhaps, an
hours notice. The expense and trouble
of it often bring dismay into the heart
of the little woman. 1t may be that
she has never before found the respon-
sibility of entertaining to rest on her
shoulders, and, if SO, it seems doubly
hard to her. If she lives in city or
locality whore expenses of living are
very high and where, necessarily, every
little expense must be gIavely consid-
cred, she hesitates before she proposes
even few friends in to dins'' to her
husband.
But if you are a good manager and
make it business to adapt everything
to your use, so that there is mini
mum of waste, you will find after a
little experience the it is possible to
give delightful little dinners quite often
at very little expense.
If you have but one servant, the best
way in the world to aecustom her to
occasional impromptu entertaining is
to pay strict attention 20 the setting of
the table and to the serving of your
family dinner every night in the week.
Allow her to make no difference he
tween the attention she shows your
simplest home dinners and the atten.
tion which you require of her on the
days you entertain. For formal func-
tions greater elaboration is necessary,
but there is nothing worse for the com
fort of the family in their Informal
entertaining than the habit of laxity
in the little things when no one but
the family is present.
Every maid ought to know that to
her master and mistress is due greater
care in her services to them than can be
expected by mere guest. II such a
ruling be followed, neither maid nor
mistress need feel worried over the
sudden necessity or pleasure of proyid-
ing for one more, or even four more.
Even a simple dinner can be made
very attractive. Spotlessly white linen
of the best quality you can afford is
the first requisite. If you keep but one
maid, never let her put on the cloth
alone. 1t is an easy matter to help
her perform this task, and cloth
always looks better when four hands
instead of two lay it. All the napkins
should match the cloth, and should be
as large and as softly, smoothly, laun-
dered as it is possible.
As q centrepieoe small fernery will
be Inexpensive, and adds greatly to
the attractiveness of the table. Select
both dish and plant low, the effect is
broader and more sumptuous.
Too much care cannot be bestowed
upon the setting of table. Each
article should be laid on it with ahso-
Lutte precision. Nothing is worse form
than piece of silver laid on carelessly
or at wrong angle.
Bread and butter plates should be
placed at the left side. Forks should
be placed at the left and knives at the
right. Napkins can with equal taste
take various forms Of folding, but one
which can never go amiss is the fashion
of leaving the linen in its original folds
after ironing, merely placing between
the folds piece of bread cut oblong,
two inches long and an inch thick, all
the crust being removed. Ii candle
sticks are to be used, place the candle
sticks at the four corners of the table,
we'll out of elbow reach of your guests,
or midway between the centre and the
edge. Small dishes containing olives,
pickles, salted nuts or bonbons may
be placed on the table, but all other
dishes must remain on the side table
when being served.