Crittenden press., 1902-04-17
THE AFTERNOON TEA.
II HaO Become Universal and Is It's Own
Excuse.

Afternoon tea il as much of a na-
tional custom here as it ever was in
England, says the Kansas City Star,
and the afternoon tea hour is a very
charming and delightful one when
well carried out.
In England, where the leisure class
still outnumbers ours, the afternoon
tea served after a run with the hounds
or an afternoon of outdoor exercise,
has always been a hearty meal. ID
this country it began with merely and
literally cup of tea, and that did not
interfere so much with the dinner
hour Now, with the tea table put
before a blazing fire, the high muffin
stand, with its three shelves, on each
shelf something alluringly appetizing
in the shape of hot buttered mullins,
smoking hot toast and an iced cake, it
can easily be seen that the materials
for a good square meal are present.
especially when there il added at least
one plate of the idealized sandwich
which is now factor in afternoon
tea.
There is salways cream for those who
wish it, lemon for those who prefer
that, and some tea tables show a de-
canter of rum. This last addition,
however, is not really smart and is
rather the exception. But the mullins,
the toast, the sandwiches and the cake
are ofthe best and most appetizing.
1t is no longer fashionable to have
the tea tray and the cups and saucers
as part of the drawing-room outfit.
Too much dust collected in the tea
cups to make it quite safe in these
days of uncertain service, and dusty
tea was not fashionable. Besides, the
tea table already set did look incOn-
gruous. A pretty tea table Of inlaid
wood or plain mahogany does not look
out of place, but is kept in the back
ground and the tea service is brought
in on a tray whenever required. The
folding tea tables are much in demand,
for they take up little room, and in
one or two of the fashionable houses
the old-fashioned nests of tables are
used-the small ones that fit one into
the other and that can be drawn out
and used by one or two guests.
Tea making is supposed to be a
fashionable accomplishment, and
there is great friendly rivalry as TO
who should have the best tea and be
the best brewer of it. The tea must
always be made by the hostess, never
by the servant, and while balls and
teaspoons and tea bags are all on the
list of fashionable supplies for the
tea table, the silver tea caddy and the
old rule of teaspoonful to each guest
and one to the teapot still leads the
procession.
There is no house too small for its
tea table, no income that will not
allow of the afternoon tea, and the
fashion is a pretty one and has much
more sociability in it than might be
believed. Men may scoff at the tea
drinking, but there are few houses
where there are not some men to be
found at the tea hour and who appar-
emily find something to eat or to
drink that suits their tastes.
Young girls have their afternoon
teas and there first learn gracious hos
pitality and the method of receiving
guests.
This description of afternoon tea
has nothing TO do with the afternoon
reception or eat home" when, of
course, tea is served, and "tea" in the
corner of the card if cards are sent,
generally means a collation.. But
cards are not issued for everyday aft
ernoon tea, which is as necessary in
every household as any other meal
would be, and in many houses the
hostess never lets anything interfere
with her being at home at that hour.
Her children are supposed to be pres
ent, any guests and any friends who
choose to drop in, and, in spite of the
sem-formality of the service, it is the
one and only informal mode of en-
tertaining that exists at the present
moment, when everything is made on
such conventional lines.