Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-22
AT ER-D|NNER SPORT
How the Youngsters May
Pass the Time
WHILE ELDERS TALK
FUN WITH THE PAPER TURKEY
AND REAL TURKEY FEATHERS.
How to Arrange and Produce Novel
Tableaux Based on Old Fa-
vorite Poems.
WHILE ELDERS TALK

In the case of large Thanksgiving gath
ering the hours which follow directly on
the heels of dinner present problem for
the hostess. Naturally, the elder guests
prefer to sit quietly and chat about fam
lily affairs which have arisen since the last
annual gathering, but not so the young
people, who desire more attractive forms
of entertaining. The wise hostess will
plan amusements for the children and
young people, so that their elders may be
left in peace for an hours conversation.
AS soon as the dining room is cleared Of
all signs of the feast it can be changed
into a play room, and some older girl
should be elected as mistress or ceremo-
MES, and should plan the games SO that
the children are amused quietly until the
elaborate dinner has been digested.
A pleasing little contest for children is
laid out on kindergarten lines. Two bowls,
one containing big white popcorn kernels,
and the other cranberries. are placed at
their disposal, with a supply of toothpicks.
threads and needles. The children are
then requested to make some article OF
decorative design in the white Kernels and
the red berries. 1t Is remarkable now
quickly the children will seize upon the
idea, and what fetching little ornaments
they will produce. Toothpicks run with
cranberries and Joined at the corners with
popcorn will make frame to lay nat on
tine table, and inside of this child Will
block out a picture In red and white, OF,
strung on the thread, they can be wrought
into red and white tassels, balls and odd
shaped ornaments, such as are seen on
Christmas trees.
A Prize to the Best.
Half an hour will pass quickly at such
work. and then a committee Of the older
guests can pass upon the results and award
a prize to the most skillful worker. This
prize should suggest Thanksgiving day.
and inexpensive little favors are shown In
the form of boxes Of candy with Puritan
maiden standing on the box as on pedes-
tai This is merely doll dressed III uii-
tan garb generally in crepe paper
The second game is trif1e more active:
and is merely variant or the Ola game VI
mining q tail on the donkey. In thiS case
q sheet is fastened against the wall, anu
m II is drawn or pinned a representation
of a turkey turkey drawn IN coloreo
crayons and then cut out ana pasteo eele
fully on the sheet gives tne YES. o Slaet
In the old donkey game tail was proV1aed
and did service for all the players. put TOT
the turkey game the housewife may pro
vide real turkey feathers, saved from the
oohhler which was served at dinner Eacn
ebi1d is given one of these feathers and
long min: then, blindfolded. he is started
toward the sheet in search OF proper
Mace to pin the feather. ~
the sheet it is a comparatively easy ha.lei
for a blindfolded person to 1eel arouliu III "
til the bird is discovered, out ~ 10 ~ "
easv TO find the exact spot on whlch .he .al
eoat3bar should be pinned AS a result, WIeh
all have taken a turn, the turkey is lldole
to have tails sprouting in every olrectioh
which of itself will create fuh.
A Turkey Souvenir.
The mistress of ceremonies must Keep
track of the game and award the prize
which can be a papier mache turkey, hlled
with small candies to the chlo "hose
feather strikes nearest to the marx.
For the third game start the chlloren III
zoo uo,, If cranberries, which have been hid
don all over the room. For this purpose
nroyide each child with small basket VI
wicker or crepe paper ana nave tie ctai
berries hidden, before the guests arrive, pI
hind ornaments in the crevices OF the table
legs behind pictures, on the upper sashes
of the wndow-in any place Whlch VIII taA
childish wit and ingenuity. When the Voy-
age of discovery is over the cranDerries can
he counted and a small prize. such as
crepe paper basket, filled with crimson-coat-
ed Jordan almonds, can be AWARDED TO the
child who has found the noSt DeIiie .;l, J..
BY this time the heavy dinner Will be
pretty well digested and the children Will
be glad to go for run Out OF ooors vi
skate on the pond If, fortunately, the IAN
fly gathering be In country "heie iee
forms early. ,,., A.,
Young people who have reached the age OF
fifteen or more, the hostess VIII 40 Wen TO
plan some formal entertainment for the
evening which will be given under the dl-
rection of a college girl or boy versed in the
handling of amateur theatr1cals ms rs WI WI
afford an afternoon entertainment, for the
Young people will need to be drilled for the
evening performance. Even in. TINS phase
age young people from fifteen to eighteen
thoroughly enjoy getting up snow.
New England poetry has suffered an
eclipse. and school boys and girls of today
are not SO familiar with It's peautles as
were their fathers and mothers 1t Will,
therefore, be something of a novelty If the
hostess arranges a Thanksgiving evening
with Longfellow, presenting living pictures
from his poems dealing with New England
home life
Need Setting.
In nreparation for such an entertainment
she must have a few stage-settings and
costumes. A fireplace or mantel will do
for the background of most of the pictures.
A settee or two, some old-fashioned chairs,
dishes and a spinning wheel will also be
useful For costumes, paper, muslin, or
calico in black, gray or dun color, can be
worked cheaply into the Puritan costumes,
together with white kerchiefs and caps for
the women, made from tarletan or tissue
paper; and for the men there must be
brcad-brimmed hats with cone-shapeo
crowns. made from black canvas, and white
turnover collars. Shoes with buckles and
long, black hosiery are worn by the men.
with knickerbockers fulled in at the knees.
The cloak is round and stiff, and, indoors
a doublet to match the knickerbockers is
worm The dresses for the women have no
trimming except a lhchu
If time is allowed for making the cos
tune, and some member of the family is
deft at cutting and planning, a very re-
spectacle stage wardrobe can be produced
a the cost, of couple of dollars. If the
performance is given in double parlors.
folding doors may be used instead of cur
tains; and the effect of the living pictures
will be frightened If on the side of the door
next to the actors hs stretched theatrca
ga1ze which Is not expensive. and gives
the effect of distance to the tabeaux.
Familiar Stories.
Three sets of pictures may be presented
the first scene from the familiar story of
1.-THE Courtship of Miles Standish," the sec
ond may be a scene from "Evangeline,"
and the third, particularly suited to a fam
lily gathering, should be THE Hanging of
the Crane" AS the latter is laid rather on
the lines of dissolvihg views a curtain of
dark stuff, which can be drawn and drop
nod paip nutcklv will add 70 tho affaot