The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-10-06
SOME CURIOUS SPOONS.
Uses to Which They Wore Put by Peo-
pie a Fey. Centuries Ago.


We are familiar nowadays with
spoons of many shapes intended for
every variety of purpose, but some old
fashioned styles are now merely curl
osities. There is the old fashioned
narrow spoon. for instance. which was
used for extracting marrow from
IS. 1t was made double. one end
beng used for small bones and the
other for those of larger bore.
Another example is the mulberry
spoon. This has & perforated bowl and
a spiked and pointed handle. says the
London Globe. The implements were
made for use in a day when mulher-
ries were much more commonly eaten
than they are at the present time.
With the perforated bowl a little sugar
was sprinkled on the berry. which was
then conveyed to the mouth on the
spiked end Of the handle.
The Introduction of tea led TO the
making Of variety of new kinds of
spoons, including the necessary tea
spoon itself, some of which still re-
main in use. while others have disap-
peared. At South Kensington may be
seen. for example a curious collection
Of the little scoops so well known
to our Observation-Disclosures as caddy
spoons. Tea caddies of the old fash
Toned kind have long been superseded,
and when the caddy with its two lid
ded and metal lined end compartments
and the sugar bowl in the cavity be-
tween went out of use the caddy spoon
or scoop disappeared also.
Another obsolete curiosity is the
snuff spoon, which in the days when
nearly everybody took snuff and took
it everywhere was used for conveying
the scented powder from the box to
the hand or in some cases direct to the
nose. Candle spoons and pap spoons
also are out of date. A Llangollen
gentleman a few months ago wrote in
Shropshire paper that he had in his
possession silver pap spoon which
had been originally given by the Mar
quiS of Exeter to a member of the
Hoggins family of Bolas. The posses
sor of this spoon remarked that 1t had
been given to him by his father with
the wish that 1t should be handed
| over to the first married in each sue
ceeding generation, for as such 1t haC
come to him through the intermarriagt
of the two families in years gone by.
Three hundred years ago there was
one at Ilford, in Essex. which helt
more than a quart. Others of more
legitimate make were such as the curl
Gus combination implement with which
| folk of that date were familiar. Whel
most people still dipped their finger
into the general dish to help them
selves to meat more dainty diners car
ried about with them an implemen
which was combination OF spool
and fork and toothpick.
The fork was at the back of tn
spoon, while the handle of the doubl
article was finished off with a littl
figure terminal, which served as han
die for the toothpick. The termina
figure was a very favorite form o
spoon ornamentation.
/ 1t is most familiar in the apostl
spoons, Of which original sets fetcl
such high prices and Of which latte
day limitations are so abundant, bu
the figures were by no means confines
to the apostles. In some cases tn
spoons were curiously finished wit
double heads, which can hardly hav
conduced. one would think. to CONVEX
fence Of handling. A curious but dt
cidedly unpleasant form of ornamen
gave its name to the deaths head
spoon, which was made for commend
rative purposes, a very unattractiv
kind of "memento mort"