The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-09-27
SOME CURIOUS SPOONS.
Uses TO Which They Were Put by Peo-
pie a Few Centuries Ago.

pie a Few 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
bones. 1t was made double, one end
feing 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 I'm day when mulber-
ries were much more commonly eaten
than they are at the present time.
With the perforated bowl little sugar
was sprinklcd on the berry. which was
then conveyed TO the mouth on the
spiked end Of the handle
The Introduction Of tea led 10 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-
pearcd. At South Kensington may be
seen. for example, a curious collection
Of the little scoops 50 we'll known
to our great-grandmothcrs as caddy
spoons. Tea caddics of the old fash
loncd kind have long been superseded
and when the caddy with its two lid
dcd and metal lined end compartments
and the sugar bowl i'm the cavity be
tween went out Of use the caddy spoon
or scoop disappeared also.
Another obsolete curiosity IS the
SNUFF spoon. which i'm the days when
nearly everybody took snuff and took
il everywhere was used for conveying
the scented powder from the box to
the hand or I'm some cases direct to the
nose. Candle spoons and pap spoons
also are out Of date. \ LlangOlleh
gentleman few months ago wrote in
n Shropshire paper that he had in his
possession silver pap spoon which
had been originally given by the Mar
qulS Of Exeter 10 Il member OF the
IIOggins family of EON. The posses
been given to him by his father with
the wish thar II should he handed
over 10 the first married In each sue
cccding "c'Hr2tion. for rs such ii had
come tO him through the intermarriagc
Of the two families i'm years gone by.
Three huI drCd years ago there was
one at llford. in Essex. which held
Of
legitimate make were such rs the curl
Gus combination implement with which
folk of that da.c were familiar. When
9o.t people still dipped their fingers
into thc general dish TO help them
selves to mcI,..Xlo"c dainty diners car
rlCl about with them an implement
which was combination of spoon
nEl fork avn toothpick
The fork was ut the back Of the
spoon, while The handle Of the double
article was finished off with Il little
figure terminal, which served rs han
die for the toothpiCk. The terminal
figure was II very favoritc form of
spoon ornamCntatiCn.
1t is most familiar in the apostle
spoons. of which original sets fotch
such high prices aud of which latter
day limitations are SO abundant. but
the figures were by no means confined
TO the apostles. In some cases the
spoons were curiously finished with
double heads. which can hardly have
conduccd. one would think, tO conven-
fence of handling. \ curious but de
cidedly unp'ea.ant form of ornament
gave It's naMc 10 the deaths head"
spoon. which was made for commemo
rative purposes, very unattractive
kind of "mcmcnto morL"