The Washington herald., 1909-01-17
HINTS BY THE SOCIAL ARBITER

Every season there is 8 change in the
fashion OF dinner giving. and II the
diners-0ut Of quarter Of q century ago
could attend a dinner Of to-day. they
would be astonished, for in this strenuous
age society folk have no time to sit for
hours az table A dinner which formerly
took up whole evening and part OF the
night now occupies only an hour or two
In those days the fashionable hour was
:. and one rarely left the house before
u OF Z. and sometimes the convives sat
az the mahogany table until nearly that
time. Nowadays the dinner hour IS 8
the dinner occupies an hour or less. and
before 10 the guests are on their way 10
another function. and they sometimes at
tend several before daybreak sends them
home The style, too. Of arranging din
ners has undergone a radical change
The table furnishing is now no longer
ponderous with heavy cut glass and mas
sive plate Grace and delicacy character
fze the present fashion In the center
OF the table there is a plateau OF deli
cate flowers. orchids. lilies OF the valley.
and feathery ferns being a popular COM
binatiOn-and all the appointments are
as dainty and exquisite as the finest
workmanship can construct. There is lit
tie change in The taste regarding table
linen. Lace Is abundantly introduced by
some hostesses. but this is not in good
taste except for teas and women r
!sncheons. The menus are carefully
thought out. and there is. as there should
be. only one heavy meat besides The game
and fish. and instead OF oysters with
which dinners always began. there IS
every sort Of cocktail made from every
known bivalve End fruit. Tie bOnbons
now in vogue. TIE lcJS and the peht
fours. have never been surpassed. and
fhev are affairs 10 be eaten. not simply
10 be looked al. rs in the days of Si5an-
tic pyramids Of noUgat and palaces Of
candied fruits. which we're used more Tor
adOrnment than refceShment
AS 20 wine, in the days OF our mothers
II was no unusual sight 10 see nine wine
glasses on the table Now. except at the
most formal dinners only TWO or three
wines OF the rsrest vintage are offered.
and champagne has declined IN favor
The light German Rhine wines, the Ital-
ian white wines. and our own very ex-
cellent beverages from the grape-growing
States are in present favor. At some Of
the smartest houses only ApOllinaris or
some ether sparkling water is served In
q word. everything tends toward sim
plicity. but elegant simplicity, and there
is more good taste this season in dinner
giving than ever before Eating and
drinking has become less the fashion
than IN the days Of the three-bOttle men
and dinner giving Is much more frequent
since It has become less Of a burden
correspondent writes 10 ask for some
menus. so here are repeated two that
have been recently seved-one at a smart
house. tie other at mans club II a
young peoples dinner the other night
the bill OF fare was as follows
Grape Fruit Cocktail
CTesned Celsry Soup. with Oyster Crabs.
Bamekins q Salmon. win Cuc1Imbe-s.
Ersiisa Mutton Chops. with Brussels Sprouts
squads. Asparagus Tips and Curraut Jelly
Said Of Rename Lettuce. With Cheese SEread On
Bits q Toast
Ices Nodded n the Form Of Red Apples.
Fr7Iits. Coffee.
The only wines served with this dinner
were champagne and claret
In contrast 10 this modest affair was
the enc al the mans club. al which old
and experienced eourmets were the
guests It ran as follows.
Cariars Sandwiches. sherry.
Green Turtle SCur. Hock-
Bailed Pumpano. EIyh shrimp Szucs-
French Potatoes
Tcuarin- Champagne
Saddle q Mutton
CsnTas5zcz Duck. FRED 8lush- Burguudy-
CelCTy salad
Cheese. C-ackc-s and Coffee
Chsmpagne
II viii be seen that there was no
dessert on his Dill Of fare. as il has be-
come a fad among gourmets 10 cut out
sweets from their dinners.
Invitations for a, formal dinner are
sent out at least three weeks beforehand.
and require an immediate answer On
no account should q reply be delayed be
yond twenty-f0Ur hours. If there IS any
doubt whether the invitation should be
accepted il should be promptly declined
No ifs are permitted This prompJness
IS only a courtesy 10 the hostess. who
should be given time 10 I'll up her din
ner table. Informal invitations are, Of
course. given al all sorts Of times and IN
der all sorts Of circumstances. but they
require prompt reply. In fact TOO much
stress cannot be laid on dispatch in an
swering any social bid. Il is. perhaps.
needless 10 dwell on the pUnCtUality IN
arriving al a dinner party It was
Thackeray who said. il you remember:
7 cannot omit here 70 mark down my
hatred, scorn. and indignation toward
those miserable snobs who come to din
ner at 9, when they are asked at s. in
order TO make a sensation in the com
pany" But one should not linger too
long after dinner. unless especially urged
20 DO so. and there is a card party.
music. OF some entertainment provided
for the dinner guests, IN which others
are invited 10 share
As 10 the conduct at table and after
ward. II is well 10 quote a noted French
writer on etiquette who said: Never
forget that a. 2 dinner. as on all Occa-
sions Of hospitality. il is your chief duty
10 relieve the hostess from every annoy
anCe or care. II must not be imagined