The Washington herald., 1916-10-14
HOUSEWIVES DAILY
ECONOMY CALENDAR
KEEPING UP THE TEA TRAY.
By FRANCES MARSHALL.

More and more In this country after
noon tea is coming to be an established
custom. Once the woman who always
refreshes her callers with dish of tea"
at four or five o'clock was usually only
the woman who could summon a maid
by the pressure of a call bell in her
drawing room; and the man allowed the
office folk he employed to have after
noon tea was regarded as a hopeless
anglomaniac. Nowadays We are out
Englishing the English in this respect,
however, and not at all because we want
to ape their manners, but because we
have discovered the pleasant features of
the practice.
And of course a woman doesn't have
to have crew Of servants to make the
afternoon tea tray a possibility. In fact
she doesn't have to have any servants at
all and she may live in a two-room apart
ment or a three-room cottage and still
perform the little ceremony with as much
grace and ease as an English duchess or
japanese Geisha girl-for 1t really was
the Oriental woman who first discovered
the charm that lay within a brew OF the
fragrant tea leaves.
One advantage OF tea IN the afternoon
Is that It does not spoil the appetite
even when taken only an hour and a hak
before dinner. Usually, however, when
dinner Is to be served at half past six
or six tea is taken as early as four. 1t
Is decidedly refreshing, infinitely more
so-and of course decidedly more hospit-
able-than a soda" or "sundae" at the
nearest confectioner's.
Then tea is so ridiculously inexpensive.
Really good kinds can be bought for fifty
cents a pound and even allowing a tea
spoonful to cup, which is too liberal
allowance for mosA folk, a pound will
suffice for a hundred or so cups. So the
tea need not cost more than a half a cent
a cup. Even with food supplies soaring
the few Jumps of sugar, cream or lemon
needed to complete the dainty repast
can be had at a very slight outlay.
And there should never be too great
bounty on the tea table. A few choice
waters or wafer-like slices of bread and
butter or hot toast. homemade cookies
or tiny cakes are all that one should
serve with the tea. It Is very much of
a mistake to serve pastries or elaborate
cakes Of any kind with this midafternoon
refreshment that should never be hearty
enough to spoil the appetite.
Any attractive large tray will answer
for the service. All that is required of
the tea cloth to spread on the tray is
that is should be spotless. Besides cups
and spoons and the cream and sugar
set tea pot and hot water Jug are all
that Is needed. Though many women use
an alcohol or electric hot water tea ket-
tie that is placed on their tea table this
is not necessary, as me boiling water
can be poured into thu ga pot and hot
water jug in the kitchen and the whole
tray carried to the uvinA room or sit
ting-room at once. 1t is very convenient
to have a small table on which the tray
can be set, placed conveniently to the
chair of the hostess so that she can pour
out the cups of tea with the least ap-
parent effort. For the woman who is
fortunate enough TO have a nest of tables
a good idea is to give one of the small
tables on which to place the tea cup
and plate to hold waters to each tea
drinker Although It Is sometimes more
convenient TO have this extra plate It
Is not at all essential as the waters may
be placed in the saucer at the side of the
cup.
tCory1sht 1871