Dinner Parties and Luncheons
The severest Test of Social Talents—How the Table Should Be Set—The Guests and Their Places—Entering the Dining Room—Serving the Dinner—The Dinner Call—Settings and Service of the Luncheon.
To give a large, successful dinner party, with every detail in "good form", is the severest test of a lady’s talents and social experience. The best preparation for this is to be used, from childhood, to properly served dinners, however simple, and to perfect table manners. The setting of the table is an art that takes a cultivated taste and a mathematical eye. When but one maid is kept, the mistress of the house or her daughter should arrange the family dinner table every evening. Women of wealth often prefer to train their waiting maids in this duty but they inspect the work and give the last touches when giving a dinner party.
The finest and whitest of dinner cloths should be used, and of a size almost to reach the floor. For round tables there are round cloths edged with heavy linen lace. The napkins are three-quarters of a yard square, carefully folded and not in fancy shapes, in ironing, with the worked monogram on the upper corner. The centerpiece of flowers should be arranged low so as not to hide guests from each other; and the lighting should be softly shaded, from candles evenly The Table and Its Setting spaced on the table; or from a canopied electric light above. If gas is used, the ventilation should be especially good, for gas burns up oxygen. The silver, china and glass should be shining, and in delicate patterns and graceful shapes, even if not of an expensive quality. It is more interesting if the place plates and each course set is different, but a dinner set is more economical. White with gold edges never goes out of style because it harmonizes with all decorations and foods.
The places should be evenly spaced and all arranged exactly alike. In the middle of each is a place plate, to be removed when the first course is served; or there is a place card that any clever high school girl can draw and decorate. At the top of each place are arranged the spoons for the iced grape fruit, soup, dessert and coffee.
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