Evening Star Newspaper, July 16, 1935, Page 28

B—% WOMEN 'S FEATURES. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, Proper General Qutline Guide For Careful Hostess’ Formal Entertaining Detail of Table Appointments and Rules for Serving Various Courses Listed by Request. BY BETSY CASWELL. EVERAL readers have recently E requested that I publish an ar- ticle relative to the details of proper service at the table. There seems to be some doubt in their minds on certain points, and they would like the ap- proved system outlined for their benefit. This is a little difficult to do in one column. There are whole books on the sub- ject of table eti- quette and serv- ice that go into those subjects ex- haustively and well. The best I can do here is to give the bare out- line of the fundamental points to serve as a basic working guide for those who are interested. As setting the table is a very im- portant affair, we shall begin with that. Iam only going to use the din- cer table as an illustration in this case—as no family ever has the same breakfast arrangement as another and the luncheon setting is basically the same as the dinner, with perhaps a shade less formality in the matter of large napkins, very handsome service plates and so forth. *x x ¥ % '0 BEGIN with, insist, in your household, that the table linen must be immaculately clean, un- rumpled and fresh. No table can be made to look attractive with messy linen. In these days of runners and mats this should be easy, for the pieces are so small that they may readily be washed out and ironed frequently. If, however, for your very formal dinner you like to use heavy, glisten- ing damask, don’t forget the necessity of having a silence cloth or mat placed under it. Damask laid flat on a bare table has a very strange appearance and the “feel” of it is poorhouse indeed. Over the cloth you may use a hand- some lace runner, or sound, on which to set the floral centerpiece. This is not necessary, however, especially when you use one of the mirror plateaus that have become so popular in the last year or s, If you use mats end runners on the bare polishei wiod you may use silence mats underneath the plate doilies if you like. That is purely optional, and is often done by a hostess whose dining room table is of -exceptionally beauriful wood which she does not wisa marred by heat. The center decoration should be low, s0 that persons seated on op- posite sides of the tabie may see each other without dodging a mass of foliage. Four cundlesticks with tall tapers are placed m each corner of the table, halfway between the edge and the table deccration, with com- potes at even disiances between them. If you have candelabra, and use them instead of the canclesticks, place them opposite each other, the lonz way of the table, haliway between the edge and the centerniece. * K K % SERVICE plates should be set at each place, wiih the napkin fold- ed on them. Se: the knives at the right side of the plate with the cut- ting edge toward it. Forks at the left, of course. Soup spoons, at the right beyond the knives. Remember, in setting the order of these utensils, that the ones to be used first should be placed on the ouiside, always. At the point of the knives, place the water and wine glasses, also fol- lowing the “first used farthest out” principle. If you are fortunate enough to possess a numoer of small silver salt and pepper containers, place a pair of them in front of each place— otherwise, dispose them in pairs at attractive angles abovt the table. Butter plates and butter knives should never be used when setting the formal table. Many families, how- ever, make an exception and use them at dinner when dining alone or with & few friends, if the members of the household particularly like bread and butter or if corn on the cob is to be served. The butler or maid announces - dinner by standing in the doorway, catching the hostess’ eye, bowing slightly and saying, “Dinner is served, madam.” The guests and hosts pro- ceed to the dining room, are seated according to a previously made plan— — Betsy Caswell. (don't, if you would ever have a suc- cessful party, even if there is nothing official or terribly formal in its “set- up,” neglect that previous little plan. You may pretend to seat the guests on the spur of the moment as they reach the table, but in reality the wise woman has mapped it all out on paper beforehand and-committed the plan to memory, to be assured of getting every one a congenial partner. This is largely the secret of good party-giving). ke THE first course is brought in in its proper dish and placed on the service plate. After this course has | been eaten its plates are removed, but | the service plates remain to be used under the plates of the next course. But when this second course is fin- ished the service plates and the course plates are removed together and re- placed by the plates for the third course. All plates should be removed | from the left and replaced from the | right. This service continues unmi the salad has been served. Then all| the plates are removed, the salts and peppers and unused knives and forks taken from the table and the table is crumbed with a napkin onto a tray. The dessert plates are then placed | on the table, and may be arranged in one of two ways; either with the fork | and spoon on them, alone, or with the finger bowl and its doily as well. In the latter case the finger bowl and doily are removed, to the left front, on the table, and the fork and spoon set on either side by the guest. If the finger bowl is not presented on the dessert plate, it must be brought in after the course is finished, replacing the dessert plates. Then it should have its matching saucer and the doily beneath . | Coffee is usually served after dinner in the living room. If there is a| library, the gentlemen gather there | for their coffee and cigars. If not, they usually remain in the dining room, while the ladies have their coffee in the drawing room. There are many subjects on which | we have not been able to touch this | time—you know I said it would take | a book!—so next week we will try to cover some more of the details about smoking with dinner, after-dinner beverage service, taking coats and | hats in the hall, and so on. There is so much to speak of, and so little space! If you wish advice on your indi- vidual household problems, write to Betsy Caswell, in care of The Star, inclosing stamped, self-addressed en- velope for reply. Cook’s Corner BY MRS. ALEXANDER GEORGE. PICKLE SEASON ARRIVES (Green tomatoes do not need to be | peeled when used for pickles. Mere- ly wash well and remove blossom ends.) DINNER SERVING TWO. Deviled Scrambled Eggs Buttered Cauliflower Mashed Squash, Seasoned Bread Spiced Blueberry Jam Mustard Pickles Chilled Watermelon 2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons fat catsup | 1 tablespoon % teaspoon salt chopped onion Ya teaspoon 3 eges. beaten pepper Melt fat in frying pan, add and | quickly brown onions, add rest of in- gredients. Lower fire and cook slowly and stir constantly until mixture be- comes thick and creamy. Serve im- | mediately. MUSTARD PICKLES. 4 cups green 2 cups caulifiower tomatoes. flowerlet sliced 12 cups water 4 cups celery, 2 cups salt ‘chopped 8 cups diced 4 cups chopped Fuua cucum-= onions hers. Mix all ingredients and let stand 24 hours. Strain and add mustard sauce. MUSTARD SAUCE, 2 tablespoons 2 cups sugar dry mustard 8 cups vinegar 1 tablespoon 2 tablespoons tumeric celery seed 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons % teaspoon salt mustard seed Blend dry ingredients. Add rest of ingredients and add mixed vegetables. Cook slowly and stir frequently for about 40 minutes, Pour into sterilized jars and seal. ‘The pickles are done when they are very tender when tested with fork. to click those large done And ideal on a motor quickly and you can create a stir with it if you're if it’s neither, you'll still find many uses for this jifty needles most effectively, try this soft warm cape—it's trip, for cool nights when camping or even right up on the front porch. The cape is done in two colors, but the stitch in the band is so cleverly done that you have the effect of two shades of a color. In pattern 5379 you will find complete instructions for making the cape shown; an illustration of it and of the stitches needed; material requirements; eolor suggestions. To obtain this pattern 15 cents in stamps or coin to the Woman's Editor of The Evening Star. D. C, TUESDAY, JULY 16, 1935. Practical Beauty for the Heir Apparent’s Kingdom o s - s Efficient equipment for the baby's care and restfulness of color and of line make a perfect surrounding for the frst critical months. Beauty enters into the general scheme in the farry-like bassinet, the soft light filtering through the Venetian blinds and the delicately painted furniture. And toys there must be for His Majesty's Star Staff Photo. delight! BY NATALIE AYMAR GODWIN. The nursery of “first baby” used to be a vision of filmy lace and flut- tering ruffies, festooned with great | bows and streamers of ribbon, beauti- ful, but so impractical. Today when planning one we find trained people ready and eager to advise us in choos- ing furnishings, not only with an ap- pealing charm, but that also meet the practical requirements of the “newcomer.” In a well-planned nursery the fur- nishirgs are arranged from two stand- points, the first consideration, of course, being the health and comfort of the baby, and, second, the con- venience and ease in administering the dally routine of its care. A sunny, | airy room, preferably a corner one | looking into the garden or lawn, is| the ideal location, and for the Sum- mer baby, Venetian blinds, as pic- tured above, that the suplight softly filters through, are all the window treatment that is required. The walls are done in a washable paint, in a light shade of rose, for until a child is old enough to enjoy the specially designed papers available now for children the plain wals are advisabe, since they are more restful; this plain-color treatment may be kept permanently, for it furnishes a splendid background later on for pictures of animals or the well-loved | toyland figures. Rugs that are easy, to keep clean are good, particularly | for that time when the room takes | on the duties of a play room as well. | They may be replaced with one ort straw or Japanese matting when the warm weather arrives. Can you imagine anything more | attractive than the bassinet pictured? | It is just the type that mothers desire for their “first-born.” This one is equipped with wheels, has a removable lining of shimmery pink satin, the overdrape of white net is made with rows of graduating tucks, finished with a perky pleated ruffie with a picot edge—its graceful lines and daintiness, with all absence of furbelow, making it both charming and practical. There has been a growing tendency to avoid the elaborate type of nursery furniture, in favor of a more simple treatment, where the decorative note is secondary to design and workman- ship. This furniture is painted in a | lovely ivory shade—its restrained dec- | oration consisting of a simple design done in pink and blue. The wicker wardrobe, with its slid- ing drawers, holds all the undergar- | ments and serves to support the all- important scales, which play such a big role during those first days when the problem of feeding is being worked out. The low nursery chair, now occu- pied by the engaging “Teddy-bear,” is an English type combination nursery and high chair, with a play table that has a removable tray to prove partic- ularly useful when the time comes for having meals “sitting up.” The chest, with its ample drawer space, contains a cabinet fitted with a swinging bar, from which the gi- minutive garments are hung, keeping them fresh and unwrinkled; on top of this we find the portable wicker bas- ket compactly fitted with oil, alcohol, cotton and the numerous accessories used in the daily care of the baby. ‘The little lamp, with its shade of pink dimity, supplies a soft glow within the | room, but though sufficient for all practical purposes, will not disturb the sleeping infant. The toy chest, on wheels, serves as a cupboard for storing extra blanket “throws” and bulky woolens until the baby is older, when it be- comes a joy, with its roomy space for stowing away toys. There is no piece of furniture that is more cleverly designed, to my mind, than the bathinette, consisting of a stand with rubber tub, with an easily adjusted hammock, for bathing the tiny infant, and a shower attach- ment. Convenient pockets, placed at the side, hold soap, cloths and sponge, with a rack close at hand for @ supply of!towels. No nursery seems complete without a screen for protection from draughts and strong light. The one pictured is in three panels, of & new washable material—its white ground covered with pussy cats, with blue and pink bows tied around their furry necks. In all well-equipped nurseries there should be a steady table to hold an electric heater for warming bottles of water, placed beside the necessary outlets. The restful atmosphere of this quiet room gives the child every oppor- Z ¢ tunity for a heal start in life, and these same with a few simple changes, offer the promise of a happy within its friendly walls. Grandmother Only 34. Wflu’ymy-t , Mrs. Edith Mazey of | y 18 34, I 5 A 16016 BY BARBARA BELL. UMMER afternoon dresses are sheer and designed to flatter the figure by means of gra- cious lines and feminine de- tails. Capes appear very often to soften the silhouette, and skirts flare prettily. The waistline should be closely fitted, and for the woman of mature figure the skirt fullness should start at the lower part of the hipline; there should be no bunchiness around the hips nor any fussy details at the waist for perfectly obvious reasons. This dress observes all the rules laid down for the woman who no longer effects the extravagances of youth. The lines are harmonious and slimming, the cape and puff sleeves having & remarkably slender- izing effect on the lower portion of the figure. Darts do what is neces- sary to the waistline, and the panels, in the front and back, provide long, unbroken lines. You will observe that the skirt length is a trifie longer than that of the ordinary day dress and that the smashing bow, on the blouse front, adds just the right touch of frippery. Barbara Bell pattern No. 1651-B is designed in sizes 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50 and 52. Size 36 requires 4% yards of 36-inch material, % yard for tie ends and 3 yard for lining. * ok kX Smart Informal Gowns Afternoon Dress Excellent for the Older Woman—Evening Frock. B(G2I-B ‘The yoke and deep skirt flounce of this dress have the same pointed lines. Ruffles form perky little sleeves at the dropped shoulder seams and bows trim the blouse and belt. This is a dress for youth and gayety: and no thoughts of the morrow. A word about colors. Light blue is a tremendous success. It is such & perenially nice color that it is some- times overlooked when predictions are made and color cards of the shades which will be modish are pre- sented. Barbara Bell pattern No. 1621-B is designed in sizes 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 40. Corresponding bust meas- urements, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40. Size 16 (34) requires 4, yards of 36- inch material, 2}, yards of ribbon for bow and belt. Every Barbara Bell pattern includes an illustrated instruction guide that is easy to understand. Barbara Bell Pattern Book available at 15 cents. Address orders to The Evening Star. BARBARA BELL, WASHINGTON STAR. Inclose 25 cents in coins for Size. pattern No. 1651-B. Inclose 25 cents in coins for pattern No. 1621-B. Size ....... AQAress weveoe-ceccmmcinecaane Graduate | Enters Strange World | Courtesy Julius Garfinckel & Co. Opportunity Need of Girl Upon Return to Her Home. BY ANGELO PATRL THE girl just graduated froc college feels rather strange. For four | granted. No one ever gives them any | thanks or appreciation, not even their WOMEN'S FEATURES, Honor for U EAR DOROTHY DIX: Why does no one ever give any praise to stepfathers? All that they do is taken for wives. They are not noticed except on pay day, when they bring home their money and turn it over to feed another man’s children. I was 15 years old when my father died. Four years later my mother married again. There were still a couple of young children to raise and an invalid sister to be taken care of. My stepfather took over another man’s burden like the good sport he was. Never com- plained. It was just live heaven to have a home again after being knocked around the world for four years. He has been dead for five years now, but there is not a day that goes by that I do not think about him with love and gratitude. B.H. Answer—I am glad to print this| tribute to a forgotten man who has | never received his just meed of praise. | For if there is a he-angel in the world it is surely the good stepfather. It is & difficult job, one fitted only for heroes and martyrs, to be a step- Table Setting and Service Important in Every Well Run Home Dorothy Dix Says Good Stepfathers Deserve Medal of nselfishness. ated them oftener, and especially I wish that their wives appreciated them more. DOROTHY DIX. e DEAR MISS DIX: My sister-in- law and I are having a dispute as to who should take care of an old father and mother who are not capa- ble of taking care of themselves. There are five children in the family, two sons and three daughters, all married and all the husbands work- ing. Please give us your point of view. ANXIOUS. Answer—The five children should take care of their old parents in ro- tation. Each should do his or her share. It is just as much the duty of one child as it is of the other. I do not think that anything is more contemptible and meaner than the way in which some children duck all of their responsibility toward their old fathers and mothers and pass the buck to some sister or brother. Yet you see this happen every day and father and mother are wished off on some one son or daughter while the others wash their hands of them. John is so sorry he cant have father and mother live with him, but parent of either sex. But it has always seemed to me that the step- father had a harder lot and one that cailed for more self-sacrifice and self-abnegation than the stepmother. For the woman who marries a widower with a bunch of olive branches at least improves her condition to the extent of getting a home and a hus- | band to support her, whereas the step- father simply sells himself into slavery to the woman he marries and her children. Also in any dispute be- tween the in-laws and the children | the stepmother is pretty sure to have | the sympathy and support of her hus- band, while, on the contrary, the | mother is certain to side with the | children against the stepfather and | resent his every effort. to control them. | .4 5 ABOUT the most superlative proof | of love that any human being is | capable of giving is exemplified in a | man’s marrying a widow with chil- dren. For he knows that he is letting himself in for every one of the draw- bdcks of family life, with few, if any, of the ameliorations. He knows that he will always run a poor second to the children in his wife’s affection, and, while he might not resent that | if they were his own children. it takes a superman not to be jealous of rivals who are a perpetual reminder of their father to his wife. He knows that the children for | whom he is making the sacrifice of his life will regard him with ill-will | and suspicion, that they will take all that he gives without gratitude | years or so she has lived in another | world among other sort of people. Now |there is no room for fourth-year feels as strange as a chicken that has wandered into the neighbor’'s garage. “I thought that when Susan Jane came home from college I would have some comfort in her,” says mother. “But far from it. She doesn't scem to know one hand from the other, isn’t a bit interested in church work, | or the garden club, or the ladies’ aid, | or anything. That girl doesn't even | know she is eating, much less is she able to cook a meal for herself. I | must say I'm disappointed in college training for girls.” No need to be. The training is all | right. If you had a perfectly good recipe for sponge cake, a fine shiny pan, a splendid oven, and never did anything to put them to use, would you ever eat the cake? The eollege graduate, boy or girl, is ready for work. They have the recipe and the ability and want a chance to put them into service. Have you supplied that? Have you, for example, given your daughter a chance to show what she could do, or even to discover what she could not do, in the household? Usually you have not. You have ex- pected the daughter to do something, but you have not suggested it, mor the way for her. Begin by letting her help you with every job in hand, from making the coffee in the morning to opening the beds at night. Gradually withdraw and let her do the job, each one in turn, on her own, adding such touches as her idea suggests. Tell her what she needs to know and don’t make the mistake of saying, “I should think that a college education costing thousands of dollars ought to have made some impression. At least it might have made you intelligent enough to put salt in the soup.” College education does not put salt in the soup. It trains the mind to ac- cept the fact that salt goes into soup and makes the acceptance quick and ready. Experience is what makes an education function and if a girl has had no experience in making soup or frying eggs she will not do either per- fectly the first time. But she will learn faster and do a better job in the end than if she had not had that college background . A hint of chem- istry goes a long way in cooking and cleaning and in making out a diet list. Don't despise it, but do give it & chance. Daughter has been away for four important years. If you have not kept close to her during that time and ex- changed confidences, don't expect that to happen overnight. She will con- tinue to confide in her college chum just as you do in your old friend. ‘You will have to win that confidence by experience. That is the secret of this adjustment—experience. Give the re- turned college graduate a chance. pid you don’t expect the impossible, you are more likely to get it. (Copyright. 1935.) Leather Bracelets. LONDON (#).—Leather bracelets for Summer wear are in blue, red or green to match the stripe or check of a cotton dress. O yis bothered by bugs? Dethol 1s pEaTH TO ALL BUGS shown her the way, nor even opened | | or appreciation, and that it will take | the work of years and the finesse of | Prench or philosophy four. The girl a diplomat even to make friends of | | And he knows, unless he is a very rich man, that in marrying a widow | with children he is taking on his shoulders a financizl burden that will keep his nose to the grindstone for | many and many & year. He will have to work harder and do without many of the things that he wants | and would enjoy, because there are children to be educated and fed and clothed, doctors’ bills to be paid, col- lege expenses, pretty dresses for the | girls, trips, cars—ali of the million | things that the young people of today demand. And he will not have the pride of fatherhood, the love of his flesh and blood that would make the | doing of all this & joy if done for his own children. | Yet thousands of men do love wom- | en well enough to make this great | sacrifice for them. They take an- | other man’s children and make for them & home. They educate them. They make them a place in the world. | They bear with them patiently | through their adolescence. They give | them tenderness and affection. Sure- ly no man ever does & nobler and a | finer deed than he who is a father to the fatherless. We may all well do reverence to those stepfathers who deserve to wear upon their breasts a medal of honor and of distinguished service. | T wish their stepchildren appreci- | his wife is so delicate and isn't able | to take care of old people. Tom would | Just love to have them, but his wife | and mother can't get along together. | It would make Mary just too happy | to have dear mother and father, but her house is so small she hasn’t any | room for them. It breaks BSally's heart that she can’t have them with her, but she knows the children would run them crazy because they are so noisy. So Harriet, who is too tender- hearted to shut her door in her help- less old parents’ faces, gets them. * x % X Now nearly all old people are try- ing to live with. They are cranky. They have peculiar little ways. They are bossy and critical. They tell the same stories over and over again. They interfere in the way you raise the children and how you run your house. This gets on | the stoutest nerves if you have it day | in and day out, year after year. Anfl | poor Harriet becomes a martyr, but she need not be one if the other brothers and sisters would divide up with her and do their turn in taking | care of father and mother. | Those who are unwilling to do | their duty toward their old parents ! may well remember that before many | years they also will be old and will be knocking at their children’s doors And they will not wish their children to begrudge them a place by the fire and a seat at their tables. | DOROTHY DIX. | [T OliGarisnesSana Roses need an abundance of water, but the water should be applied in the morning, or at | | least before midafternoon, so that the foliage will become | | thoroughly dried before nightfall. | | If rose plants go through the night with moisture on their leaves they are likely to develop mildew, which is difficult to check when once it becomes es- tablished. The best way to give water to the rose beds is to lay a hose on the ground and allow the water to run over the beds, no nozzle being used. Once in a while, however, it is advisable to give the foliage a good wetting also, Lut never in the evening. (Copyright. 1935.) WHY SUFFERuith ltching and Burning of ECZEMA when CUTICURA | SOAPnd O so quickly and effectively soothe irritations and aid in | healing. Bllhefrcelydwiththe Soap, dry gently, and anoint | wnlg the Oiixmezn. Sample each free. Address: “Cuticurs.” Deot. 3L. Malden. Mass. @ With the New G-E Range your kitchen will be “air-con- ditioned”— always cool, clean and free from unpleasant air and odors. Cooking the biggest meal will not increase the tem- perature over 2 to 4 degrees. stration, and - NATIONAL SUPPLY CO. 1328-1330 New York Ave. ( Down Payments as low as $10.00 ELECTRICAL Nat. 6800