Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1913 — ART IN SETTING TABLE [ARTICLE]

ART IN SETTING TABLE

INDIVIDUAL. ARTISTIC TOUCH COUNTS FOR MUCH THERE. While There Are Some Absolutely Fixed Rules for the Placing of the Service, Arrangement Is Largely Matter of Taste. Everyone may not learn to set a table artistically, but there are few who cannot learn to set it much better than they do. It is called art by some, and as such should be recognized by everyone. .. . • It is not so much what is put on the table in the form of dishes, linen and service, as how it is done. Unusual, faddish setting et the table should be avoided for the everyday or holiday meal, unless it would be for such days as Hallowe’en. The setting for the table usually falls to the daughter of the house, if there is one; if not, the mother does it herself or directs how it should be done if there is a helper in the home. There is no place in the entire home which can show the individual artistic touch of mother or daughter as the table, and there are some absolutely fixed rules for the placing of most of the service. in the first place, linens should be spotless and white and as fine as your style of living will warrant, the simpler ones for everyday use and the finer ones for special occasion. They may be all this, but if not perfectly'washed and ironed, the corners of the cloth folded perfectly, even the very foundation of the table setting will be a failure. Table decorations should not be too elaborate, and always in keeping with the character of the day celebrated or the desired color scheme used, writes Alice G. Kirk in the Cleveland Leader. Thanksgiving day colors are usually yellow to correspond with the pumpkin and chrysanthemum, which is the usual flower of the day. The soup plate is on a service plate, which is an eight or ten-inch plate. Observe closely the accuracy with which knife, fork, spoons, goblet and other service are placed on the table. * - The soup spoon is placed to the right of the knife and teaspoon and the soup ladle to the right of the soup spoon. Using left hand for removing cover of tureen, you are ready to take the ladle in right hand and serve soup, which may be passed to the other membra of The water glass or goblet should always be ( placed at end of knife blade. The bread and butter plate is on the left ide at end of fork. The silver is always used for the outside toward the plate, either. from right or left. Napkins should always be placed in left side of fork. Twenty-four Inches is the usual space allowed for each cover or person.