Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 270, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 November 1913 — MME. MERRI’S ADVICE [ARTICLE]

MME. MERRI’S ADVICE

EXCELLENT IDEA FOR ENJOYABLE HARVEST HOME PARTY. Combination of Good Deed With an Evening of Real Fun—Auttimn Tea Makes Most Charming, In- C formal Party. A committee of ladies who were much interested in a charitable institution devised this method of giving what was in reality only an old-time "pound” party. Only this affair was at a private home in the evening, and it was almost Hallow E’en, so the decorations were black cats (because once upon a time witches were supposed to go about in the guise of black cats). Pumpkin “Jacks” furnished weird lights, with quantities of candles in vegetable holders and a great bunch of mountain ash berries was tied to the door knocker because they are supposed to be a guard against evil spirits who may prowl about on Hallow E’en. Cornstalks, , autumn 1 eaves and sheaves of wheat were used as wall and corner decoration. Each guest was asked to come representing a country and to bring any offering characteristic of that locality. For instance, two Italian peasants arrived, and with them came olives (six bottles) and a* dozen packages of spaghetti and macaroni. Those who came from France had baskets of grapes. The gay bevy of maidens from Japan had tea, and their escorts from China had rice and chop suey. The Irish colleen and her boy “Pat” confided to the hostess that there was a bushel of potatoes out in the “car.” Scotland had oatmeal (Quaker Oats), etc. It was a very merry party, ending up, as everything does nowadays, with a dance to the music of the vier trola. The next day automobiles took the “results” to the “Home” and -the larder was most beautifully replenished. One of the guests said afterward that it was very satisfying to combine doing good with fun, and she didn’t feel after this party like she had wasted her time, as she did after many affairs. This is the season when charitable work begins and I hope the suggestions in this column will help many of you to decide what to do and how to do it. In the meantime, if any of you are especialy successful in your undertakings, or in your private parties write to me about them for the benefit qf us all. An Autumn Tea. Now in other gardens Up and down the vale. From the autumn bonfires See the smoke trail. Sing a song of seasons, Something nice in all; Flowers in the summer, Fires in the fall. —Robert Louis Stevenson. This is surely the season so beautlfully described by that household noet whose name Is signed to the above verse, and what is cosier than the first fire in the living room with a few congenial friends and their work. I wish we all might have more of these charmingly informal parties. I went to one last week and the invitations were all given over the telephone, "To come and bring your work for a neighborhood tea,” and we went, some twenty of us, and how good it seemed to meet and know we all could be our natural selves. At four, tea, sandwiches, olives and nuts were served, and then the hostess asked one of the ladies, who was president of a suffrage club, to give us a little talk about the cause and the work being done by her particular organization. It was all so enjoyable I wanted to tell the readers of the department about it and see if you all could not arrange to be more neighborly this winter. MADAME MERRI.