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1How shall we Furnish our Houses ?
HOW SHALL WE FURNISH OUR HOUSES?
CHINA7 GLASS, AND SILVER WARE.
No part of the furnishing of our
houses is so generally satisfactory to
ourselves as the furniture of the dinner-
table. We do not take much interest in
the form of tables and chairs, or in the
patterns and colors of carpets and cur-
tains; and if we ever are induced to ob-
serve a little more carefully than we
have done, we find them incapable of ex-
citing interest, and, often, very ugly. But
a well-furnished and " elegant " dinner-
table pleases everybody. The lady who
sits at its head looks upon it with much
satisfaction; and this not only because
it gratifies her pride of possession, or her
desire to excel in splendor of display,
but also because it is really pleasant to
her sight. The visitor has probably
seen during the day no inanimate thing
which seemed so fair; and this not only
because he loves a good dinner, and sees
in this the promise of it, but also be-
cause it is more nearly beautiful than
his office, his friend's parlor, any house-
hold furniture he knows, or anything he
sees in the streets.
The reasons for this are not far to
seek. In the first place, neatness is a
charm to many to whom the sense of
beauty seems almost entirely denied;
and the presiding genius of table-deco-
ration is neatness. Not cleanliness, only,
but brilliant, snowy, dazzling spotless-
ness. All the accessories of the table
must be flawless and perfect, and of such
nature and such make, that they are not
easily soiled. Steel knives must be silver-
plated; because steel is not uncontami-
nate when acids form part of the meal.
When their edges are a little worn they
must be replated; not because they are
less clean, but because they look so, or
look as if they might easily become so.
The glossy, white china must be put to
humbler use when a chipped edge or a
crack appears, for, brown flecks upon its
purity, no matter from what cause aris-
ing, cannot be endured. The glass must
be as clear and as glittering as diamond,
for nothing suggests such absolute purity
as unclouded transparency. Plain white
table-cloths, or rather white with a
white figure, are the only wear; the blue
and red edged ones will pass for break-
fast and luncheon, but would hardly be
endured even then, if their blue or red
stripes lay upon the top of the table.
The neatness of a well-prepared table is
a matter of art and skill, not so much of
that natural feeling which makes people
neat in their dress, as of art and skill.
There are no more perfect tables than
those of a great restaurant; but the
waiter who makes the table he attends
at the Caf6 Foy or Delmonico's such an
union of comfort and elegance, may not
be naturally neat, but only a skilful
waiter. And this look of perfect clean-
liness in the aspect of our dinner-tables
is almost beautiful, more nearly beauti-
fiul than anything in the look of our
household furniture.
Another reason is as follows: The
utensils that make up the greater part
of our table furniture are small, and, as
they must be fitted for constant and easy
use, their forms are generally well de-
signed for their uses, and are, therefore,
not disagreeable. At spoon, for instance,
in its general shape, is often as good as
it could be made, for, although its curves
are not the most beautiful, they are
easy and natural, and could not be made
very admirable without injury to the-
spoon'susefulness. So the best-designedL
tumbler or water-goblet is not very
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