The Project Gutenberg EBook of Bright Ideas for Entertaining, by
Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott
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Title: Bright Ideas for Entertaining
Author: Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott
Release Date: June 2, 2013 [EBook #42863]
Language: English
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BRIGHT IDEAS
FOR
ENTERTAINING
Two hundred forms of amusement or entertainment for
social gatherings of all kinds: large or small parties,
clubs, sociables, church entertainments, etc.; with
special suggestions for birthdays, wedding anniversaries,
Hallowe'en, All Fools' Day, Christmas
Day, New Year's Eve, and other holidays.
By
MRS. HERBERT B. LINSCOTT
PHILADELPHIA
GEORGE W. JACOBS & CO.
PUBLISHERS
Copyright, 1905, by
MRS. HERBERT B. LINSCOTT
Published July, 1905
Thirty articles appearing in this book have been taken from
"The Ladies' Home Journal," to which the author gratefully
acknowledges permission to reprint them.
Bright Ideas for Entertaining
ACTING PROVERBS
In this game the company may be divided into actors and spectators. The
actors are each given a proverb, which they are to act alone in
pantomime.
The first player may come into the room where the spectators are
waiting, with a sprinkler in one hand and a cup in the other. He begins
sprinkling the flowers, then he pours water over them, acting the
proverb, "It never rains but it pours."
The second actor also brings a cup of water. He repeatedly attempts to
drink from the cup, which keeps slipping from his fingers as he brings
it near his mouth. "There's many a slip between the cup and the lip."
The third brings in a purse containing brass buttons, which he takes out
and counts over deliberately. Then he looks at them closely, and with
seeming distrust, finally flinging them from him in a rage. "All is not
gold that glitters."
The fourth actor appears with a stone, which he rolls all about the
room. Then he examines it critically and shakes his head dubiously. "A
rolling stone gathers no moss."
The next actor brings in a bundle of hay and tosses it about with his
fork, which he carries for the purpose, looking up frequently at an
imaginary sky. "Make hay while the sun shines."
This game is more interesting if spectators are furnished with slips of
paper and pencils, that they may write down their guessing of each
proverb when the actor passes from the room, to be followed by another.
ADVERTISEMENT ITEMS
Cut out pictures from advertisements; for instance, from "Quaker Oats,"
cut out the Quaker, but nothing that will tell what it represents. Have
a number of them and paste on plain white paper. Number each ad, and
keep a "key" to them yourself. Furnish paper and pencil to each guest
and have them guess what each picture represents. The one who guesses
the most receives a prize. Also request every one to write an
advertisement on some article.
Still another form of the game is for each person to choose his theme
for an advertisement, and write it without naming the article. He will
read his advertisement, and the company must guess what article he is
advertising. A variation of this game is to distribute papers, allowing
a few minutes for examining them, and then let each player describe some
article as nearly as possible in the language of its printed
advertisement, with, of course, such changes as will serve to divert the
company, and give the rest an opportunity to guess what advertisement he
has been reading. Of course the article should not be named in the
course of the description.
ALL ABOUT KATE
This game will furnish amusement at an evening entertainment, but may
also be played after a ladies' luncheon. The questions, on sheets of
paper with spaces allowed for the answers, are distributed, and fifteen
minutes given for answering them. Each answer is composed of one word
ending with the letters c-a-t-e; for instance: Kate is a good pleader
(advo-cate). When fifteen minutes have elapsed each player signs her
name and passes her paper to the person on her right. The answers are
then read, and the player having the most correct answers wins a prize.
QUESTIONS--
1. Kate is a good pleader.
2. Kate judges judicially.
3. Kate is apt to use other people's money wrongfully.
4. Kate is very frail.
5. Kate sometimes gets out of joint.
6. Kate makes everything double.
7. Kate loves to teach.
8. Kate takes out ink spots.
9. Kate helps people out of difficulties.
10. Kate is good at constructing.
11. Kate gives a pledge of security.
12. Kate sometimes invokes evil.
13. Kate is perplexing; hard to understand.
14. Kate often prays earnestly.
15. Kate makes wheels run easily.
16. Kate uses her teeth.
17. Kate is not always truthful.
18. Kate can foretell events.
19. Kate makes an affirmative.
20. Kate gets smothered.
21. Kate points out clearly.
22. Kate makes business combinations.
23. Kate goes into the country.
24. Kate will now move out.
1. Advocate.
2. Adjudicate.
2. Adjudicate.
3. Defalcate.
4. Delicate.
5. Dislocate.
6. Duplicate.
7. Educate.
8. Eradicate.
9. Extricate.
10. Fabricate.
11. Hypothecate.
12. Imprecate.
13. Intricate.
14. Supplicate.
15. Lubricate.
16. Masticate.
17. Prevaricate.
18. Prognosticate.
19. Predicate.
20. Suffocate.
21. Indicate.
22. Syndicate.
23. Rusticate.
24. Vacate.
APPLE SOCIABLE
Cards are sent out with the following:
_Come to the Apple Social and see who gets the_
_B--A--P_
_L--A--P_
_N--A--P_
_Social given under the auspices of the East End Connett Y. W.
C. T. U., Monday evening, Sept. 10, 1905_
Have cards printed with a letter on each one, forming the names of
various apples; for instance, B-A-L-D-W-I-N and G-R-E-E-N-I-N-G. Have as
many letters of one color made as there are letters in the name of the
apple, and have each group of letters a separate color. These are passed
to the guests, after which each one proceeds to find the rest of the
letters colored like the one he holds, and when the group is complete,
the holders of the letters proceed to spell out the name of their apple.
Each group then composes an original poem on its apple. The poems are
read to the audience, then the prize of B--A--P (big apple pie) is given
to the best poem, L--A--P (little apple pie) to the poorest, and N--A--P
(no apple pie) to the group who composes no poem. All kinds of apples
are served for refreshments.
APRIL FOOL DINNER
The dinner I shall serve will be plain and substantial, but it may be
as elaborate as one chooses. Following is the menu:
Vegetable Soup Pickles Crackers
Roast Beef Mashed Potatoes Brown Gravy
Celery Stewed Peas Tomatoes
Bread Butter Tea Cheese Jelly
Cream Pie.
When the dinner is all ready to serve the fun will begin. Imagine the
surprise of the guests when they sit down to the table, to find the soup
served in teacups, the pickles shining forth from the sugar-bowl and the
crackers in a covered vegetable dish. The roast beef will be cut in
slices and arranged on a silver cake dish, the mashed potatoes in a
dainty glass berry dish, and the gravy in small individual sauce dishes.
The stewed peas will be served from the water-pitcher in glass tumblers,
the celery on the bread-plate, bread in the salad bowl, butter on the
celery tray, and the tea in soup bowls. The jelly will be placed on the
largest meat platter and served with the carving-knife, the cheese in
the gravy dish, and finally the pie on large dinner plates.
The sugar will appear in the cracker jar together with the gravy-ladle,
and the cream in the china teapot. The salt will be found in the mustard
cup, the pepper alone remaining as it should be. Water must necessarily
be served at the dinner, but even this will not be in the usual manner.
I shall serve it in the after dinner coffee cups.
The soup must be eaten with teaspoons, as the larger ones will be
reserved for the tea.
APRIL FOOL PARTY
Invitations may be copied after a dance card of a "Comus" ball at New
Orleans, which represents a large-sized gilt folly bell with ribbons
attached. On arriving, each guest is given a favor, which may serve also
as a score marker. These are follies' heads, capped and ruffled and
fastened to a stick, which has ribbons wrapped around it. The colors of
these ribbons, not more than two being alike, determine partners. An
attached tiny square of pasteboard, bearing a painted number, directs to
the tables. Instead of playing one game only, a variety of games are
introduced. At the head, or "Hearts," table is a large-sized tally-ho
horn, tied with a profusion of motley colors. At the conclusion of the
game, the defeated ones blow the horn and the winners at all the tables
are given little brass bells to tie upon the folly sticks or baubles.
The prizes, both head and booby, are fools' caps of white crepe paper
with huge red rosettes.
The refreshments should be as deceiving as possible. One hostess at an
April first dinner went so far as to serve the entire course backwards,
beginning with ice cream and ending with soup. Or a very suitable menu
may be served in strange and unusual guise: potato salad arranged as
cream puffs; English walnut shells as receptacles for olives; sandwiches
as slices of cake with nut filling; ice cream as croquettes, cone-shaped
and plentifully sprinkled with toasted cake-crumbs; cake as sandwiches,
with ice cream between and tied with ribbon; coffee served in bouillon
cups; bonbons served in exact size artificial fruit. Among the bona-fide
dainties may be "April fool" bonbons--"chocolate creams" stuffed with
cotton, button-moulds covered with chocolate, and round, yellow
pill-boxes filled with flour, iced to represent small cakes.
After the refreshments the hostess may say that she has a picture to
show which she has just received and which has given her much pleasure.
A curtain is hung before it, which, when withdrawn with grave ceremony,
reveals a mirror reflecting the expectant faces of the guests, while on
its surface, written with soap, are the words "April Fool!"
AUTHORS' CONTEST
Questions to be answered by giving in each case the name of a well-known
author:
1. A name that means such fiery things, you can't describe
their pains and stings. (Burns.)
2. What a rough man said to his son, when he wished him to
eat properly. (Chaucer.)
3. Pilgrims and flatterers have knelt low to kiss him.
(Pope.)
4. Makes and mends for first-class customers. (Taylor.)
5. Represents the dwellings of civilized men. (Holmes.)
6. Is worn on the head. (Hood.)
7. A chain of hills covering a dark treasure. (Coleridge.)
8. A brighter and smarter than the other. (Whittier.)
9. A worker in precious metals. (Goldsmith.)
10. A vital part of the body. (Hart.)
11. A disagreeable fellow to have on one's foot. (Bunyan.)
12. Meat, what are you doing in the oven? (Browning.)
AUTHORS' GUESSING GAME
1. When we leave here we go to seek our what? (Author of
"Elsie Venner.")
2. What dies only with life? (Author of "Phroso.")
3. What does a maid's heart crave? (Author of "Handy Andy.")
4. What does an angry person often raise? (Author of "The
Christian.")
5. What should all literary people do? (Author of "Put
Yourself in His Place.")
6. If a young man would win, what must he do? (Author of
"Wandering Jew.")
7. How do we dislike to grow? (Authors of "Silence of Dean
Maitland" and "Dawn.")
8. What would we prefer to be? (Authors of "Book of Golden
Deeds," "Man Without a Country," and "Under the Greenwood
Tree.")
9. What is a suitable adjective for the national library
building? (Author of "The Heavenly Twins.")
10. What would we consider the person who answers correctly
all these questions? (Author of "From Post to Finish.")
The answers to the above questions are:
1. Oliver Wendell Holmes. (Homes.)
2. Anthony Hope. (Hope.)
3. Samuel Lover. (Lover.)
4. Hall Caine. (Cain.)
5. Charles Reade. (Read.)
6. Eugene Sue. (Sue.)
7. Maxwell Grey and Rider Haggard. (Gray and haggard.)
8. Charlotte Yonge, E. E. Hale, Thomas Hardy. (Young, hale
and hardy.)
9. Sarah Grande. (Grand.)
10. Hawley Smart. (Smart.)
Give the most successful contestant a nicely bound copy of the latest
popular book, and the least successful one a gaily colored copy of a
child's primer, or a gaudy poster picture.
AUTHORS' VERBAL GAME
This is an interesting and instructive game. The players seat themselves
so as to form a ring. An umpire and a score-keeper are appointed, and
each player in turn rises and announces the name of a well-known book.
The one who first calls out the name of the author of the book scores a
point; the one who has the largest score when the game ceases is the
victor, and may be given a prize. This game may be varied by the naming
of well-known authors, leaving the titles of books, by these authors, to
be supplied. And it may be played in yet another way. Give each player
a pencil and paper, and instead of calling aloud the title of a book, as
each author is announced, ask the players to write on a slip of paper
the name of the author, the title of a book by that author, and the name
of a character in the book. Thus:
1. Oliver Goldsmith--"She Stoops to Conquer," Miss
Hardcastle.
2. Harriet Beecher Stowe--"Uncle Tom's Cabin," Miss Ophelia.
3. William Shakespeare--"Romeo and Juliet," Tybalt.
If the game be played in this way the scores will probably be close.
"B" SOCIABLE
Be sure to come to the home of
Brother Linscott next Monday eve,
Because we will insure you a good time
By the enjoyment of our "B" social.
BUSY BEES.
Busy Bees' bill o' fare:
Bread.
Baked beans.
Beef.
Baked potatoes.
Boiled pudding.
Boston's overthrow.
Butter.
Beets.
Batter cake.
Bologna.
Bananas.
Brown bread.
This can be changed to suit any other letter and the invitations may be
worded as desired. Have tiny boxes, barrels, bags, and baskets filled
with candy, fruit, or nuts, for souvenirs.
If it is desired to make money, a price may be placed upon each article
of food, and the souvenirs may be offered for sale.
BARN PARTY
_Miss Gertrude S. Derr
requests the pleasure of your company
at a Barn Party,
Monday evening, August 12, 1905,
on Water Road,
Shortsville, New York_
ARRANGING FOR THE PARTY
To insure the success of such a party, a moonlight night should be
selected. The barn chosen should be large, the floor space ample, and
the decorations lavish. They may consist of green boughs, vines and
goldenrod, and a number of American flags.
The two large opposite doors should be thrown wide open for free
circulation of air. The floor should then be cleared, swept and washed.
High up over one door a large flag may be draped, and wires stretched
across from beam to beam, away from direct draughts, upon which Japanese
lanterns may be hung, care being taken that none are allowed to come
into contact with the bunting in case of one's taking fire. Chairs
should also be provided, and a rope stretched across one side of the
open space, on the farther side of which place a table. On this table
place a large bowl of soapsuds, into which a spoonful of glycerine has
been put, and by its side place half as many pipes as there are to be
guests. Prepare half as many cards also as there are to be guests, and
write across the full length of each card the name of an agricultural
implement, as hay-rake, hay-cutter, pitchfork, hoe, spade, scythe,
sickle, mower, plow, reaper, binder, seeder. On the reverse side each
card should be numbered at the top, and a question written concerning
the implement named on it; besides this the number and another query
should be written upon the lower half. Questions like the following will
answer:
No. 1. What is the true mission of a harrow?
No. 1. Can you tell a harrowing tale?
No. 2. What is a hoe used for?
No. 2. What is a good receipt for hoe cake?
The cards should then be cut in halves, and the matching of them will
determine partners for the bubble blowing contest. The answering of the
questions will also afford much amusement throughout the evening.
BASEBALL PARTY
A novel party was recently given by a mother to celebrate the sixteenth
birthday of her only son. She had been rather envious of her friends in
their happiness of planning many luncheons and other pretty affairs for
their girls, consequently she entered heart and soul into this party for
her boy, sparing neither expense nor trouble to make it a success. It
was announced as "A Baseball Party," and by enlisting the services of a
niece, who was very enthusiastic over the national game, she was able to
carry out the idea.
Eight of her son's friends were invited, who, with the boy himself, made
the required "nine." Luncheon was first served. Before going into the
dining-room each boy was assigned a place on the "team," and found his
place at the table accordingly. In place of name-cards were tiny "fans"
bearing the words "catcher," "pitcher," etc., and, of course, each guest
knew just where to sit.
The menu-cards were booklets with the words "Official Score" written on
the covers. The menu consisted of nine courses, or "innings," as they
were more appropriately termed. It was written in language
unintelligible to the average feminine mind, but the boys guessed what
many of the viands were amid much merriment. The reading of the menu,
and the conjectures as to what the courses would be, broke up any
stiffness that might have resulted from nine boys lunching together. It
read as follows--only in the original the interpretations were, of
course, left out:
FIRST INNING
First strike (Oyster cocktail)
SECOND INNING
Where the losing team lands (Soup)
THIRD INNING
Caught on the fly (Small trout with diamonds of crisp toast)
FOURTH INNING
A sacrifice (Lamb chops with potato balls)
FIFTH INNING
A "fowl ball" (Chicken croquettes with French peas)
SIXTH INNING
The umpire when we lose (Lobster salad with cheese straws)
SEVENTH INNING
A fine diamond (Ice cream in diamond-shaped slices. Cakes)
EIGHTH INNING
Necessary for good (Preserved ginger with wafers and coffee)
playing
NINTH INNING
Everybody scores (The passing of favors)
The favors consisted of a ticket for a ball game to be played on the
local grounds that afternoon for each boy, and a tin horn with which to
"root," as the boys expressed it.
As soon as the luncheon was finished the nine boys departed in great
glee for the ball grounds, relieving the hostess of the responsibility
of further entertaining them.
BEAN BAGS
Make twelve or fifteen bags, six inches square, of bed-ticking, and
loosely fill them with beans which have been washed and dried to remove
all dust.
Appoint two leaders, who choose sides, arranging the sides in lines
facing each other, with a small table at each end of each line.
The bean bags being equally divided, each leader deposits his share upon
the table nearest him. Then, at a given signal, seizing one bag at a
time with one hand, with the other he starts it down the line, each
player passing it to the next until all the bags reach the last, who
drops them upon the table at his end of the line. When all the bags have
reached this table, the last player, seizing each in turn, sends them
back up the line to the leader, who drops them upon his table. Whichever
side first succeeds in passing all the bags down the line and back, wins
the round. It takes five rounds to make a game, so that three out of
five must be successful for the winning side.
BEAN SOCIABLE
_Have you ever "bean" to a "bean" sociable? If not come to the one the
Connett Y. W. C. T. U. are having Monday evening, September 1st. If you
have never "bean" to one you will enjoy the_
_"Bean porridge hot,
Bean porridge cold,
Bean porridge in the pot,
Nine days old."_
Supper should consist of baked beans, cold and hot, bean porridge or
soup, brown bread and butter, and pickles, tea and gingerbread.
Bean bags to go with this sociable.
BERRY GUESSING CONTEST
1. What berry is red when it's green? Blackberry.
2. " " " used for making ladies' dresses? Mulberry.
3. " " " found on the grass? Dewberry.
4. " " " a dunce? Gooseberry.
5. " " " irritating? Raspberry.
6. " " " used for bedding cattle? Strawberry.
7. " " " " " celebrating a great festival? Holly berry.
8. " " should be respected for its age? Elderberry.
9. " " is melancholy? Blueberry.
10. " " " named for a month? Juneberry.
11. " " " used in sewing? Thimbleberry.
12. " " " named for a bird? Pigeonberry.
BIBLE CONTEST
The game of Bible Contest cards can be played very profitably and is
very instructive. It can be found in any book store in large cities or
can be had of the United Society of Christian Endeavor, Boston, Mass.
The cost is very little. Or the cards may be written out as follows:
1. Give the first and last words of the Bible.
2. Whose three daughters were the fairest in all the land?
3. How old was Methuselah when he died?
4. Who was called "a ready scribe in the law of Moses"?
5. Give the names of the three persons who were put in the
fiery furnace.
6. Who was the author of the expression, "What hath God
wrought?"
7. With how many men did Gideon conquer the Midianites?
8. Who was Moses' brother?
9. Who went down into a pit on a snowy day and slew a lion?
10. Who said "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and
we are not saved"?
11. Who was the mother of Samuel?
12. Who commanded the gates of Jerusalem to be closed on the
Sabbath?
13. Whose flock was Moses tending when he saw the burning
bush?
14. What city was saved from famine by lepers?
15. Who waxed fat and kicked?
Name. No. No.
Have the cards distributed; then on a given signal have the answers
written out; as fast as finished have them handed in to be examined by
the committee who afterward returns them. The first blank for number is
for the order in which the cards are handed in, and the second for the
order of correctness of the answers.
BIBLE EVENING
Here is a well-known alphabet of Scripture proper names, which may be
utilized at a social by ranking the members on two sides, and reading
these lines one at a time, in the same way that a spelling-bee is
carried on:
A was a monarch who reigned in the East (Esth. 1: 1).
B was a Chaldee who made a great feast (Dan. 5: 1-4).
C was veracious, when others told lies (Num. 13: 30-33).
D was a woman, heroic and wise (Judg. 4: 4-14).
E was a refuge, where David spared Saul (1 Sam. 24: 1-7).
F was a Roman, accuser of Paul (Acts 26: 24).
G was a garden, a favorite resort (John 18: 1, 2; Matt. 26:
36).
H was a city where David held court (2 Sam. 2: 11).
I was a mocker, a very bad boy (Gen. 16: 16).
J was a city, preferred as a joy (Ps. 137: 6).
K was a father, whose son was quite tall (1 Sam. 9: 1, 2).
L was a proud one, who had a great fall (Isa. 14: 12).
M was a nephew, whose uncle was good (Col. 4: 10; Acts 11:
24).
N was a city, long hid where it stood (Zeph. 2: 13).
O was a servant, acknowledged a brother (Philem. 16).
P was a Christian greeting another (2 Tim. 1: 1, 2).
R was a damsel who knew a man's voice (Acts 12: 13, 14).
S was a sovereign who made a bad choice (1 Kings 11: 4-11).
T was a seaport, where preaching was long (Acts 20: 6, 7).
U was a teamster, struck dead for his wrong (2 Sam. 6: 7).
V was a cast-off, and never restored (Esth. 1: 19).
Z was a ruin with sorrow deplored (Ps. 137: 1).
BIBLE NAMES
Choose sides as in a spelling match, and let the leader of the first
side give the first syllable of the name of some Bible character. The
leader of the opposite side will then complete the name, if he can.
Failing this, his side loses a member, selected by the leader of the
opposite side. And so the contest goes on down the line, first one side
and then the other proposing the first syllable of some name.
BIBLE READINGS
A good way to promote study of the Bible is a "Bible oratorical
contest," in which four or five contestants recite, or give as readings,
selections from the Bible. If well done, it will prove most
entertaining, and many people will go home surprised that the Bible is
such an interesting book.
BIRD CARNIVAL
The invitations to the carnival had various kinds of birds painted upon
them, and each guest was requested to come representing the kind of bird
designated on his or her invitation. There were two invitations of each
kind, one sent to a lady and one to a gentleman, that there might be a
"pair" of each variety of bird. As the guests arrived, each was labeled
with the name of the bird he or she represented, and in this way it was
easy for them to find their "mates" for refreshments. The house was
profusely trimmed with flowers, vines, and leaves (many of them
artificial, borrowed from a near-by store); every available space was
covered, the banisters, the mantel posts, the door- and window-frames,
the archways, etc., and even the walls of the dining-room were hung with
the trailing vines, so that the place looked like a veritable woodland
dell. All the stuffed birds that could be secured were perched here and
there among the vines and branches, some on nests with their mates
beside them; a large owl was placed high in one corner, and in a cozy
nook in another corner was the nest of a meadow lark, with father and
mother birds teaching their young ones to fly. Besides this canaries in
cages were distributed throughout the house, lending their music to the
general effect. Bird eggs of every description were also used to help
decorate. In the centre of the dining table a nest was arranged,
containing a mother bird and her little ones, while suspended from the
gas jet by gayly colored ribbons and reaching almost to the nest, were
many prettily decorated egg shells, the contents having been "blown"
from them by means of small holes made in each end. Twenty-five rhymes
about birds were pinned about the rooms, the guests being required to
answer them. Following are given the rhymes and their answers. The
hostess kept the "key" and read the correct list at the close of the
contest, when a canary bird in a cage was given as first prize and a
stuffed bird as second to the most successful contestants. At the close
of the contest, the roll was called and each "bird" present responded
by an appropriate quotation, these having been previously distributed by
the hostess.
BIRD PIE
After refreshments were served, an enormous "bird pie" was placed upon
the table and each guest was given a slice. This pie was made of pie
crust, and was filled with tiny trifles wrapped in tissue paper, most of
them representing birds, eggs, nests, etc. On the top of the pie
twenty-four little birds cut out of black paper were perched by means of
pins stuck through their feet. Also pinned to the pie was this verse:
When this pie is opened
The birds begin to sing?
That is where you all are fooled;
We won't do such a thing!
BIRD GUESSING CONTEST
1. A flash of sky on wing.--(_Bluebird._)
2. Oh, shall I call thee bird,
Or but a wandering voice?
Thy note from household clocks is heard,
And children's ears rejoice.--(_Cuckoo._)
3. King of the water, as the air,
He dives and finds his prey.--(_Kingfisher._)
4. Thy plaintive cry announces punishment,
And warns the luckless boy for whom 'tis sent.
--(_Whippoorwill._)
5. You introduce yourself throughout your song,
And tell the world your brief, old-fashioned name.--(_Phoebe._)
6. "Bob White!" you call
Along the marshy coast.
Speak not so loud
Or you will be on toast.--(_Quail._)
7. Cooing 'neath barn rafters,
Pouting, sometimes, too,
Rippling like child laughter
All the winter through.--(_Pigeon._)
8. An English emigrant, bird of the street,
So common that some like thee not at all.
Yet in the Holy Bible we are told
The Father careth if but one should fall.--(_Sparrow._)
9. Red-breasted harbinger of spring
We wait in hope to hear thee sing.--(_Robin._)
10. Yellow captive of the cage,
Silver notes thou giv'st as wage.--(_Canary._)
11. A flash of white upon the sea,
And yet 'tis not a sail.
A "little brother of the air"
Hath dared to ride the gale.--(_Sea-gull._)
12. "Jenny" named in children's books,
Bright in spirit, dull in looks;
With Cock Robin as thy mate,
Nothing else I'll have to state.--(_Wren._)
13. In Blue Grass regions is thy splendor seen,
Thou flash of flame.
August thy name,
Red-coated pontiff of the green.--(_Kentucky Cardinal._)
14. Black robber of the corn-fields, oh, beware!
The farmer can do other things than scare.--(_Crow._)
15. We know how long ago
You frightened Mr. Poe--
Black-coated prophet of adversity.--(_Raven._)
16. Named for the animal the dairies need,
Yet, in thy nature, quite a different breed.--(_Cowbird._)
17. Black-winged in crimson roses thou art dressed,
Fine feathers make fine birds, it is confessed;
And none more fine than thou,
Oh, brilliant beauty of the bough!--(_Scarlet Tanager._)
18. The melody is trickling from thy beak,
And silver whistlings help thy voice to speak.
Oh, singer, famed by thousands, clear the strain
Which ripples from thy pulsing throat like rain.--(_Nightingale._)
19. Bird of the night,
Thy round eyes are aglow
With all the learning
Which the sages know.--(_Owl._)
20. The mother hen must watch her little brood
Lest thou come down and bear them off for food,
And use them for a dinner,
Oh, prowling sinner.--(_Hawk._)
21. You imitate the foe which does you wrong,
And call "Meouw," instead of chanting song.--(_Catbird._)
22. Your coat is like the leaden sky
Which drops the feathery snow,
And when that leaves us, by and by,
Still further north you go.--(_Snowbird._)
23. A symbol of the perfect Love
Shed from above.--(_Dove._)
24. I supplicate
At Heaven's gate
And rest on wing
Where angels sing.--(_Lark._)
25. I'm always offered cracker,
And though I like it well
I think some other viands
Would answer just as well.--(_Parrot._)
BIRTHDAY PARTY
_We herewith extend a most kind invitation
To you and your friends or any relation
To come to a party. This little silk sack
Is intended to furnish a good place to pack
As many pennies as you are years old.
We promise the secret shall never be told.
If Methuselah's age would be the right sum
Of the years to which you already have come,
If objections to exposing your age should arise,
One hundred would be a splendid disguise.
A musical program of very rare merit
Will be given to those who will just come and hear it.
We'll give you good cheer for the weak inner man
And a gallery of pictures unique to well scan;
We'll meet young and old with greetings most hearty
As you come, one and all, to your own Birthday Party._
These invitations can be given and sent out beforehand, each accompanied
by a tiny silk bag to hold the money. Prepare a nice musical treat and
something good to eat. Have each member of the society giving the
entertainment bring a picture of himself when a baby or small child, and
have a picture gallery. Do not forget to be very social and make every
one feel that he is welcome, not only for the money he brings, but for
himself also.
BISHOP'S RIDDLE
A most eccentric yet interesting man was Bishop Brooks of Brookville;
although not a large or strong man, wherever he went, night or day, he
was always either accompanied by or carrying:
Two playful animals--calves.
A number of small animals of a less tame breed--hares (hairs).
A member of the deer family--hart (heart).
A number of whips without handles--lashes (eyelashes).
Some weapons of warfare--arms.
The steps of a hotel--inn steps (insteps).
The House of Representatives when a vote is taken--ayes and noes (eyes
and nose).
Some Spanish grandees to wait upon him--ten dons (tendons).
Two places of worship--temples.
Two scholars--pupils.
What Napoleon wished to leave his son--crown.
Two coverings of kettles--lids (eyelids).
Two musical instruments--drums.
Two established measures--feet and hands.
Two coverings for the head--caps (kneecaps).
Several articles that a carpenter cannot do without--nails.
A couple of fish--soles.
A number of shell-fish--mussels (muscles).
Two lofty trees--palms.
Two kinds of flowers--tulips and iris.
BOX PARTY
A box party can be made very enjoyable if every one enters into the
contest.
Each lady should pack a box with lunch for two and at the party the
boxes can be auctioneered off to the highest bidder.
Or, if there is any objection to that, the ladies' names can be placed
on slips of paper and the papers put into a hat and passed to the
gentlemen; the slip each draws contains the name of the one with whom he
is to eat refreshments.
If this party is to make money for some society the wisest way will be
to sell the boxes.
The same plan may also be followed for a Sunday-school or other picnic.
CAKE SALE
Probably the description of a cake sale that was held for the benefit of
a library fund may not come amiss to show just how attractive and
successful such an affair can be made. The principal feature of this
sale was the cake contest--a game, with cake prizes. This game was
devised to take the place of raffling, which was voted out of date. It
was played by groups of ten, who on paying a fee were given printed
lists of questions to be answered. Each list had to be signed with the
player's name and put in the "post-office" by a certain time in the
evening, and later the names of the prize-winners in each group were
announced. To promote sociability and fun, a lady's and a gentleman's
first prize, and a lady's and a gentleman's booby were given in each
group. The prizes were cakes, iced and fancifully decorated with colored
candies, and each cake was put on a wooden plate, covered with a frill
of crepe paper. The boobies were ginger and sugar horsecakes. Below is
the list of questions and answers used in the contest, which may be
lengthened or shortened at will:
Which cake did the society woman buy? Reception. The schoolgirl?
Composition. The grocer? Sugar. The artist? Exhibition. The farmer?
Harvest. The mean man? Sponge. The tramp? Loaf. The minister? Scripture.
The milliner? Feather. The maiden aunt? Tea. The dairyman? Cream. The
champion? Cup. The pretty girls? Ribbon. The jockey? Horse. The
shoemaker? The last. The sculptor? Marble. The small boys? Snowballs.
The gossip? Spice. The Bryan man? Silver. The young man for his
sweetheart? Angel. The fond mamma for her daughter? Wedding. The
candidate for office? Election. The politician? Plum.
Then there were cakes for sale, whole or cut. Small tables were placed
at one end of the hall; and here cake was served with tea, coffee or
chocolate. The cake booths were attractively decorated with crepe paper
and flags. Posters announced the specialties and prices at each.
Watermelon cakes were the novelty at one booth; apple lemon cakes at
another; a plentiful supply of cookies, dominoes, horsecakes,
gingerbread dolls, and little patty pan cakes, containing a prize to
attract the patronage of the children, at another. Little china dolls,
marbles, china dogs, cats, vases, etc., were put in the dough when the
little pans were filled. These china toys were not injured by the baking
and delighted the children beyond measure.
* * * * *
At a cake sale recently held for the benefit of a church, a novel
feature was introduced in the sale of "Scripture cake."
The cakes were baked in several different sizes, and sold for from
twenty-five cents to one dollar. With each cake sold was given a copy of
the recipe by which it was made, which was as follows:
SCRIPTURE CAKE
1 cup of butter Judges 5:25
3½ cups flour I Kings 4:22
3 cups sugar Jeremiah 6:20
2 cups raisins I Samuel 30:12
2 cups figs I Samuel 30:12
1 cup water Genesis 24:17
1 cup almonds Genesis 43:11
6 eggs Isaiah 10:14
1 tablespoonful honey Exodus 16:21
A pinch of salt Leviticus 16:13
Spices to taste I Kings 10:10
2 tablespoonfuls baking-powder I Cor. 5:6
Follow Solomon's advice for making good boys, and you will have a good
cake. Proverbs 23:14.
CAKE WALK (Novel kind)
I hope this will not shock any of my readers, and I don't think it will
after it is read. It can be held in a church or Sunday school room
without any qualms of conscience on any one's part. Have each one come
to represent a cake. For instance, sponge cake can be represented by
having sponges all over the body; batter cake, by young man wearing
baseball suit of clothes and carrying bat; cup cake, by wearing cups
around the neck and waist; fruit cake, by carrying baskets of different
kinds of small fruits; angel cake, by wearing pictures of angels on the
dress and hair; one, two, three, four cake, by wearing the figures 1, 2,
3, 4 pinned on dress or coat; cooky, by wearing chef's cap and apron and
a large letter E making that person cook-e; plain cake, by dressing very
plainly; orange cake, by carrying orange in each hand; nut cake, by
carrying nuts. Any other cake can be represented by carrying out the
same idea. All should keep moving around so that the people can see what
each one represents. A prize of a cake can be given to the one guessing
the greatest number of cakes correctly. Refreshments should consist of
every variety of cake served with cocoa or coffee.
CALICO CARNIVAL
The society who gave it had the oddly written announcement given below
published in the local papers a week in advance. They also used it as a
handbill:
CALICO CARNIVAL
"Consider yourself cordially invited to be present at the
correctly constructed and considerately combined calico
carnival to be held at ---- Hall, Friday night, February --,
1905, admission fifteen cents.
"Conspicuous courses served in confused compactness: One
conglomerated compound circle; one cup communicative cordial
(containing no chickory), or one cup of Chinese cheer, or
one cup of choice churned cream; one cider cured cucumber;
and one cup of cold comfort.
"Rules and regulations: All ladies to wear calico gowns,
also requested to bring half a pound of carefully cut carpet
rags each. All gentlemen to wear calico ties and requested
to bring thimbles.
"Fines will be imposed for the following: Any lady who fails
to wear a calico gown, ten cents; any lady who fails to
bring half a pound of carefully cut carpet rags, ten cents;
any gentleman who fails to wear a calico tie, twenty-five
cents; any gentleman who fails to bring a thimble, five
cents.
"P. S.--There will be for sale, cheap, cunning calico
conveniences that will be a constant comfort.
"N. B.--Any person who sits in a corner and refuses to
converse will be fined five cents.
"The sale of calico conveniences will begin at ----."
Of course, everybody came. The fines and admissions alone would have
paid the ladies for the trouble of getting up the carnival.
The "conspicuous courses" consisted of cake; coffee, tea, or buttermilk;
pickles; and ice water.
Among the "calico conveniences" which sold readily were the following
articles: Dusting caps, button bags and bags of every description, chair
cushions, aprons with bibs and aprons without, and, in fact, everything
that could possibly be manufactured from calico.
The carpet rags were given to the gentlemen to sew. An inexpensive prize
was given to the one who first finished his task.
CAN FACTORY
The words to be guessed all begin with CAN--the definitions of the whole
words being here given. Booklets with tiny pencils attached, and
containing the verses, may be distributed among the guests and, after
the contest is decided, returned as souvenirs of the occasion.
1. Though this can _is_ a can, you all will agree,
The can is termed thus because it holds tea.
2. This long, narrow can holds so precious a stock,
That oft you will find it has more than one lock.
3. The most wick-éd can, tho' safe from police,
Should you search for its heart you will find it in grease.
4. This can is a can that delights you and me,
It always is "open" and likewise is "free."
5. Where breezes blow and surges roll,
With swelling form and manner proud,
This can in triumph rides the waves,
The sailor's living and his shroud.
6. Here's a can, which, bear in mind,
Lives on others of its kind.
7. They say empty cans will produce the most noise,
But, if properly filled, this will startle the boys.
8. Most cans are hardly fit to eat,
Yet you'll like this kind, nice and sweet.
9. The waltz or the glee or the bold martial strain,
Each one, as his favorite, endorses;
But for those who prefer oratorio style,
This can sweetest music discourses.
10. Now who would elect in a can to reside,
Yet this as a shelter is known far and wide.
11. A can of most sagacious mind,
'Tis "frugal, prudent, shrewd," you'll find.
12. That a horse should use cans seems indeed strange to say,
Yet if pressed to have one he'd not utter a nay.
13. To put cans in poems no one is inclined,
Yet cans of this sort in some poems you'll find.
14. In tubs and in bowls men have ventured from land,
And in cans of this kind, so I understand.
15. Now, here is a can that is yellow and round,
'Twould seem little prized, for it grows on the ground.
KEY
1. Canister.
2. Canal.
3. Candle.
4. Candid.
5. Canvas.
6. Cannibal.
7. Cannon.
8. Candy.
9. Cantata.
10. Canopy.
11. Canny.
12. Canter.
13. Canto.
14. Canoe.
15. Cantaloup.
CAT GUESSING CONTEST
1. I wonder what Tabby the ---- to now? (Catsup)
2. We will buy some ---- for puss. (Catnip)
3. We all should learn our ----. (Catechism)
4. Both are in the same ----. (Category)
5. See the ---- grazing on the hillside. (Cattle)
6. The artist's name is not in the ----. (Catalogue)
7. It is very distressing to have the ----. (Catarrh)
8. Be sure to visit the ---- in Rome. (Catacombs)
9. See the ---- crawling on the ground. (Caterpillar)
10. What does the ---- to? (Catamount)
CHESTNUT SOCIABLE
First procure a good quantity of chestnuts. Plain and roasted chestnuts
may be sold at one table. They should be measured into pint and
half-pint paper bags, ready for customers.
A second table will be needed for bonbons. An excellent taffy is made by
stirring chopped chestnuts into plain molasses candy when ready to take
from the fire. Caramels are improved by adding chopped chestnuts.
Chopped chestnuts and figs added to crisp sugar candy make a good
sweet-meat. Shelled chestnuts are glazed by dipping in hot sugar candy.
A variety of candies can be made from this receipt: One pound of
confectioners' sugar, well beaten white of one egg, one tablespoonful of
cold water, one teaspoonful of vanilla. Mix well together and mould on a
board. Mix it with chopped chestnuts and cut into cubes. Small balls of
the cream can be rolled between the hands, and a whole chestnut
(shelled) pressed on one side. The cream can be colored with fruit
coloring and different shapes can be made from this. Shelled chestnuts
dipped in melted sweet chocolate are delicious.
Old "chestnuts" are prepared by putting old jokes in chestnut shells and
glueing them together. These will cause much fun and merriment for the
young. Have a large bowl of water with three chestnuts in it and let
each guest be given two toothpicks to try to get the chestnuts out of
the water with the toothpicks, without getting the fingers wet.
PROGRAM FOR CHESTNUT SOCIABLE
Have some one recite "Curfew Shall Not Ring To-night" and "Over the
Hills to the Poor House." Let some one sing "The Old Oaken Bucket" and
"Annie Laurie." Have some one read "The Sword of Bunker Hill" and
"Bingen on the Rhine." Any variety of entertainment can be gotten up
with a little forethought.
CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAY FLOWERS
Each month has a flower or plant appropriated to it, and to each a
meaning is attached. The list is as follows:
January--Snowdrop.
February--Primrose.
March--Violet.
April--Daisy.
May--Hawthorn.
June--Wild rose.
July--Lily.
August--Poppy.
September--Morning-glory.
October--Hop.
November--Chrysanthemum.
December--Holly.
The snowdrop means consolation; the primrose, the freshness of early
youth; the violet, modesty; the daisy, innocence; the hawthorn, hope;
the wild rose, simplicity; the lily, purity; the poppy, the consolation
of sleep; the morning-glory, contentment; hops, joy; the chrysanthemum,
cheerfulness; the holly, foresight and protection.
The morning-glory is such a perishable flower that it is almost useless
for the purpose of decoration, consequently it will be wise to
substitute goldenrod, symbolizing stateliness, in its stead.
CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAY PARTIES
A birthday is an important event in a child's life, and should not pass
unnoticed.
A small party for little children is usually more enjoyable and more
easily managed than a large one. With many mothers it is the custom to
invite as many little guests as correspond to the number of years of the
child whose birthday is celebrated.
Make the table look as attractive as possible with flowers. A pretty
arrangement for a fifth birthday is to have a round table, with vines,
or a rope of wild flowers or leaves, arranged over it to represent a
five-pointed star. The sandwiches, confectionery, etc., may be placed
within the star, the birthday cake in the centre, and the five guests
seated between the points of decoration.
For a sixth birthday, a pretty arrangement would be a six-pointed star,
the points to be made with the long fronds of the sword fern. So many
people have pots of these ferns growing in their houses, and the foliage
is so abundant, that some of the older fronds of the plant may well be
spared. The money myrtle is also effective for this decoration, and, in
summer, the little partridge vine with its red berries, to be found in
every woods, makes very pretty trimming. The cake should be in the
centre, and the other viands placed within the star, the children's
plates between the points. Either a round or square table may be used as
preferred.
For an eighth birthday, a square table may be used with walls of Troy
decoration arranged for two children at a side. If the birthday comes in
December, a rope of evergreen is appropriate and very effective for this
decoration, with branches of holly or other red berries at the corners,
the "goodies" to be placed in the centre.
For a tenth birthday, quite a long table is needed, and a pretty
arrangement of vines in scallops, with a small bunch of flowers at each
point may be carried out, the viands being placed in the centre, and a
child's plate in each one of the scallops.
In all these arrangements due prominence must be given to the birthday
cake, the principal feature of the feast. It is placed usually in the
centre, is round, decorated with frosting, and as many tiny candles as
the child is years old. These are placed in toy candlesticks, made so
that they can easily be thrust into the frosting, and the candles are
lighted just before the children go to the table. The candlesticks may
be purchased at a toy store. It is an excellent idea to place some
little souvenir in the cake for each child, tiny china dogs, cats and
goats being desirable for this purpose.
A candy house will also make a novel and attractive centrepiece for a
children's party table. Build a log house of red and white sticks of
candy, and form the roof of cocoanut strips. For a rail fence use sticks
of chocolate candy or straws and make the grass of spun candy.
CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS PARTY
There in the library stood the most perfect snow-man. He wore a fur cap
and long white whiskers, and on the floor behind him lay his pack, which
had just slipped off his back. He held a doll on one arm, and over the
other was hung a line of tiny sleigh-bells. This snow Santa Claus was
made of cotton batting, but he looked exactly like the snow-man in the
yard, and the children greeted him with cries of delight. Two sticks,
wrapped in many thicknesses of cotton to form the legs, had been nailed
to a block of wood to make a foundation for this snow-man; the other
parts of the body were made like snowballs and sewed in their proper
places.
Each child was allowed to throw a soft rubber ball twice in attempting
to hit the string of bells which Santa held. Those who were successful
were told to take some article out of the pack as a reward. Fancy
cornucopias and small boxes filled with nuts and candy were found by the
lucky contestants.
The children were then asked to guess the number of berries on a large
piece of mistletoe which hung from one of the chandeliers. The one
guessing nearest the correct number received a stick-pin bearing a tiny
enameled spray of mistletoe.
Then came old-fashioned romping games, after which a Christmas carol was
sung and the children marched in to supper. A star-shaped table had been
arranged for the occasion. In its centre was a small but handsomely
decorated tree. The refreshments consisted of turkey sandwiches, cocoa,
lemon jelly with whipped cream, sponge cake, bonbons and nuts. The
sponge cake was baked in small star-shaped pans, and ornamented with
red and white icing.
In the parlor an immense snowball was hung from the chandelier. This had
been made by fastening four barrel-hoops together so as to form a round
frame, over which was sewed white cambric. Then the ball was covered
with batting and sprinkled with diamond dust. A slit was made in one
side, and each child put in his hand and drew out some article wrapped
in tissue paper. These proved to be dolls, balls, and toys of all sorts.
Some drew out tiny boxes inside of which were slips of paper with
directions like these: "Look under the divan and you will find a
steam-engine," "Look beside the radiator and you will find a doll's
kitchen," etc.
In the dressing-room they were softly pelted with a mysterious shower of
snowballs, which they endeavored to catch. The balls were packages of
marshmallows wound loosely with white crepe paper.
CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS TABLEAUX
Build a cave-shaped box on a raised platform, drape inside and out with
white muslin, fasten evergreen boughs about the entrance and at the
back, draping all of these with loose tufts of cotton like new-fallen
snow, and sprinkling them with mica. Sprays of red berries can be
introduced with splendid effect. White covered steps must lead up to the
cave, about the mouth of which may be spread white fur rugs. Let the
candles be fastened plentifully around the cave, but have the rest of
the room very dimly lighted. In the cave arrange the gifts, wrapped and
properly marked, being careful to have one for each person present.
Dress a pretty, golden-haired little girl as a fairy, with wings and
spangles to enter the cave and bring out the gifts, and a couple of
little boys as imps or brownies to deliver them. Low music should be
played in some concealed corner, with now and again a song or chorus by
a band of children dressed as fairies. The presentation of the tableaux
may either precede or follow the distribution of the gifts.
BOY BLUE.--A little boy in a blue suit stands on a pile of hay, side to
the audience, with a tin trumpet to his lips. Piano music, "Little Boy
Blue." If the song is sung softly, it is an addition.
BO PEEP.--A little girl in a white gown, with a shepherd's crook, in
pursuit of a woolly lamb on rollers, being drawn across the stage by an
invisible string. She stands as if she were running, with one foot out
behind her, while the lamb disappears and some one reads the rhyme:
"Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep
And can't tell where to find them;
Let them alone and they'll come home
And bring their tails behind them."
MISS MUFFET.--A little girl sits on Boy Blue's pile of hay, eating
something from a saucer. A small boy steals up behind her, with an
artificial spider on a string attached to a pole, which he slowly lowers
into her plate. Appropriate music is played, and Miss Muffet screams as
the curtain is drawn.
CINDERELLA.--A little girl, with torn calico dress and unkempt hair,
stands at the right of the stage, her hands clasped and uplifted,
smiling in wonder. Before her stands a very small boy in a smart
military suit, with a white cotton wig on his head, indicating the coach
in which she is to go to the ball. The coach may be a pumpkin hollowed
into the proper shape, and drawn by a small dog harnessed to it with
ribbons, or a go-cart, or baby carriage, drawn by a larger dog. Some one
behind the scenes plays a waltz very softly. Plenty of red fire.
LITTLE JACK HORNER.--For this a boy with a mischievous face should be
chosen. He sits on the floor in the centre of the stage, with a huge pan
covered with white paper between his feet. Some one behind the scenes
reads the nursery rhyme:
Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb
And pulled out a plum,
And said: "What a great boy am I!"
Little Jack Horner, of course, suits the action to the words, pulling a
prune, date or raisin out of a hole in the paper pasted over the pan. He
puts it in his mouth as the curtain is drawn.
FOLLOWING THE FLAG.--In one corner of the stage a tent is erected--a
white sheet over a centre pole. All the small boys who have military
suits, drums, trumpets and muskets, stand about, and one in the very
front holds the flag. In front of the tent, on a pile of hay, lies
another small boy, in a military suit, with his eyes closed, and behind
him stands a little girl in a big white apron, with the symbol of the
red cross on her left arm. Music behind the scenes is either "Tenting on
the Old Camp Ground," or "The Star Spangled Banner," and all the rest of
the red fire is ignited. When it dies down, the curtain is drawn, the
lights are turned up, and the pianist plays "Home, Sweet Home."
CHILDREN'S EASTER PARTY
The little guests when they arrive will be made happy by giving them
small baskets to hunt for the eggs which the mother has a few days
before blown and colored and hidden all over the house.
In a room where there is a hardwood floor have little yellow chicks
arranged as tenpins at one end and give the children each an egg and let
them roll the eggs and see how many chicks they can knock down. While
they are doing this take some of the eggs they have found, run ribbon
through them and suspend in different lengths from a chandelier.
Among these suspended "eggshells" have Easter eggs filled with good
things. You can buy the eggs, and fill some of them with candy and some
with peanuts; put tiny dolls in some and small toys in others, so that
no two eggs will be filled alike. Then blindfold one child at a time;
give him a small cane and let him make one strike and see what he can
bring down. It is a good idea to spread a sheet under the chandelier on
the floor, so that the shells can be gathered up quickly. Then announce
refreshments.
In the centre of the supper-table upon a mound of smilax place a large
rabbit on his haunches, and in his front paws an Easter egg. From this
mound to each plate run a different-colored piece of ribbon, with a card
attached. Upon the card have the child's name who sits at that place.
At one end of the table have an Easter cake with lily decorations, and
at the other end place something that looks like a large white frosted
cake, with one little downy chick in the centre, and five or six in a
row around the edge. This is not a cake but a baking-pan turned upside
down, covered with white paper and frosted white.
Have all the refreshments upon the table--thin slices of bread and
butter, sandwiches, nuts, tiny cups of chocolate, cake and ice cream.
After all have finished eating and are ready to leave the table the
little ones may be told that at the count of three they are to pull
their ribbons, first removing Bunny from his nest to avoid breaking any
dishes. Then every child will find attached to the ribbon an egg, the
color of his or her ribbon, filled with candy or a small gift of some
sort.
These eggs, a little yellow chick, and the baskets may be given to the
children to carry home.
EASTER SALAD
A delicious and most attractive salad for Easter may be made by building
a nest of narrow strips of cold boiled potatoes upon a few very crisp
lettuce leaves. Fill the nest with eggs made of cream cheese rolled in
grated yellow cheese. Serve on individual plates with a well-made
mayonnaise dressing, and plain crackers, or thin slices of brown bread
and butter.
EASTER GELATINE
Pour gelatine flavored with unfermented grape juice into egg shells and
set them upon the ice. When the jelly seems to be firm remove the
shells, and you will have as many pretty clear violet eggs as you have
had shells. Arrange them around a mould of Bavarian cream, and serve.
Gelatine flavored with chocolate, orange or cranberry juice would make
equally pretty eggs, and probably please the children better than the
violet ones.
EASTER BASKETS OF DESSERT
Little baskets of puff paste were filled with yellow "_eggs_" made from
a rich custard which had been thickened with cornstarch, cooked until
stiff and poured into egg-shaped moulds. When cold the custard "eggs"
were removed from the moulds, placed in the pastry baskets and
surrounded with whipped cream, which was dotted with white grapes cut in
half and the seeds removed. The effect was very pretty and the dessert
delighted the eyes of the guests as well as their palates.
This dessert might be utilized for any other occasion by pouring the
custard into different-shaped moulds and dotting the whipped cream with
candied cherries or fresh berries.
CHILDREN'S SOUVENIRS
Souvenirs at a children's party should be very inexpensive. Candy put up
in some pretty form is the most suitable thing that can be given. The
dainty Japanese confections that may be purchased at any large store
where Oriental goods are sold are novelties, and always please the
little people.
It is always a great pleasure to children to have something to take home
with them from a party, and very inexpensive souvenirs will give
happiness quite out of proportion to their value. Japanese trifles make
pretty gifts, little boxes, bags or baskets filled with candy. Tiny
kites are appropriate for boys, and fans for girls. Japanese dolls may
be dressed with the lower part of the skirt prolonged into a bag and
filled with candy. Only candy of the simplest kind should be used.
Candy boxes in various fanciful forms, as banjos, drums, tambourines,
watering-pots, pails, caps, helmets, fish, etc., may be purchased from
any dealer in such wares. They are also made in the shape of birds and
animals, as peacocks, canaries, turtles, alligators and elephants.
Hollow oranges and apples, fruit baskets, with realistic cherries,
grapes, etc., on top, and room for candy underneath, are very pretty. If
these are thought too expensive ornamented cornucopias to hold bonbons
may be procured at various prices, beginning at fifteen cents a dozen.
Mottoes containing paper hats and caps may be procured as cheaply as ten
cents a dozen, and a package of these, holding as many as the child is
years old, tied with the birthday color, makes a dainty souvenir. Little
cradles filled with candy and ornamented with bows are also appropriate
gifts.
A SOUVENIR PUDDING.--A common wash-tub, filled with bran or sawdust,
will make a nice pudding for a child's party by putting the souvenirs in
a layer in the bottom of the tub, then a layer of sawdust, then more
presents, and so on until the tub is filled. Have a large wooden spoon
and let each child make a dive with the spoon until he gets one
souvenir. This will please the little ones.
CHILDREN'S SWEET PEA TEA
The invitations to this tea read like this:
_Prepare yourself for a Sweet Pea Tea,
The 'bus will call for you at three._
_July 19th._
In one corner of the card a sweet pea was painted in water colors. These
cards were sent by mail. Of course, the recipients of these invitations
had no idea where the party was to be, and waited in great expectation
for the appointed day. Two 'bus men were engaged and furnished with a
list of the invited, and at three o'clock, or as nearly that hour as
possible, called for the guests, and after a short and misleading drive
arrived at last at their destination.
After being received by the hostess, the guests were given cards and
pencils and ranged around a long table in the centre of the room, on
which were strewn leaves of many kinds of plants. Five minutes were
given for guessing the plants to which the leaves belonged. At the
expiration of that time, the cards were taken (after names had been
signed), and a prize given to the best guesser.
The guests were then seated, and cards on which was the following list
of questions passed around: 1. What field flower is something to eat and
a dish we drink from? 2. What did the soldier say when he bade his
sweetheart good-bye? 3. The name of what flower is used every day in a
slang expression? 4. The name of what flower did Johnny's mother use
when she told him to rise? 5. What hotel in New York city bears the name
of a flower? 6. What flower is most popular in April? 7. The name of
what flower means comfort? 8. What is the saddest flower?
The answers are: 1. Buttercup. 2. Forget-me-not. 3. Daisy. 4.
Johnny-jump-up. 5. Aster. 6. Easter lily. 7. Heartsease. 8.
Bleeding-heart.
The prize for this was a book of flowers and verses.
A basket of sweet peas was then passed to the girls, a different color
of flower for each one. A similar basket was passed to the boys, and the
search for partners began. The boy with the yellow sweet pea became the
partner of the girl with the yellow flower. The boy with the white found
the girl with the white, etc. The table was strewn with sweet peas, a
cut-glass bowl of sweet peas graced the centre, and on each napkin was
pinned a small bunch of the flowers.
CHILDREN'S TOM THUMB ENTERTAINMENT
For a children's party try the following device: Place four chairs in
one end of the room and throw over them a large blanket or shawl to
cover them completely down to the floor. Have some one double up his
hands into fists, and on the back of the hands, with a piece of
charcoal, paint eyes, nose and mouth, and on one of them paint a
moustache. Put dolls' dresses on the arms, reaching down to the elbows.
Put hoods or caps on the hands. Let the person thus prepared crawl in
between the chairs, and resting the elbows on the floor, hold his
forearms perpendicular, so that the backs of the hands will be facing
the audience. All the rest of the person's body should be concealed, of
course, under the shawl. Call these two little people Tom Thumb and his
wife. Have some one for their manager, who should stand in front of the
chairs and tell them what to do. The manager should explain why Tom has
a dress on. He can have them perform a number of clever tricks, such as
bowing to the audience, kissing each other, pushing each other, etc.
They can answer questions in a little, fine voice, or say, "How do you
do?"
It will be found that this entertainment will please the little folks
immensely.
CHILDREN'S VALENTINE PARTY
From sheets of pink and creamy tinted paper, cut the requisite number of
hearts--two for each invitation--and form into envelopes by pasting a
pink heart and a creamy tinted one together along the edges, except at
the large end, which must be left open to hold the written invitation.
On a slightly smaller heart of thinner paper, write the following
doggerel:
"From half-past six to half-past nine,
I pray you to be guest of mine.
With Valentine, their patron Saint,
Sure all good lovers are acquaint;
So in his honor kindly spend
A pleasant evening with a friend."
Slip this in the envelope formed by the two hearts, having first glued
to the indentation at the larger end of the small heart a loop of baby
ribbon by which to pull it out. On the white side of the envelope write
the name and address; on the pink side, an older sister may draw cunning
little Cupids, or hearts transfixed with little arrows.
Cut from pink paper as many hearts as there are to be boys, but no two
of these hearts must be of the same size; cut from gilt paper the same
number of hearts, one for each girl, matching in size those cut from the
pink paper.
When the guests arrive, give each boy a pink and each girl a gilt heart.
When a boy finds the girl who holds a gilt heart matching in size his
pink one, they are partners for the evening. In this search all
formality will have worn off.
Cupid's Darts will pass a jolly half hour. Make a large heart of
several layers of pink tissue paper, and fill it loosely with bonbons;
encase this in a slightly larger heart of open-meshed bobinet; hang on
the wall on one side of the room by two loops sewed to the large, upper
part of the heart. Provide a toy bow and arrow, and let each child in
turn shoot at the heart. The arrows will remain sticking in the lace and
paper, and the one whose arrow comes nearest the centre receives the
first prize--a heart-shaped box of candy.
Also provide small heart-shaped boxes filled with candies for each child
to take home.
For refreshments, make sandwiches from heart-shaped pieces of bread cut
with a cake cutter; bake the cakes in heart-shaped tins, and have the
ices frozen in the same design.
As red and pink are the proper colors for decoration on this day, it
will be a pretty idea to have the lemonade colored pink with fruit
juice.
Pretty favors can be made from crepe tissue-paper. Flowers, bonbon
boxes, handkerchief-cases, and many another trifle, will please the
young folks, more especially if they are the work of their little
hostess's own hands.
CHINESE PARTY
Invitations should read as follows:
_Come to the Chinese Tea Party
and help eat
Rice and Rats
Prepared and Served by Chinese Girls
at ---- Church
Monday Evening, Jan. 4th._
You can stimulate interest in the heathen wonderfully by inviting them
to come, with all their bag and baggage, and pay your society a visit.
Have booths in the room representing the countries in which the church
is doing missionary work. Let the attendants be costumed like the
natives, and all the appointments of the booths suggest the life of the
countries represented. When curiosity is thus piqued, information about
these mission lands may be circulated by the help of questions on cards
to be passed around. Write the questions in black ink, and underneath,
in red ink, the answer to one of the other questions. It will require a
pretty lively interchange of cards for each one to find the answer to
his question.
The committee should try to make this evening as attractive as possible,
and if it can be arranged all the members should appear in Chinese
costume. In the centre of the church room, fit up a booth, covered with
a large Chinese umbrella, and around it place small tables on which to
serve refreshments. This can be made to look like a Chinese garden. Rice
and rats can be served as follows: Boil rice until rather stiff and turn
it into cups to cool. After ready to serve turn upside down in dishes
and serve each dish with a _candy rat_ on top. The rice should be served
with cream and sugar. Also have tea and wafers. A small fee can be
charged for refreshments to go to missionary purposes. Of course no one
but the committee should know what the "rice and rats" is to be, as it
would spoil the fun. A nice idea would be to give chopsticks as
souvenirs.
CHRISTMAS COSTUME PARTY
The invitations for a Christmas party of this sort should be enclosed in
white envelopes decorated with holly and should read as follows:
_Master ----, as "Winter,"
and Miss ----, as "Christmas,"
will be glad to receive the "Months"
on Thursday evening,
December the twenty-fourth._
In the lower left-hand corner of each, above the address, should be
indicated the character which the little guest is to represent, as, for
instance: "Please represent July." Have the little host and hostess
represent "Winter" and "Christmas."
When the children arrive let them find a throne built of dry-goods
boxes, covered with Canton flannel with the fuzzy side out, well
sprinkled with diamond dust and tufts of cotton, and above the throne a
canopy made of evergreen boughs. Dip some of the boughs first in a weak
solution of gum-arabic and then in flour, and sprinkle them with diamond
dust; hang others in alum water until crystals form over the foliage.
Dress the little host in a suit of white cambric well bespangled with
crystal beads and glass pendants. Let him wear white slippers and
stockings, and over one shoulder a white shawl covered with artificial
frost. On his head place a jaunty white beaver hat decorated with a long
white plume.
The little hostess should wear a white dress of soft, fluffy material,
trimmed with holly and mistletoe, and red stockings and slippers.
Seated upon the throne, beside one another, they should receive their
guests, who should appear in the characters indicated upon their
invitations. After all the children have been welcomed let them form in
line, with "Winter" and "Christmas" leading, and march up-stairs and
down to the music of piano and violin.
The children might then be shown some views of Bethlehem and the
Christ-Child and told or read a Christmas story. Just before going-home
time some "grown-up" person, dressed to represent Santa Claus, might
come in and deposit his pack in the dining-room and distribute some
little gifts. Then some simple refreshments should be served before the
children go home.
CHRISTMAS MENU AND TABLE DECORATIONS
Ottoman Country Roasted and Gorged. (Roast Turkey)
Red Swamp Fruit Sauce. (Cranberry Sauce)
Hibernia's Pride Crushed. (Mashed Potatoes)
Cucurbita Maxima Crushed. (Mashed Squash)
Stalks of Kalamazoo. (Celery)
Bivalves Nestled. (Escalloped Oysters)
Dough Baked. (Bread)
Cream Churned. (Butter)
Lover's Test. (Pickles)
Curd Pressed. (Cheese)
Arabian Nectar and Bossy's Best. (Coffee and Cream)
Rosy Cheeks and Bossy's Best. (Peach Sherbet)
Cherub's Diet. (Angel's Food)
Nature's Food. (Fruit)
Squirrel's Dependence. (Mixed Nuts)
Sweet Compound. (Candy)
Select for your color scheme red and green. Set the dining-table in the
centre of the room directly under the chandelier. To the latter fasten a
large bunch of holly with plenty of red berries, and make garlands of
evergreen to reach from the chandelier to the four corners of the table,
fastening each one to the tablecloth with a bow of red ribbon. Have
plenty of holly berries in the garlands of evergreen. If holly is dipped
in a strong solution of alum water and dried in the sun, it will have
the effect of being frosted. Have a red carnation with a sprig of green
laid at each plate. Red and green paper napkins should be used. Have
pretty side dishes of red and green things, such as red apples, red and
green grapes, and all kinds of red and green bonbons. The first column
of the menu as given should be printed or written and laid at each
plate, for the guests to study while the courses are being served.
CHRISTMAS UMBRELLA GAME
Take a large umbrella--an old one will do--wind the handle with bright
yellow ribbon and line the body with red percaline as near the color of
holly berries as possible. Be sure to shape the lining so that it will
not sag. Cover the outside with green percaline and finish the top with
sprigs of holly and a bow of red and green ribbon. Trim the edge of the
umbrella with a row of tiny bells and wind the ribs with crepe or tissue
paper the same color as the lining; do this the last thing so that it
will not come undone.
Select small appropriate gifts for the young guests; conceal them within
dainty wrappings and tie them with ribbon to the ribs of the umbrella.
When ready for the game let the children form a circle and choose one of
their number to stand in the centre and hold the umbrella. The children
may then dance around singing:
"Merrily 'round this Christmas ring,
Dancing gayly as we sing.
What would this umbrella bring
If we changed to hippetty-hop
And our hostess called out 'stop'?"
When singing "hippetty-hop" let the children hop around instead of
dancing, and when the hostess calls out "stop" the child with the
umbrella raises it over his head and the present which sways longest
belongs to him. He unties it, and as he does so he hands the umbrella to
another child, whose place he takes in the circle, and so on until all
the children have had a chance to hold the umbrella and receive one of
the gifts which hang from it.
After the game the umbrella may be given to the child who receives the
largest number of votes as a souvenir of the evening.
If one does not wish the trouble of trimming an umbrella as described
above, a Japanese umbrella may be purchased for a small sum, and will be
equally appropriate.
CHURCH BAZAAR SUGGESTIONS
FOR AN ORANGE GROVE.--Evergreen trees should be procured and placed
about the hall to make it resemble a grove. The oranges may be made of a
wad of cotton, inclosing a trinket, covered with orange-colored tissue
paper. Hang them on the trees and let each purchaser select the one he
wants, paying a nominal sum for it.
Other attractions may be a booth where real oranges may be bought; a
well from which orangeade is dispensed; a booth for articles of
fancy-work made in shades of orange, and one for orange-flavored cakes
and candies.
The booths should, of course, be draped in orange color, relieved by
touches of white, the attendants' costumes being of the same shade.
Orange blossoms, made of tissue paper, will add daintiness to the
decorations.
* * * * *
An unoccupied house is a most convenient place to hold a fair. Each room
may be devoted to some special attraction; one for the supper, one for
the evening's entertainment, one for the fortune-teller, and so on. This
idea is admirable for an affair of the nations, devoting one room to
each country and its characteristics.
* * * * *
Seats should be provided in the grove where the visitors may be
refreshed with orange ice, or orange gelatine and cake at a moderate
price.
If there is a small room adjoining the hall in which the fair is held it
may be fitted up to represent a tropical scene. This would be the place
to sell rubber plants, palms, ferns, etc. Long clusters of bananas hung
amid the foliage will make the scene more realistic.
* * * * *
A tulip bed is one of the prettiest ways of hiding surprise packages. A
portion of the floor should be marked off in a square and enclosed with
boards one foot high, painted green. Fill this bed with sawdust and
plant paper tulips in all colors. Have a package tied to the end of
each tulip, making the flower stand firm when planted. Each purchaser
pulls up any flower he chooses.
* * * * *
Although brown seems a sombre color for a fair booth, it may really be
used most effectively. Have the booth made oblong with a counter across
the front and have each end covered with brown crepe paper with frilled
edges; have also a brown curtain below the counter hanging to the floor.
Have the roof, and the posts supporting it, covered with the russet
leaves of the chestnut-tree, while around the roof a fringe of chestnut
burrs is hung. At one end of the booth serve hot chocolate with whipped
cream; at the other have all kinds of nuts on sale; and in front have a
display of chocolate and nut cakes and candies. In arranging for any
sort of church entertainment remember that elaborate accessories are not
of so much importance as the display of cleverness in the carrying out
of the ideas which form the basis of the entertainment.
COBWEB SOCIABLE
First, wind strings all over the house before the arrival of the
company. Suspend a rope diagonally across one corner of the room, over
which the ends of the strings can hang, each one numbered: Numbers are
to be given each one of the guests, and each is to hunt the string that
has his number on it. A sheet can be hung across this end of the room
hiding everything from view until time for winding. Have some games
ready to play for the amusement of guests until all have arrived. As
soon as all the company gathers, the sheet can be removed and all
commence hunting their numbers at once. They are told to go wherever the
string leads, but they may not succeed as the strings should be through
keyholes, under beds, out of doors, around the house, in at the windows,
and every place where they can be put.
Plenty of fun can be had if every one enters into the game and keeps it
up until finished. Bananas and cake can be served at this sociable or
any other light refreshments desired.
CONUNDRUM TEA
1. A survivor of the flood (Ham).
2. Woman of grit (sandwich).
3. Cattle in a railroad disaster (dried beef).
4. Impertinence (apple "sass").
5. Spring's offering (water).
6. For old maids and bachelors (pickles).
7. Tabby's party (cat sup).
8. Boston's overthrow (tea).
9. What all people need (bread and butter).
10. New England brains (baked beans).
11. Young man's sweetheart (honey).
12. An unruly member (tongue).
13. Sahara (dessert).
14. Tree cake (cocoanut cake).
EXTRAS
15. Love's symbol (doughnuts).
16. What I do when I mash my finger (ice cream).
17. A mass of types (pie).
_Note._--Each society can use their own judgment about the price to be
charged. A certain amount may be charged for the entire supper, or each
article may have a price affixed, such as two cents, four cents, three
cents, and so forth.
COOK BOOK SALE
Every lady in the church was asked to make, from sheets of brown
wrapping paper, ten paper books of uniform size, four and one-half by
six inches, sewing them to confine the leaves. The paper was two cents
a sheet, and five sheets would make the ten books.
In each book, clear and explicit written directions for ten of the best
miscellaneous recipes that she used in cooking were to be contributed by
each one, the same recipes to be in the ten books furnished, and signed
by the one contributing them.
The ten recipes included one soup, one salad, one made-over dish, one
cake recipe, one cooky recipe, two muffin or gem recipes, and three
dessert recipes.
One week was allowed for this work, then the books were sent where the
sale was to take place. There were five hundred books in all, fifty
ladies having responded to the request.
In the meantime, invitations had been sent to the members of the other
two churches in the town, and to the summer visitors, and the
vestry-rooms were crowded the evening of the sale.
The books were offered for sale at five cents each, and in less than an
hour all were sold, those contributed by housekeepers famous for their
cooking being in great demand, while all were of more or less interest
in a town where every one is well known.
After the sale of the recipes, the real sport of the entertainment
began. Each lady who contributed recipes also brought a sample of cake
made from the cake recipe she had given. These samples were of all
sizes, wrapped in waxed paper and tagged with the maker's name. They
were auctioned off without being undone, the name attached to the tag
being read by the auctioneer, and much merriment was occasioned by the
witty, bright way in which he drew attention not only to the cake, but
to the one who made it.
If desired, such an auction sale may be held without the cook book sale
preceding, whole and cut cakes, cookies, doughnuts, etc, being used. As
the cakes are wrapped and no one knows what he is buying, much amusement
results.
COOKY SOCIABLE
Cut paper into pieces the shape and size of a cooky. Write a proverb on
each one, then cut each paper cooky into two parts, each in a different
manner, so that no two cookies will be cut alike. One set of halves is
to be given to the ladies, and the other to the gentlemen. Each person
present then proceeds to match the half cooky he has; when found, the
proverb should read correctly. The couple who match halves eat
refreshments together. It is very nice to have some one play a march on
the piano while the matched partners form in line two by two and march
to the supper-room. For refreshments serve all kinds, shapes, and sizes
of cookies with coffee or lemonade.
CORN-HUSKING BEE
Late in October, when the corn has matured and been stacked in the barn,
the following informal invitations may be sent out to all the
neighboring young people:
_You are cordially invited
to a Corn Husking to be held in
Martin Mattice's Barn
On the evening of October the thirty-first
at eight o'clock._
Previous to the evening mentioned the ears of corn are stripped from the
stalks and formed into two huge piles upon the barn floor. Lanterns
should be hung here and there upon the beams to give the necessary
light, and stools provided for the workers. The company, on arrival, is
divided equally, one half being assigned to one pile, the other half to
pile number two, and the contest begins, each division striving to
finish its pile first. The husks must be entirely removed from each ear,
and whoever first discloses to view a red ear is considered especially
fortunate, as the first red ear shown is supposed to bring good luck to
its possessor.
After all the ears have been husked the winner of the red ear is
escorted in state to the house, where a warm fire (always an open one,
if possible) and a supper are waiting.
Corn Supper
Decorate the walls of the room in which the supper is to be served with
as much green as can be procured at this season of the year. Procure a
dozen pumpkins, remove the pulp, cutting a hole at the top of the shell;
cut also four stars in the sides of each pumpkin, cover with light
yellow paper and place candles inside. These lanterns, being set in
various convenient spots about the room and lighted just before the
supper is served, shed a corn-colored glow over the room. In the centre
of the table arrange a vase filled with any late autumn yellow
flowers--dahlias, chrysanthemums or marigolds; place candles at each end
of the table screened by yellow crepe paper shades. The refreshments may
consist of egg and lemon-butter sandwiches, cornbread, chicken salad,
sponge cake, gold cake, lemon ice cream and lemon water ice, cup
custards, honey in the comb, lemonade and coffee.
DUTCH PARTY
For decorations: Holland's national colors, blue and red; Dutch flags;
tulips; crepe paper in Delft designs, etc. Instead of tally cards each
guest may be furnished a little wooden shoe on a Delft-blue ribbon. Tiny
pretzels are slipped on the ribbon for games won, the shoe keeping them
from slipping off at the other end. Large wooden shoes may be used for
bonbons and nuts at the tables. For prizes: handsome steins and pipes, a
pair of burnt wood Holland shoes, Delft plaques, Dutch pictures,
novelties decorated with quaint Dutch figures, a poster of Queen
Wilhelmina, etc.
The supper table may have for its centrepiece a large blue stein with
red tulips tumbling out of it. Delft china and paper napkins are
appropriate, and a _menu_ of Dutch dishes:
Oysters Omelet
Smoked Herring
Creamed Codfish or Finna Haddie in Chafing Dish
Cold Meat, in very thick slices
Pickled Eggs, Pickled Beets, Pickled Onions
Cucumbers, Lemons and Prawns
Cold Slaw
Fish or Potato Salad Cheese Sandwiches
Rye Bread, in very thin slices
Cheese
Honey Cakes Oval Cinnamon Cakes
Pancakes, size of a silver quarter
Coffee and Chocolate
EASTER EGG HUNT
An Easter egg hunt will furnish plenty of amusement for an Easter party.
The nests are made of paper moss. In them are placed eggs of different
varieties, some genuine hard boiled eggs, some of china or wood and some
of candy. The wooden eggs should contain tiny ducks or chickens. The
nests are hidden in every nook and corner of the house. The guests are
then bidden to go nest hunting, and a half hour is given for the hunt.
Each guest is given a little fancy basket in which to gather his eggs.
The one securing the greatest number of eggs is given a prize of a large
fancy egg.
The baskets and eggs may be retained as souvenirs.
EASTER LUNCHEON
Of course, silver and glassware must be sparkling, and the white cloth
spotless, or, if one wishes, luncheon scarfs and mats or doilies are
equally popular, and a highly polished table is a bit less formal than
the regular dinner cloth. A centrepiece of gold cloth or of any yellow
silken material is effective--the edges may be quickly overcast by heavy
rope silk in long and short stitch. A bunch of Easter lily sprays in a
bowl or gold and white vase crown the whole. If one can arrange to have
the china gold and white it is very pretty; but every hostess must
consult her own china store and plan accordingly.
Napkins stiffly folded at each place can hold an artificial lily, which
carries in its heart a tiny candy box. These lilies can be bought at
some caterer's or made at home very easily. Stiff wire--yet not so stiff
as not to bend in any desired shape--can form the skeleton. The stem is
made of five wires woven together, green paper being twisted over them
and at the top; each separate wire is bent out to form a foundation for
each white petal, made of white crepe paper, easily shaped and pasted in
place. A little practice will show the amateur that this is not at all
difficult. A pill box covered with gold paper can be pressed down in the
heart of the lily, the top being covered with stamens made of gold paper
shredded and twisted.
Lilies of the same type, only larger with larger boxes having no covers,
can form the bonbon boxes. These must be even more conventional, as they
have no stems, resting directly on the table. The menu should be simple.
When the luncheon is over and the guests have left the dining-room for
the drawing-room, a new edition of the old cobweb game makes merry fun
and is arranged as follows: A huge flower-pot is placed on the centre of
the table, in which are planted some artificial lilies to carry out the
idea, and under the flower-pot are gathered the ends of many strings,
each one of which must be appropriated by a guest. These strings cross
and intercross about furniture and corners of course, and give
opportunities for many tête-à-têtes. Here and there some little verses
may be tied if it is wished to add fun to the quest.
"Do not faint, oh, maid, I beg,
You shall find a golden ----"
"Gather roses while you may;
Gather them--the livelong day."
And many another nonsense couplet to suit the company and occasion.
At the end of each string must be found a candy Easter egg, or a hollow
egg containing some little trinket.
EASTER SOCIABLE
Have printed programs sent out with the following announcement (any name
can be substituted for the East End Connett Y):
_An eggs-ellent plan has been adopted by
the East End Connett Y, to eggs-haust the
eggs-pence of sending a delegate to the State Convention.
We shall hold an_ EGG SOCIAL.
_The eggs-pence of admission is eggs-actly ten cents.
We mean to have an eggs-ellent time.
You are urged to eggs-ert yourself to come and
eggs-amine for yourself.
You can eggs-pect to have lots of fun at small eggs-pence.
An eggs-ellent committee will wait upon you.
Plenty of eggs will be served.
Eggs-it at your pleasure.
N. B.--Plenty of Easter Egg novelties will be sold._
A fruit-stand covered with moss and twigs, and arranged to represent a
nest filled with eggs and placed upon a bed of moss should form the
central decoration for the table. Around the nest four large rabbit
bonbonnières should be placed, with pieces of baby ribbon of all colors
fastened to their forepaws and running out to or below the edge of the
table, each ribbon being strung with eggs. Between the four large
rabbits four smaller ones should peer out from under the nest between
the ribbons.
Provide each person present with a dime, lead-pencil, and sheet of
paper, upon which the following list is printed.
Find upon the dime the following articles:
1. Fruit of a tropical tree. (date)
2. What the Siamese twins were. (United)
3. What a lazy man seldom gets. (ahead)
4. The division of a country. (states)
5. The cradle of liberty. (America)
6. Something a schoolboy makes. (figures)
7. An instrument to catch sound. (ear)
8. The number a miser takes care of. (one)
9. What makes the forest green. (foliage)
10. Something a bootblack likes to give. (shine)
Of course the answers are not printed, but are kept by the committee for
reference. A prize of one dime can be given the one with the most
correct answers. Any kind of Easter novelties can be sold for a dime.
For refreshments serve eggs in every form, with bread and butter and
coffee, for one dime.
FAIRIES' GARDEN
A clever scheme for a church fair is the "Fairies' Garden," which is
nothing more than the old grab-bag in a new dress. One seen recently was
set up near a booth trimmed with evergreens, with a fence made of
"cat-tails," planted about four inches apart, enclosing it in front. To
this the people who were present flocked, and were free, on the payment
of a small sum, to pull a flower or vegetable as they should see fit.
Within and at the back of the inclosure was a trellis made of wire
netting with the largest holes procurable, covered with vines, among
which nestled pink paper roses. In each rose a small present was hidden
from view.
Then there was a "pond," made of a tin boiler banked with stones and
moss, and filled with water, on which floated water lilies and leaves.
To each lily was tied a weighted present, such as the water could not
injure.
A bed of real goldenrod planted in a box of sawdust, with the presents
tied to the stems of the flowers and buried in the sawdust, completed
the flower garden.
The vegetable bed fully repaid for all the time and trouble spent upon
it. It was an enclosure of four boards, filled with sawdust, the
vegetables being made of paper and filled with cotton and the presents.
After the vegetables and flowers were planted the beds were covered with
moss.
A few signs added to the effect, such as "Great South-Sea Bubble" for
the cabbage bed, and "Please do not pull the cats' tails. By order of
the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals," for the cat-tail
fence.
Carrots, beets, onions and cabbages answered the purpose well, being of
convenient shapes and very easily made. The carrots were made on a
cornucopia of stiff brown paper, in which the present was put, and then
the cornucopia was covered with plain carrot-colored tissue paper,
closed at the top, painted to imitate the creases in a carrot, and
ornamented with a small tuft of leaves cut from green tissue paper. The
beets were stuffed with cotton, in which the present was concealed, and
then covered with the proper colored tissue paper. The onion bulbs were
covered with crinkled cream-white tissue paper, and the tops were made
of stiff white paper spills, or lamp-lighters, covered with dark green
tissue paper. The cabbages were of pale green and yellow--almost cream
color--crinkled tissue paper, wound around the central ball of cotton;
the paper was cut and pulled out in the shape of leaves, or twisted to
form the stalk.
There were four little girls dressed as "flower fairies," who kept the
garden in order, and helped in many ways, looking very effective in
their costumes of a "morning-glory," a "daffy-down-dilly," a yellow and
white "daisy," and a "wild rose."
FEAST OF SEVEN TABLES
This feast if well planned and carried out is most pleasing in its
results. There are seven tables. These tables are set in white, with
centrepieces and other decorations to carry out the color scheme. Have
first table near the door, and others arranged according to the menu,
which can be changed to suit the seasons. It is necessary to have two
sets of waiters, the first to clear away, and the second to furnish
fresh supplies. All must dress to harmonize with the colors of their
tables. Serve food in small quantities and in small dishes. At the
ringing of a bell seven guests are seated at the first table. At the
expiration of seven minutes, the bell again rings, and those at the
first table pass to the second table, and seven other guests are
permitted to enter the room, and to be seated at the first table. Here
is where the waiters will have to hurry and reset the tables. At the
close of every seven minutes the bell rings, signaling all to pass up
one table. Seven persons pass out every seven minutes, and forty-nine
are fed in as many minutes. A novel idea is to charge seven cents on
entering the dining-room, seven cents when through at the last table,
and seven cents as they pass out the door, making twenty-one cents for
each guest. They will not object after they are through with the menu at
the seven tables.
WINIFRED M. SIMONDS.
DECORATIONS AND MENU FOR SEVEN TABLES
_Decorations_ _Menu_
_White Table_
White Centrepiece Shredded Potatoes
White Dishes White Bread and Butter
White Napkins Cold Roast Pork
White Flowers Milk
_Brown Table_
Brown Centrepiece Brown Bread and Butter
Brown Dishes Brown Coffee
Doilies Worked in Brown Boston Baked Beans
Brown Leaves Pressed Brown Pickles
_Green Table_
Green Bordered Centrepiece Wafers Tied With Green Ribbon
Green Flowered Dishes Lettuce
Green Paper Napkins Olives
Green Foliage Green Tea
Pickles
_Red Table_
Old Fashioned Red Table Cloth Red Cake
Cranberry Sauce
Red Flowered Dishes Wafers Tied With Red Ribbon
Red Napkins
Red Flowers
_Orange Table_
Orange Bordered Centrepiece Orange Wafers
Orange Paper Napkins Sliced Oranges
Orange Colored Flowers Orange Cake
_Yellow Table_
Yellow Centrepiece Lemon Pie
Yellow Figured Dishes Cheese
Yellow Paper Napkins Lemonade
Yellow Flowers
_Pink Table_
Pink Bordered Centrepiece Pink Cakes
Pink Flowered Dishes Pink Pop-corn
Pink Paper Napkins Pink Candies
Pink Flowers
Pink Carnation for Each Guest
FEAST OF NATIONS
The following is a description of a church supper which was recently
given with great success:
The Japanese table was decorated with chrysanthemums. At each place was
a Japanese tray on which a Japanese napkin was folded in a fanciful
manner. Little dishes of rice, hard-boiled eggs, cabbage chopped fine,
and small cups of tea comprised the first course. The second course was
a turkey dinner. The waiters were in Japanese costume. The favors were
small Japanese umbrellas tied with the Japanese colors, red and white.
At the Chinese table the first course was rice prepared with curry,
followed by chicken pie with the usual accompaniments. Chopsticks were
in evidence, though the guests were not compelled to use them. The
waiters were in Chinese dress. The table was adorned with curios, and
the favors were ancestral tablets in tiny boxes, tied with yellow, the
national color of China.
The Hindustani table was resplendent with red and yellow tulips, the
colors of India. Handsome bowls of beaten brass loaned by a returned
missionary ornamented the table. Four young men in the costume peculiar
to India waited upon this table. The special dish was chicken with
curry, and the favors were genuine Indian bracelets.
Some rare old Welsh china was used on the Welsh table, and the menu
cards, written in Welsh, were in the shape of Welsh hats. A Welsh flag
was given as a souvenir to each guest.
The Irish table was served by lassies gowned in green. The menu cards
were in the form of shamrocks. "Potatoes with their jackets on" and
buttermilk were the dishes characteristic of this country. The
tablecloth was of bright green denim and the decorations were all of
green leaves.
The table representing bonnie Scotland had menu cards decorated with the
thistle. Jam tarts were among the delicacies.
The English table was decorated in the English colors, with the English
standard as a centrepiece. Roast beef, of course, was an essential part
of the dinner, supplemented by plum pudding, caraway cakes and tea. The
favors were red and white roses.
White-capped waitresses served at the French table which was bright with
candelabra, asparagus ferns and pink ribbons. The menu cards bore the
fleur-de-lis. Peas, olives and candied walnuts were distinctive dishes.
The color scheme was pink and green.
At the table representing Holland the girls wore Dutch peasant costumes
and served coffee and chocolate, carrots with cream sauce, so commonly
used among the Hollanders, sausage, rye bread and pickles, cake and
gingerbread baked in fancy shapes.
The German table was gay with flowers. Noodle soup, German cheese and
anise cakes were added to a generous dinner. The menu cards were in the
form of corn-flowers and were written in German text. The favors were
pretzels.
At the Italian table macaroni and fruit were the dishes. The favors were
menu cards with the Italian flag painted on each.
The Mexican table was decorated with palms, and a dinner very similar to
one a traveler would get in that country was served. The favors were
menu cards written in Spanish, to which tiny Mexican _tamales_ were
attached by red and green ribbons, the Mexican colors.
Dainty arbutus graced the New England table and menu cards. The repast
was a bounteous Thanksgiving dinner such as New Englanders know how to
provide. Baked beans and brown bread were on the menu, as were also
several kinds of pie and apple-sauce.
The Western table was waited upon by a boy and girl dressed as Indians
with the ornaments they admire. The table was ornamented with flowers.
The dinner cards showed paintings of Indian heads and the favors were
little paper canoes. The cakes, fruit, etc., were served in Indian
baskets.
The Southern table had a menu different from all the others. Among the
good things were a whole roast pig, corn bread, warm biscuit and sweet
potatoes. There were colored waiters in conventional white linen suits.
The favors that stood by each plate were little Dinah dolls.
FISH MARKET
A rustic bridge was built out from one side of the platform forming a
square space in one corner of the room that was used for a fish pond.
Rocks and ferns were grouped along the edge of the platform, the floor
was covered with green carpet, and a pretty meadow scene painted on
coarse cotton was hung at the back, making a very picturesque setting
for the pond. Steps led up to the bridge, and at the foot was a rustic
lodge where, on payment of a fee, the prospective fisher was given a
pole and a circle of cardboard, upon which was marked the number of
times he was entitled to fish. Thus equipped, he went up on the bridge
and fished in the pond. Additional fishing tickets were sold by the
bridgekeepers. Articles of all description and varying values were
fished forth from the pond, which made it all the more exciting.
Refreshments were served in the hall and there were a candy and cake
table and two stalls where fancy articles were sold. One of these stalls
bore the sign, Fish Market. Here fish of many brilliant colors and
quaint shapes were for sale; they were blotters, shaving cases,
pincushions, sachet bags, needle-books, housewives, pen-wipers, spool
and veil cases, emeries, court-plaster cases and kites. They were made
of inexpensive materials, but their novelty caused them to sell rapidly.
The fish market was well patronized. At the other stall, pillows and
lamp-shades were sold. Red linen pillows shaped like Japanese fish and
worked with black attracted a great deal of attention; other pillows had
poster fish swimming across them, and still others were adorned with
borders of fishes and anglers' maxims. Fish lamp-shades--scarlet, yellow
and delicately tinted--found a ready sale among the young people, and
caused much mirth. On the cake and candy table there were many toothsome
fishes--chocolate and clear candy fish, boxes of candy decorated with
fishing scenes in water-color and pen and ink, sandwiches cut out with
fish-shaped tin cutters, also fish-shaped cookies and small iced cakes.
The tops of the large cakes were ornamented with fish designs done with
contrasting colors of icing.
FLAGS OF NATIONS
Secure as many cards as there are to be guests, and paint or paste on
each of them some five or six small flags of different nations,
numbering each flag. Sometimes one can obtain small buttons with these
flags on them, and these answer quite as well. It is better to have each
card different, and to assort the flags, so that every card may contain
some not very generally known. The United States flag might be omitted,
as every one would be familiar with that; but the flag of Liberia could
be used on several cards, as its resemblance to our flag would be apt to
deceive many. Plates showing the various national flags in colors may be
found in the front of almost any unabridged dictionary.
Hand a card and a pencil to each guest. The pencil may be made quite
attractive by covering it with a strip of crepe paper in some bright
color. This can be easily accomplished by cutting the paper into
lengths a little longer than the pencil, pasting one side, and rolling
the pencil in the paper, then tying with a bow of narrow ribbon. After
the guests are supplied with cards and pencils let each one write
opposite the flags the names of the countries whose emblems they are.
This will be found no easy matter, unless the guest should be a sailor
or a globe-trotter, and many amusing guesses will be recorded.
The one who succeeds in guessing the countries correctly, or in guessing
nearest, might be rewarded with a United States flag pin or a pretty
silk flag. For making awards the hostess should have a list of the flags
that are on each card, which should be numbered, and compare the list
with the guesses handed in by the company.
FLORAL LOVE STORY
1. The girl's name and the color of her hair (Marigold).
2. The color of her eyes (violet).
3. Her brother's name and an adjective that just describes
her (Sweet William).
4. Her brother's favorite musical instrument (trumpet).
5. At what time did he awaken his father with it (four
o'clock).
6. With what did his father punish him (goldenrod).
7. What did the boy do (balsam).
8. What office in the Presbyterian Church did her father
fill (elder).
9. Being a farmer, what was his occupation in spring
(plantain).
10. Her lover's name and what he wrote it with (jonquil).
11. What, being single, he often lost (bachelor's buttons).
12. What confectionery he took to her (peppermint).
13. What he did when he proposed (aster).
14. What ghastly trophy did he lay at her feet (bleeding
heart).
15. What did she give him in return (heartsease).
16. What did she say to him (Johnny-jump-up).
17. What flower did he cultivate (tulips).
18. To whom did she refer him (poppy).
19. What minister married them (Jack-in-the-pulpit).
20. What was wished with regard to their happiness
(live-forever).
21. When he went away, what did she say to him
(forget-me-not).
22. With what did she punish her children (lady's-slipper).
23. What hallowed their last years (sweet peas).
FLOWER BAZAAR
Six booths, if properly planned, will mean a small but picturesque
bazaar. Five of these booths may represent flowers, and many of the
articles sold from them may be made at home by members of the society
which the sale is designed to aid.
Drape the Lily booth in white, decorate it with Easter lilies and light
it with fairy lamps with white shades. Little novelties for Easter gifts
may be sold here--the pretty trifles which are easily made.
The Violet booth may be almost self-decorative if Easter cards and
dainty booklets bearing the flower are displayed. Many choice bits of
verse and short paragraphs of uplifting thought may be found in the
religious publications of to-day, and if these are carefully mounted on
white cards and tied with violet ribbon to a bunch of the fresh flowers
they will make the most cheering of Easter messages. Provision should be
made at the booth for the cards to be autographed with the names of the
senders.
The Tulip booth may be the gayest of the gay, and there the children
should find Easter eggs in all colors of the rainbow. The booth should
be lighted with gay lanterns. Those in charge should appear in Oriental
costumes.
The choice of decorations for the Pansy booth is a wide one. Light green
would make a good background to set off the bowls of different colored
blossoms adorning the table. At this booth flower seeds, bulbs and
plants of all kinds might be on sale. Seedlings are always ready
sellers.
A booth which would prove very popular with housewives would be the one
where Daffodils are in evidence, and there the egg delicacies for Easter
menus might be on sale: stuffed eggs, pickled eggs, egg salad, custards,
and angel and sponge cakes. Over this booth place a large yellow
umbrella, fringed with daffodils. On a card fastened to the handle have
the familiar quotation:
"Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares."
Butterflies fluttering over the Candy booth, as if attracted by the
sweets there, will induce others to come for the same sweets. The
butterflies may be made of crepe paper and suspended above the booth by
invisible wires; the vibration of the air will make them appear very
real. The little maid who presides should be gowned to represent a
butterfly.
Care should be taken that the attendants at the different booths are
dressed in colors to harmonize with the decorative scheme.
FLOWER GUESSING CONTEST
1. My first wears my second on her foot. (Lady's slipper)
2. A Roman numeral. (IV-Ivy)
3. The hour before my English cousin's tea. (Four-o'clock)
4. Good marketing. (Butter and eggs)
5. A gay young man and a ferocious animal. (Dandelion)
6. My first is often sought for my second. (Marigold)
7. A young man's farewell to his sweetheart. (Forget-me-not)
8. Her reply to him. (Sweet William)
9. The gentler sex of the Friend persuasion. (Quaker ladies)
10. Its own doctor. (Self-heal)
11. My first is as sharp as needles, my second is as soft as
down. (Thistledown)
12. My first is a country in Asia, my second is the name of
a prominent New York family. (China Aster)
13. My first is the name of a bird, my second is worn by
cavalrymen. (Larkspur)
14. A church official. (Elder)
15. A very precise lady. (Primrose)
16. A tattered songster. (Ragged Robin)
17. My first is sly but cannot wear my second. (Foxglove)
18. The color of a horse. (Sorrel)
19. A craze in Holland in the seventeenth century. (Tulip)
20. My first is an implement of war, my second is a place
where money is coined. (Spearmint)
21. A disrespectful name for a physician. (Dock)
22. Fragrant letters. (Sweet peas)
23. My first is a white wood, my second is the name of a
yellow Rhenish wine. (Hollyhock)
24. What the father said to the son in the morning.
(Johnny-jump-up)
25. My first is a facial expression of pleasure, my second a
woodsman's means of livelihood. (Smilax)
26. An animal of the jungle is my first, my second is the
name of a tall, fair lady. (Tiger Lily)
27. My first is made in a dairy but is seldom served in my
second. (Buttercup)
28. My first wears my second on his head. (Coxcomb)
29. A close companion. (Stick-tight)
30. A fashionable shade for evening dresses. (Heliotrope)
FLOWER LUNCHEONS
DAISY LUNCHEON.--Just before luncheon the hostess may crown each guest
with a wreath, which she has prepared by tying the blossoms on circles
of fine wire.
In the centre of the luncheon-table have a large bunch of blossoms and
also a few scattered carelessly over the table. Trim the edge of the
table with a chain of daisies, looped up here and there. At each corner
have a large bow of ribbon, either white or of three colors, yellow,
green and white.
Serve only light refreshments. Yellow and white ices served together
would be pretty. By all means have your cakes cooked in patty-pans. Ice
the little cakes with chocolate, and on top of each have a life-size
daisy. Any amateur can make this decoration successfully. Boil your
icing thick and squeeze it through a small funnel made of thick
writing-paper in order to make the long, narrow, white petals of a
daisy. Reserve a small portion of the icing and tint it bright yellow
for the centres. The effect will be quite pretty.
After refreshments are served supply each guest with a sheet of paper
and a tiny pencil with a ribbon bow at the end (these pencils can be
purchased for a cent apiece). Announce that the guest who draws the most
natural daisy will be awarded a prize. Distribute the blossoms for
models. Pin all of the papers upon the wall and let the guests decide
which is the most lifelike flower. Award a pretty book to the one who
succeeds best and a booklet of pressed flowers to the second best.
BUTTERCUP LUNCHEON.--A very effective arrangement of buttercups for a
luncheon is here suggested. It must be remembered that this flower
closes at night and therefore is not suitable for an evening decoration.
In the centre of the table arrange a circle of large rock ferns, and in
the circle thus made place an inverted round pudding-dish, surrounding
it with a large wreath of buttercups. Place the wreath so that half of
each fern leaf will project beyond the buttercups. On the pudding-dish,
the sides of which are hidden by the wreath, place a fern-dish full of
growing ferns, and almost hidden among them a green glass vase filled
with buttercups and grasses. This same idea may be carried out with
daisies.
OX-EYED DAISIES may be used for a luncheon-table decoration very
effectively. In the centre of a round table, arranged to seat eight
people, place a mound of daisies and mountain ferns and have a rope of
daisies running from each plate to the centre. The ends of the ropes may
be hidden in the mound.
VIOLET LUNCHEON.--In the centre of a table stand a large cut-glass bowl
on a violet embroidered centrepiece. Fill this bowl with smilax and pink
carnations. In the centre of the bowl place a tall green glass vase and
make it secure by passing four lengths of ribbon crossed over the top of
it, fastening the ends on the edge of the centrepiece with little bows.
In the green vase place eight bunches of violets. From each bouquet run
violet baby-ribbons ending in a little bow at each place. This will make
a number of ribbons resembling a May-pole. After the luncheon each guest
may unfasten the little bow at her place, give the ribbon a jerk, and
draw a bunch of violets. The ribbons passing over the top of the vase
will hold the vase firmly in place.
APPLE-BLOSSOM LUNCHEON.--For this use blossoms which are but half blown.
Place branches of them in glass bottles full of water and fasten with
wires to the backs of the pictures in the dining-room. The sideboard
should be covered with great branches put in tall cut-glass vases and
low silver bowls; the mantel banked, and in the corners of the room tall
Japanese jars filled with great spraying branches. In the centre of the
table may be placed a vase filled with pure white cherry blossoms. The
candlesticks should be shaded with white and silver. Back of a screen at
each end of the room a lamp may be set to give a brilliant light to the
flowers on the wall, without the glare of the lamp being visible.
PANSY LUNCHEON.--A pretty and an original way to decorate a table with
pansies when one has quantities of these flowers is to place in the
centre of the table upon a glass salver an old-fashioned glass
fruit-bowl on a pedestal. Fill the fruit-bowl and salver with white
cornmeal which has been well soaked in cold water, and in this insert
the pansy stems. They should be placed as thickly as possible. Around
the outer edge of the salver have a border of maidenhair fern. An oblong
glass dish arranged in a similar manner may be placed at each end of the
table. If desired little dishes arranged in the same way may also be
used.
"RAINY-DAY LUNCHEON."--This is certainly an original idea. Place an old
umbrella frame vertically in a fernery and twist smilax around the frame
and down each spoke. At the base of the fernery make a bed of violets as
large around in circumference as the umbrella. At the luncheon hour hide
a small lump of ice in the smilax at the end of each spoke, allowing it
to melt and drip on the violets. This makes a pretty decoration for a
luncheon, particularly if wild violets can be procured.
FLOWER PARTY
When the guests have assembled, each one is given a tiny flower-pot.
These are easily made out of red paper--a long strip and a round, with
the aid of the mucilage pot. In these tiny pots the following list of
flowers to be guessed is tucked away:
MAKE THESE HIDDEN FLOWERS SPROUT
1. An amiable man. (Sweet William)
2. The pulse of the business world. (Stocks)
3. A title for the sun. (Morning-glory)
4. A bird and a riding accessory. (Larkspur)
5. A pillar of a building and a syllable that rhymes with
dine. (Columbine)
6. A flower between mountains. (Lily of the valley)
7. A farewell sentiment. (Forget-me-not)
8. A dude and an animal. (Dandelion)
9. A part of the day. (Four-o'clock)
10. The result of Cupid's arrows. (Bleeding heart)
11. The place for a kiss. (Tulips)
12. A yellow stick. (Goldenrod)
13. A product of the dairy and a drinking utensil.
(Buttercup)
14. One of the Four Hundred. (Aster)
15. What Cinderella should have advertised for. (Lady's
slipper)
16. A wild animal and a bit of outdoor wearing apparel.
(Foxglove)
The list of answers is of course kept in hand by the hostess. When the
first part of the game has been played and the answers verified, a
continuation of the fun is a contest of all as to who can write the best
verse containing in any way whatever all the above flowers. Judges must
be appointed, and, of course, prizes awarded for the verse contest as
well as for the guessing game. This last contest may be omitted, if
wished, but it adds fun and calls forth much ingenuity and cleverness.
The prizes might be little potted plants, so many of which grace the
florists' windows at this time of year; these for the women, and
scarf-pins in the shape of flowers for the men.
To select partners for refreshments, give to each lady a flower of a
different variety; if it is impossible to secure a sufficient quantity
of natural blossoms, paper ones will do quite as well, and these may be
made at home. To the gentlemen hand cards bearing quotations referring
to some flower, but inserting a blank where the name occurs. Each
gentleman may claim his partner when he finds the flower that fits his
verse.
The following are a few suggestive quotations:
"A (violet) by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye."
"As the (sunflower) turns on her god when he sets
The same look which she turn'd when he rose."
"Gather ye (rosebuds) while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying."
"And there is (pansies); that's for thoughts."
"Pale fear oppress'd the drooping maid--
And on her cheek the (rose) began to fade."
"And the blue (gentian-flower), that, in the breeze,
Nods lonely, of her beauteous race the last."
For the supper have a salad served in little paper boxes decorated with
strips of pink tissue paper cut either in narrow slashes like the
chrysanthemum petals, or in broader ones to represent the rose. Ices can
be obtained in many flower forms, and if to these be added real stems
and leaves, the service will be as dainty and attractive as possible.
FLOWERS ILLUSTRATED
1. Buttercup.
2. Daisy.
3. Sunflower.
4. Trumpet vine.
5. Lily of the valley.
6. Morning-glory.
7. Violet.
8. Dandelion.
9. Lady's-slipper.
10. Bachelor's-button.
11. Aster.
12. Tulip.
13. Goldenrod.
14. Cat-tail.
15. Sweet William.
16. Sweet peas.
17. Ragged sailor.
18. Bleeding heart.
19. Poppy.
20. Black-eyed Susan.
21. Foxglove.
22. Queen's lace handkerchief.
23. Bluebell.
24. Everlasting.
25. Marshmallow.
26. Solomon's-seal.
They are illustrated in this way: 1. A cup of butter. 2. The picture of
a book, cut from a magazine, having the title blotted out, and showing
only the words, "by Charlotte M. Yonge" (the author of "The Daisy
Chain"). 3. A colored illustration of the solar spectrum. 4. A tin
trumpet. 5. A picture of a valley. 6. A card upon which is printed "6 A.
M." 7. A picture of a book upon which is written, "by Julia Magruder"
(author of "The Violet"). 8. The picture of a lion, to which has been
added, with pen and ink, a silk hat, collar and cane. 9. A pair of
slippers. 10. A variety of buttons, poorly sewed upon a piece of cloth.
11. A card upon which is written, "A well-known hotel and library." 12.
Photograph of a part of a face. 13. A slender stick, gilded. 14. A
picture of cats. 15. A card with the words "Dear Will." 16. A few peas
in a saucer of sugar. 17. A Brownie sailor, torn and dilapidated. 18. A
red paper heart. 19. The written words, "Sleep, sweet sleep." 20. A
picture of a girl, the eyes having been painted black. 21. A pair of
gloves. 22. A dainty handkerchief. 23. A small bell, painted blue. 24. A
leather advertisement under which are the words, "Never wear out." 25.
A box of marshmallows. 26. A large seal with the letter S.
To the one who succeeds in finding the greatest number of flowers can be
given a beautiful basket of roses.
FOURTH OF JULY MUSEUM
The invitations, gay with the national colors, stated that Miss Blank,
in order to encourage patriotism in her native town, had made a museum
collection of curios connected with noted Americans, and bade a choice
selection of her fellow-townsmen to meet and view the rare objects.
The booklets passed around among the guests upon their arrival were
attractive enough, a tiny flag being painted in one corner of the cover,
which also contained the legend:
The Fourth of July Museum
At Miss Blank's
July the Fourth
Nineteen hundred and blank.
A red, white and blue ribbon held the booklet together, and at the end
of this was a small white pencil.
We found it best to pair off the players, for two heads are so much
better than one, and it is a great satisfaction to give help to one's
neighbor without fear and without reproach. Each of the booklets
contained a date or an event in United States history, and the man who
drew the booklet containing "1492" became the partner of the girl who
held "Discovery of America."
The museum specimens were arranged on tables or mounted on cards, and
each one was numbered conspicuously. The following list of twenty-two
names was used. It can be lengthened, or the celebrities may be
otherwise represented, according to the resources of the hostess.
Magazine pictures of the articles may be substituted for the real
thing, to simplify preparations. Here is the list, which may be greatly
extended:
Paul Revere--a toy horse with rider, labeled "The Horse
Travels Best by Night."
Abraham Lincoln--two small darkies, labeled "All Free."
Washington--a bunch of cherries, labeled "Our National
Fruit."
Carrie Nation--a toy hatchet, labeled "You Think You Know.
Guess Again."
General Grant--a chocolate cigar.
Theodore Roosevelt--a doll's Rough Rider hat.
Richmond Hobson--a confectioner's "kiss."
Barbara Frietchie--the national flag.
Theodore Thomas--a bar of music and a street-car
_conductor's_ cap.
Benjamin Harrison--his grandfather's hat.
Mark Twain--_Two_ pencil-_marks_.
P. T. Barnum--a hippopotamus, labeled "The Greatest Show on
Earth."
Harriet Beecher Stowe--"Uncle Tom's Cabin," represented by a
toy negro cabin.
Priscilla Alden--a picture of a Puritan at a spinning-wheel.
Jefferson Davis--a Confederate dollar bill.
William J. Bryan--a silver dollar (number _sixteen_ in the
collection).
Miss Stone--the _stone_ figure of a woman, labeled
"Kidnapped," or a copy of Stevenson's "Kidnapped."
Joseph Jefferson--a little dog, labeled "My Dog Schneider."
Nathaniel Hawthorne--"The Scarlet Letter," represented by a
medium-size red envelope.
Eli Whitney--a cotton-gin, represented by a branch of
cotton, and a bottle, labeled "Pure Holland Gin."
Robert Fulton--a toy steamboat.
Benjamin Franklin--a kite and a key.
The national colors may be used effectively in the decorations of the
rooms or of the table, and the prizes for the winners may be silk flags,
photographs of historic places or other souvenirs suggestive of the day.
Appropriate place-cards for a Fourth of July luncheon or dinner may be
made by covering small glass bottles about the size of a firecracker
with red tissue paper, and filling them with little candies. By cutting
the corks even with the bottles and drawing a small piece of twine
through for a fuse, a clever imitation of a cracker is made. The names
of the guests may be put vertically on the bottles.
GAME OF NATIONS
Provide each guest with a list of questions, with spaces left for the
answers. The answers consist of words ending in "N-A-T-I-O-N." Here are
the questions and the answers:
1. A popular flower. 1. Carnation.
2. Unruliness. 2. Insubordination.
3. A gift for charitable purposes. 3. Donation.
4. The installation of a king. 4. Coronation.
5. Resolution, or "grit." 5. Determination.
6. The murder of an eminent person. 6. Assassination.
7. Fancy, or mental representations. 7. Imagination.
8. Making anything clear. 8. Explanation.
9. A small surgical operation legally enforced.
9. Vaccination.
10. The giving up of an office. 10. Resignation.
11. A joining or putting together. 11. Combination.
12. The choosing of a candidate. 12. Nomination.
The prizes should then be awarded. A pretty silk banner will be
acceptable to a man, while a big bunch of red and white carnations tied
with a blue ribbon, or a pound of confectionery in a box decorated with
flags and other patriotic emblems will make a pretty gift for a lady.
GEOGRAPHICAL GAME
Seat the players in a ring. Let the first one say aloud the name of a
city, mountain, river, lake, etc., located in any part of the world; the
next player give a name beginning with the final letter of the
previously said name, and the third supply one beginning with the final
letter of the second, and so on around the ring. Thus: America, Athens,
Santiago, Ohio. Each player is allowed thirty seconds in which to think.
If, by the end of that time, he has failed to supply a name, he must
drop out of the game. The one who keeps up longest is the champion. Any
player, at any time, may be challenged to give the geographical location
of the place he has named. If, on demand, he cannot do so he must pay a
forfeit.
GEORGE AND MARTHA TEA
The walls should be hung with red, white and blue bunting, relieved at
regular intervals with shields and small hatchets made of flowers in the
national colors.
Have George and Martha receive the guests, and there may be also a
number of men and women attired in colonial costumes to introduce
strangers and see that all have a good time.
Behind a bower of foliage an orchestra might play the national airs, and
as the object of the evening should be to promote sociability, it would
be well to have a number of interesting games in which all can join.
One of these might be a list of the presidents in anagram form, written
on a large blackboard; the names in parentheses, of course, are not
written out, thus:
1. L m jak pokes (James K. Polk)
2. Yatch lazy roar (Zachary Taylor)
3. Lord film rill a me (Millard Fillmore)
4. Knife lancer rip (Franklin Pierce)
5. Jamb haunce ans (James Buchanan)
6. Berth your she fad (Rutherford B. Hayes)
7. C H hurt a rare set (Chester A. Arthur)
8. Jasmine in horn bar (Benjamin Harrison)
9. Willie m mink clay (William McKinley)
10. O shogging rantwee (George Washington)
11. Jam nod has (John Adams)
12. Oft John fear mess (Thomas Jefferson)
13. Mard jess moan (James Madison)
14. Jo means more (James Monroe)
15. Jay chins Quon dam (John Quincy Adams)
16. Son rack and Jew (Andrew Jackson)
17. A rum Tannin verb (Martin Van Buren)
18. Harsh iron aim will (William H. Harrison)
19. If gales mead jar (James A. Garfield)
20. Carver delve long (Grover Cleveland)
21. Man in cab or hall (Abraham Lincoln)
22. Yes glass turns (Ulysses S. Grant)
23. Holy rent J (John Tyler)
At the end of half an hour present to the most successful guesser a
George Washington hat of violet candy, filled with red and white
bonbons.
But let the main feature of the evening be a small room fashioned into a
portrait-drawing studio, the lads and lassies in charge and everything
about the room having an old-time look.
Above the door have printed in the quaint spelling of long ago that all
who wish can have a silhouette picture of themselves for only five
cents, and doubtless a goodly sum will be realized, as people are
always interested, not only in their own, but in their friends'
physiognomy, and much fun will follow in exchanging shadow pictures.
Have ready a quantity of large sheets of paper, black on one side and
white on the other, also white cardboard; a sheet of paper is to be
fastened to the wall, white side out, and a lighted candle placed about
three feet from the paper. Then the one having his picture taken is
seated between the candle and wall, so that a strongly defined profile
falls upon the paper; the shadow is to be traced with a steady hand, cut
out, and then pasted on the cardboard, with the black side of the paper
out.
An old-fashioned candelabrum, surrounded by a wreath of blue violets and
red and white carnations, might grace the centre of the dining-table,
and at either end tall silver candlesticks with candles burning under
shades of a rosy hue might be placed.
Let the bonbons be held in boxes imitating the cocked hat of the
Continental Army; have sandwiches of different kinds and sorts, with
tiny silk flags bearing the name of the sandwich. Besides these the
eatables might consist of good old-fashioned gingerbread, crullers,
doughnuts, and coffee, followed by apples and nuts.
GIRLS' NAMES CONTEST
1. What an army would do if it found a river too deep to
ford. (Bridget)
2. An admirable quality in a young woman. (Grace)
3. The most prominent of Easter flowers. (Lily)
4. The time for violets. (May)
5. A gem. (Pearl)
6. What papa does with the baby. (Carrie)
7. How to write a postscript. (Adaline)
8. The flower of June. (Rose)
9. What a scissors-grinder and a locomotive have in common.
(Belle)
10. A virtue. (Patience)
11. An article. (Ann)
12. First steps in music. (Dora [do-re])
13. Two consecutive letters of the alphabet in transposed
order. (Effie [F-E])
14. The night before. (Eve)
15. A little valley. (Adelle)
The slips are to be collected and the one having the greatest number of
correct answers may be rewarded with some inexpensive souvenir.
GOLF LUNCHEON
When our golfing enthusiast desires to entertain her golfing friends,
she cannot do better than bid them to a luncheon set to the keynote of
their favorite sport.
Naturally, the table decorations will be red and green--deep red roses
or scarlet geraniums laid in flat bunches upon the "fair field" of snowy
cloth and encircling the dishes, caught together by "links" of smilax.
Perhaps, too, pale green candles, beneath ruby-hued shades, might still
further carry out the scheme of color.
The table may be arranged with a "putting green" in the centre made of a
square of sponge cake frosted with pistachio. A little hole should be
cut in the centre. Miniature caddy bags made of red satin and filled
with red geraniums and ferns are pretty decorations. A little golf ball
for the "putting green" can be made by covering a preserved cherry with
white icing. "Bunkers" can be made across the corners of the table by
using fine wire netting. At each place a small caddy bag can hold the
knives, forks, and spoons of the service, and in the bottom of the bag
can be placed a "Jackson ball"--one of those hard, striped red and
white, old-fashioned candies.
The bread sticks and cheese straws should be fashioned like golfing
sticks, and the ices be in the form of balls, small and white. Lastly,
with the coffee and bonbons, are passed souvenir cards on which are
daintily painted bags of golfing implements, heads of pretty girls in
outing hats, or bits of rural landscape.
GOLF PLAYERS' GUESSING CONTEST
1. A coachman. (Driver)
2. An oriental herb. (Tee)
3. A receptacle for the herb. (Caddie)
4. What an impudent fellow is apt to be. (Brassie)
5. A rustic expression for aimless working. (Putter)
6. A bazaar, and a color. (Fair-green)
7. The point of a pen and a lap of the tongue. (Niblic)
8. To crush and two letters. (Mashie)
9. A chance. (Hazard)
10. A large social function. (Ball)
11. A definite and an indefinite number. (Foursome)
12. Parts of a chain. (Links)
13. A bed and to mistake. (Bunker)
14. Number twenty. (Score)
15. Little pits. (Holes)
The two who, within a given time, answer the most of these fifteen
questions should be rewarded with appropriate prizes, as one of the
handy little score books to be slipped upon the belt, containing the
official score; a picture of the typical golf girl; or some volume on
the popular and fascinating game.
GOOD LUCK PARTY
This was given by a clever maiden to a departing girl friend, but the
idea could be utilized in various ways.
Each invitation took the form of a cordial note which was written on
white note-paper bordered with pen-and-ink sketches of horseshoes,
wishbones and four-leaf clovers.
Enclosed with each invitation was a guest card with the name of the
person receiving it written in gilt at the top. Below this was a row of
horseshoes, also done in gilt. Each guest was requested to write on this
card a toast, in rhyme, to the departing friend, and to bring it to the
party on the appointed evening.
The decorations of the rooms upon the evening of the party were
appropriate to the occasion. Horseshoes gilded or covered with tin-foil
hung over the folding doors and window-curtains, and depended from the
chandeliers, which were draped with festoons of ribbon ornamented with
wishbones and horseshoes of all sizes cut from gilt paper.
A large screen standing in front of the dining-room doors was decorated
with artificial clover blossoms. In the dining-room similar decorations
prevailed. In the centre of the dining-table, upon a centrepiece
embroidered with the emblems of good luck, stood a candelabra bearing
green and white candles. Encircling the centrepiece was a large
horseshoe of cardboard covered with green paper. Outside the horseshoe
outlining it were small glasses resting on green paper clover leaves.
At each corner of the table was placed a plate of delicious sugar
cookies baked in the shape of four-leaf clovers; each one was topped
with a gilded wish-bone.
The chairs were arranged around the room in the form of a horseshoe.
The main feature of the evening was the hunt for four-leaf clovers.
These leaves, which were cut out of green glacé paper, had been hidden
by the hostess in every nook and corner of the down-stairs rooms, and
much amusement was afforded the young people as they eagerly sought
them. At the conclusion of a given time the signal to stop hunting was
given and each guest counted the leaves he or she had found. The one
having the greatest number was presented with a dainty stick-pin in the
shape of a four-leaf clover.
The refreshments consisted only of ginger ale and cookies, and as her
guests partook of them the hostess read aloud the toasts which had been
handed to her. She presented them at the conclusion of the evening to
the guest of honor.
Each guest was next asked to tell "the biggest piece of good luck which
ever came to you." The numerous recitals given created no end of fun.
When the party broke up and the good-nights were said each guest carried
away as a souvenir of the occasion a bright new penny for a "luck
piece."
GYPSY FORTUNE-TELLING
Added to the charm and mystery of having one's fortune told is the great
pleasure which may be derived from having it told by a gypsy, even
though she may be an amateur.
An hour of amusement may be passed very delightfully in this way,
provided the hostess can make the necessary arrangements with some
quick-witted, bright young girl, who will be willing to take the part of
the gypsy. Several days before the evening's entertainment the hostess
should give her friend a list of the expected guests, with a few notes
concerning their traits of character, environment, etc., and these
suggestions, in addition to the knowledge of the persons which she
possesses, and her own inventiveness, will give her an excellent
opportunity apparently to look back in the past, and forward to the
future--especially if she happen to discover that any engaged couples
are to be present. The gypsy should arrive at the house of the hostess a
little early on the evening of the entertainment, and be shown to an
up-stairs room to don her gypsy attire. She should then descend to the
dimly-lighted parlor and seat herself in readiness for the guests when
they shall arrive.
As the guests arrive and remove their wraps they should be received and
greeted in the library or reception-room, and the hostess should then
announce that a gypsy is in the parlor. Having learned in some way that
there was to be a large party there, she has begged the privilege of
coming in to tell fortunes for the pretty ladies, so that she might earn
a few pennies. The guests repair to the dimly-lighted parlor, where the
gypsy is seated. As each guest advances and seats himself, the gypsy
takes the extended right hand and reads the lines--improvising as she
does so in broken English.
HALLOWE'EN BOX CAKE
The newest fashion in Hallowe'en supper-table decoration is a cake made
of white pasteboard boxes, in shape like pieces of pie, which fit
together and give the appearance of a large cake. Each one of the boxes
is covered with a white paper which resembles frosting. At the close of
the feast the pieces are distributed, each box containing some little
souvenir suitable to Hallowe'en. One box, of course, contains a ring,
another a thimble, a third a piece of silver, a fourth a mitten, a fifth
a fool's cap, and so on. Much fun is created as the boxes are opened,
and the person who secures the ring is heartily congratulated. The
unlucky individual who gets the fool's cap must wear it for the evening.
HALLOWE'EN GAMES
Have a card and a candle for each guest, the candles in as many
different colors as possible, and one corner of each card turned down
and tied with baby ribbon--one color for ladies, and another for
gentlemen. On the cards have couplets written foretelling future events,
such as:
Who gets the candle colored red
Will have long life, but never wed.
If you choose the candle green
You'll have the prettiest wife e'er seen.
For you the kind fates have a plan
Whereby you sure _will_ get a man.
Let each guest take a card and a candle (if the base of the candle is
warmed it will stick to the card), read the couplet aloud, then light
the candle, and holding it at arm's length blow it out. If it is blown
out upon the first trial the person will be married within a year; if
upon the second trial, within two years, etc.
Write rhymes of four or six lines on thin paper, and place in chestnut
shells. Tie together with ribbon, the ladies' in one color, the
gentlemen's in another. If there are personal hits in the rhymes, tie
the name of the person for whom each one is intended on the outside of
the shell.
Hide a ring, a thimble and a penny in the room. To the one who finds the
ring speedy marriage is assured; the thimble denotes a life of single
blessedness; the penny promises wealth.
Have one of the young ladies who knows a little palmistry be the witch
of the evening. A short, bright-hued skirt, a gay plaid shawl crossed
over her shoulders, a scarf bound about her head, will make a very
striking costume, and, with the aid of a little paint and powder, quite
an effective disguise. If she is enough acquainted with the guests to
give some personal history she can produce some very "telling" fortunes.
After the witch has exhausted her ingenuity as palmist, let her offer to
disclose the name of the future bride or groom of each one present, by
means of the fairy mirror. The room she uses should be dimly lighted.
She writes the name on a mirror with French chalk, rubs it off lightly
with a silk handkerchief, and calls in the person for whom the name is
written.
Prepare a basket of rosy cheeked apples, each with the initials of a
name pricked in the skin, which names must be used in counting the apple
seeds.
After the supper table has been cleared of all except the decorations
and candles, have a large dish filled with burning alcohol and salt
brought in and placed in the centre. Seated around this ghostly fire,
all other lights except the candles having been extinguished, let the
guests tell stirring stories rigmarole fashion; that is, some one
starting the story and stopping short at its most exciting point and
letting his neighbor continue it, etc., each one trying to make it as
interesting as possible.
HALLOWE'EN PARTY
All formality must be dispensed with on Hallowe'en. Not only will quaint
customs and mystic tricks be in order, but the decorations and
refreshments, and even the place of meeting, must be as strange and
mystifying as possible.
For the country or suburban home a roomy barn is decidedly the best
accommodation that can be provided. If this is not practicable, a large
attic, running the entire length of the house, is the next choice; but
if this also is denied the ambitious hostess, let the kitchen be the
place of meeting and of mystery, with the dining-room, cleared of its
usual furniture and decorated suitably for the occasion, reserved for
the refreshments.
The light should be supplied only by Jack-o'-lanterns hung here and
there about the kitchen, with candles in the dining-room.
The decorations need not be expensive to be charming, no matter how
large the room. Large vases of ferns and chrysanthemums and umbrella
stands of fluffy grasses will be desirable; but if these cannot be
readily obtained, quantities of gayly tinted autumn leaves will be quite
as appropriate. Festoons of nuts, bunches of wheat or oats, and strings
of cranberries may also help to brighten the wall decorations, and the
nuts and cranberries will be useful in many odd arrangements for
ornamenting the refreshment table.
Have the table long enough (even if it must be extended with boards the
whole length of the barn or attic) to accommodate all the guests at
once. Arrange huge platters of gingerbread at each corner, with dishes
of plain candies and nuts here and there, and pyramids of fruit that
will be quickly demolished when the guests are grouped about the table.
No formal waiting will be desirable.
HALLOWE'EN SUGGESTIONS
Have mirrors everywhere: big mirrors, medium-sized mirrors, and little,
wee mirrors, all reflecting and multiplying countless candles that burn
in candlesticks of every description (most novel are those made from
long-necked gourds and tiny squashes).
Across the top and down the sides of each doorway hang festoons of
yellow and white corn and turn the husks back to show the firm,
glistening kernels. Each window can be garlanded in like manner as well
as the tops of mantels and picture frames. Clusters of red ears may
depend from the chandeliers. Here and there, in the most unexpected
corners, can be placed Jack-o'-lanterns, smiling or gnashing their
teeth, amid great shocks of corn. The great hall and stairway can be
draped with fish-nets through the meshes of which are thrust many ears
of corn. A stately Jack must point the guests up the stairs where two
other individuals will usher them to the dressing-rooms.
Drape one doorway with a portière of apples--apples strung on strings of
varying lengths. As the guests pass through, the tallest stoop for those
suspended on the longest strings and the shortest reach for those on the
short strings. Those who succeed in throwing three tiny apples through
the horseshoe, which is hung in the midst of these apples, are assured
of phenomenal luck for the ensuing year.
In another doorway hang a big pear-shaped pumpkin, on whose shining
surface all the letters of the alphabet have been burned with a hot
poker. Keep this rapidly twirling while the guests, in turn, try to stab
some letter with long meat-skewers. The letter that is hit will
establish beyond question the initial letter of one's fate.
Place in a tub of water red, yellow and green apples. Provide each guest
with a toy bow and arrow. The young man or maiden who succeeds in firing
an arrow into a red apple will be assured of good health; plenty of
money is in store for those shooting arrows into yellow ones; and good
luck is in store for those hitting the green ones.
Blindfold each girl present and, presenting her with a wand, lead her to
a table on which have been placed flags of the different men's colleges.
The flag her wand happens to touch will indicate the college of her
future husband.
Browning nuts, popping corn, roasting apples, and toasting marshmallows
will add a great deal to the pleasure of the evening.
The dining-table should be draped in pale green crepe paper, the lights
above being shrouded in gorgeous orange. Pumpkins of various sizes
should be scooped and scraped to a hollow shell and, lined with waxed
paper and filled with good things to eat, should be placed in the centre
of the table. Lighted candles and quaint oriental lanterns will add
greatly to the decorations.
The menu should include bannocks, scones, and other Scotch dainties. If
desired, droning bagpipes might accompany the feast.
After listening to ghostly tales related by white-draped figures, the
guests may receive all sorts of amusing souvenirs from a large pumpkin
placed on a table at the door.
HANDKERCHIEF BAZAAR
Of all our friends, both far and near,
We beg the kind attention;
So please to lend us now your ear,
While we a subject mention.
To carry on our C. E. work,
In the country and the city,
We need more money very bad,
And hope you'll help us with it.
The committee intend to hold
On a day not distant far
A sale for both the young and old,--
A handkerchief bazaar.
So this, then, is our plea in brief:
To aid our enterprise
We beg of you a handkerchief,
Of any kind or size.
_Please send by mail before April 5th to_
The above invitation, which should be printed on a neat card, explains
itself. The details of the bazaar may be arranged as desired.
HATCHET PARTY
If the Hatchet Party is given at home appropriate invitations can be
issued in the form of a hatchet, bearing the words in quaint letters:
"_Ye Young Women's Christian Temperance Union extends ye
invitation to meete ye Hatchet Familie of ye anciente tyme at
ye home of Miss May Caspel, 236 Bell Avenue, on Wednesday
evening, ye 22d of Februarie of ye year of our Lorde 1905, at
eight of ye clock._"
The decorations should conform to the spirit of the evening. A large
hatchet covered with white curled tissue paper may be hung in the hall.
Plaques of little red, white and blue hatchets may take the place of
flowers, and in the hall or reception room there should be a little
table of "Souvenirs." These should be little bronze hatchets with the
letters Y. W. C. T. U. on one side. Their handles should be tied with
narrow ribbon--red, white and blue--and each guest should be allowed to
select his color. Thus everybody has the opportunity offered to him of
becoming a member by selecting the white ribbon, and in this way
everybody is compelled to "show his colors."
If simple refreshments are served, let the Japanese napkins have a big
hatchet gilded on them, and let there be some plates of hatchet cookies,
formed by the cutter that any tinsmith will make from a pattern.
Have old-fashioned candy--peppermint, wintergreen, sassafras and
molasses--instead of bonbons. Play the old games--hunt the slipper,
blind man's buff, hide and seek.
Names for the members of the Hatchet Family who are to receive the
guests:
Johanna Adams Hatchet,
Tomazine Jefferson Hatchet,
Jamesina Madison Hatchet,
Jemima Monroe Hatchet,
J. Quinciana Adams Hatchet,
Andrewsia Jackson Hatchet,
Wilhemina Henrietta Harrison Hatchet,
Johnesetta Tyler Hatchet,
Marty Van Buren Hatchet,
Jinny Keturah Polk Hatchet,
Zacherina Taylor Hatchet,
Millarella Fillmore Hatchet.
Ask the girls who impersonate these characters to come in Martha
Washington dress, a flowered chintz or silk overdress, opening in front
to show a silk or sateen skirt of a plain color, which may be quilted if
desired. The waist is made to open over a white neckerchief and has
elbow sleeves. A little round mob cap of muslin or lace, with a frill, a
band of ribbon around it, and a coquettish bow complete the costume.
ICE FESTIVAL
To step from midsummer into winter was a surprise, when the admission
ticket was dropped in the box at the door on the night of the festival
and its erstwhile owner passed into the hall. Small tables stood by pine
and cedar trees that were covered with alum icicles and sifted over with
diamond dust. Here groups of friends ate their cream and cake together,
served by snow spirits in white tarletan gowns that sparkled with
diamond dust, or ice fays whose white costumes glittered with glass
beads. On the stage, white canton flannel and diamond dust, heavy gray
wrapping paper folded into rocks, trees and a rustic bridge made a
realistic representation of a snowclad landscape. The pleasing program
consisted of dainty dances by children dressed as snowflakes, a pretty
ball game played with snowballs, recitations and songs appropriate to
the winter season. Another novelty was a tree covered with raw cotton
snowballs, with numbers attached. These were sold for twenty-five
cents--each purchaser choosing a number--and contained the small fancy
articles usually sold at fairs--pincushions, needle-books, cups and
saucers, etc. The windows were all screened and electric fans hidden by
evergreens kept the hall from getting overheated. In one corner was a
large pond, made of a shallow wooden tank surrounded by more gray paper
rocks and white cotton snow, in which real cakes of ice were floating,
and from which any one was at liberty to dip as much ice water as he
cared to drink. This festival was a great success.
INAUGURATION DAY LUNCH
The guests at this luncheon are to represent the Vice-President and the
eight members of the Cabinet, but if the hostess wishes to entertain a
larger number, she can introduce one or two of the foreign Ambassadors.
Give to each guest, as she arrives, a card bearing the title of one of
the Cabinet, as the Secretary of State, the Attorney-General, and, if
necessary, the English Ambassador. While waiting for luncheon, each one
must guess the name of the man she represents, in order to know her
place at the table, where only the proper names, not the titles, will be
used. It will be surprising to discover how few of the members of the
Cabinet are known by name to the majority of persons.
Pink carnations will be appropriate for all decorations. Have a large
bowl of these in the centre of the table, and at each corner lay on the
cloth as a doily a spread eagle cut from gilt paper, the pattern for
which can be taken from a revenue flag or a ten dollar gold piece. Make
the distance from tip to tip of the wings about twelve inches, and from
the head to the tail seven inches. Place upon the eagles dishes of
olives, nuts, and pink candies.
From the chandelier to the corners of the table have sound money
festoons, which are made by cutting out of gilt paper a number of disks
the size of a twenty-five cent piece. Paste these together in pairs,
first laying between them a long thread which connects them through the
middle and forms a chain.
For favors have cards of water-color paper painted around the edges with
a festoon of pink ribbon, in which, at intervals, are knotted scrolls
and documentary envelopes upon which are printed some of the principles
of the Republican party, such as "The Monroe doctrine reaffirmed,"
"Reduction of war taxes," "Allegiance to the gold standard," etc. At the
top of each card write the name of the person whom each guest is to
represent.
In the centre of the card will be the menu, which is as follows:
Post Office Soup
The Army
The Navy Small Shot
Agricultural Salad
Cabinet Pudding
Ices Philippine Cakes
Coffee
A clear soup, with noodles for letters, fills the requirements of the
Post Office. The second course is creamed sweetbreads served in small
paper boxes, which stand upon large pilot crackers, or, in army
language, "hard tack." A sheet of paper folded double, like an army
tent, rests upon the crackers, covering the box; wooden toothpicks stuck
through the sides of the tent into the paper box will prevent the former
from slipping out of place, and can easily be removed after serving. On
the outside of the tents paint in large, clear letters U. S. A. The
crackers are to be eaten with the sweetbreads.
The navy is represented by having the chicken croquettes formed in the
shape of a ship, flat, and having one end pointed, the other somewhat
rounding. From a druggist get two or three straws, such as are used for
soda water, cut them into short lengths, and just before serving, stand
two or three in each croquette to represent smokestacks. If these straws
cannot be obtained, toothpick masts with paper sails will be quite as
effective. The croquettes should be served with green peas--small
shot--and scalloped potatoes.
Agricultural or vegetable salad, served in beets, makes a most
attractive looking dish. Beets of medium and uniform size are first
boiled until tender, then peeled and placed on the ice. When cold cut
off a slice at the bottom, so they will stand firm, scoop out the
insides, leaving only thin walls. For the filling use peas and apples,
celery and beets, cut into small pieces, and mixed well with mayonnaise;
fill the beets, serving them on lettuce leaves. The cabinet pudding is
that which is to be found in any cook book, baked in individual forms,
and served with foamy sauce.
The ices are in the form of horseshoes for good luck, and with them are
the Philippine cakes. These are small cakes having in the centre of each
a tiny black china doll, two of which can be purchased for a cent at any
toy shop. These are put in after the cake is baked and before icing,
leaving them just far enough out to show the arms.
The "coffee which makes the politician wise," may be served at the table
or after returning to the parlor.
INDEPENDENCE DAY NECESSITIES
1. A powerful submarine weapon of offense.
2. A destroying element, and an accompaniment to an
oyster-stew.
3. An ancient civilization, and a feeble means of light.
4. A woman's toilet necessity, and part of a wagon.
5. A color, and the means of warmth.
6. The chief implement of warfare.
7. A two-wheeled vehicle, and the peak of a house.
8. Where Nature's wealth is stored.
9. A kind of stone used in paving.
10. Bardolph's companion in King Henry IV.
11. One kind of headgear.
12. What a wise mother does not do to her baby.
13. A carnation with u instead of i.
14. A musical organization, and a long lapse of time.
15. An Irishman's name, a disorderly uprising, and an
intellectual fad.
The answers are held by the hostess, of course, and are only divulged
after all the guesses are in. They are as follows:
ANSWERS
1. Torpedoes.
2. Fire-crackers.
3. Roman candles.
4. Pinwheels.
5. Red fire.
6. Guns.
7. Cart-ridge.
8. Mines.
9. Flag.
10. Pistol.
11. Caps.
12. Rock it (Rocket).
13. Pink P(u)nk.
14. Band-ages.
15. Pat-riot-ism.
INDEPENDENCE DAY MENU
Soup a la Americaine (Potato)
Colonial Pot Roast
Baked Tomatoes Stewed Corn
Butter Beans
Columbia Salad, with Star-shaped Wafers
Virginia Corn Bread
Independence Pudding, Hard Sauce
Washington Pie Election Cake
Nuts Fruit
Coffee
INDIAN DINNER PARTY
Invitations may be printed or written on birch bark or paper imitations
of same, or on paper cut into the shape of tomahawks, tepees, etc., and
may be hand-painted if desired. Decorations should be Indian blankets
(as portières, couch covers, and mantel draperies), Indian rugs,
baskets, tomahawks, bows and arrows, war clubs, chromos, colored
photographs, clay or papier-mâché Indian heads, plaques and busts, etc.,
any of which would make suitable favors. A miniature wigwam made of
blankets in an out-of-the-way corner, adds effectiveness. Footman and
maids may be dressed in Indian costumes made of burlap with bright
colored trimmings and fringes; or the guests may be invited _en
costume_.
For table decoration a skin should be placed over table cloth through
the centre of the table and upon it an Indian basket filled with any red
or yellow common flowers, such as marigolds or nasturtiums (red and
yellow), or better still with wild flowers, red or yellow.
The menu cards and name cards, of stiff ecru paper, have Indian
decorations in brilliant red, green and orange; the candles are also
striped in the same vivid colors and the candle holders are made of corn
husks. The canoe, designed for the entree, which is the chicken, is made
of heavy brown paper.
MENU FOR INDIAN DINNER
Squaw Soup
(Bouillon)
Wigwam Croquettes
(Fish)
Chicken a la Canoe
Saddle of Mutton
Choctaw Peas Apache Gravy
Arrowhead Potatoes
Calumet Squabs
Pappoose Rolls Wickiup Salad
(Romain)
Prune Sioux
(Feather Cream)
Hiawatha Cakes Indian Punch
Grasshopper Cheese Tomahawk Coffee
INDOOR LAWN PARTY
Our social committee, of which I was then chairman, wanted very much to
have a lawn party; but the season for such things was quite over, as the
evenings were too cool. However, a bright idea occurred to one of our
number, and we decided to have an indoor lawn party.
The Saturday afternoon before it was to take place, four of the
committee took a team, went out into the woods, and secured a lot of
pine boughs, autumn leaves, etc., and Monday evening, which was the
evening before it occurred, we increased our force of workers, and went
to the vestry to turn it, as far as possible, into an outdoor scene. We
trimmed the chandeliers, posts, and every available spot with boughs,
strung Japanese lanterns all across the room, made a beautiful bower in
one corner for the orchestra, for which we had three pieces, a piano, a
violin, and a cornet. In the opposite corner of the room we had a canvas
tent where fortunes were told at five cents each (by palmistry) by one
of our young lady gypsies. Hammocks were swung from the large stone
posts, and a standing double swing was placed on one side of the room,
where the younger people enjoyed themselves hugely.
Small tables were put into odd corners of the room, where ice cream and
cake were served by ten young ladies in pretty summer costumes. Lemonade
was served from an old well, which was a large square box or packing
case, covered with canvas, painted to represent a stone wall. To this we
attached a well-sweep made from a branch of a tree, tied on a large new
tin pail, and served the lemonade in small glasses at two cents a glass.
During the evening we had a male quartette gather around the well and
sing "The Old Oaken Bucket," and other selections. The orchestra played
the whole evening with very short intermissions. On one side of the room
was arranged an artistic corner where peanuts were sold at the usual
price of five cents a bag.
INITIAL CHARACTERISTICS
1. Popular Bishop Phillips Brooks
2. Fought Every Wine Frances E. Willard
3. Serio-Comic Samuel Clemens
4. Fearless Navigator Fridtjof Nansen
5. Won England's Greatness W. E. Gladstone
6. Little Misses' Admiration Louisa M. Alcott
7. Military Suitor Miles Standish
8. Rollicking Bard Robert Burns
9. United States General U. S. Grant
10. Moral Light Martin Luther
11. Eulogizes Antipodes Edwin Arnold
12. Tamed Ambient Electricity Thomas A. Edison
13. A Cunning Delineator A. Conan Doyle
14. Handles Christians Hall Caine
15. Rabid Iconoclast Robert Ingersoll
16. Histrionic Interpreter Henry Irving
17. Serpentine Belle Sara Bernhardt
18. Equality Benefits Edward Bellamy
19. Just Mother's Boy James M. Barrie
20. Frames Many Chronicles F. Marion Crawford
21. Lord High Celestial Li Hung Chang
22. Original, Witty, Humorous Oliver Wendell Holmes
23. Nipped Bourbonism Napoleon Bonaparte
24. Surgeon, Writer, Metrician S. Weir Mitchell
25. Intelligent Zealot Israel Zangwill
26. Collected Delectable Writings C. D. Warner
27. Curiosity Depicter Charles Dickens
28. Cuba's Benefactor Clara Barton
29. Eminently Zealous Emile Zola
30. Character Revealed Charles Reade
31. Caused Revolutionary Discussion Charles R. Darwin
32. Joyous Lark Jenny Lind
33. Fearless Nurse Florence Nightingale
34. Conspicuous Senator Charles Sumner
35. Ever Frolicsome Eugene Field
36. Suffrage Brings Advantages Susan B. Anthony
37. Pens Lyrical Dialect Paul Laurence Dunbar
38. Always Loyal Abraham Lincoln
39. Great Deed George Dewey
40. Won Recent Surrender W. R. Shafter
JACK-O'-LANTERN PARTY
The little guests at this particular party were invited from three
o'clock until seven, and when they arrived they found the rooms were
darkened. The lamps had yellow shades, and as such an occasion would not
be complete without pumpkin Jack-o'-lanterns, there were
"Pumpkins large and pumpkins small,
Pumpkins short and pumpkins tall,
Pumpkins yellow and pumpkins green,
Pumpkins dull and those with sheen."
They hung in every nook and corner. Even the jardinières filled with
flowers were made of them. Wood was crackling and blazing in the large
fireplace, as if anxious to do its part to make every one happy, and
hanging from the chandelier was a branch of evergreen, with nuts
suspended in such a fashion that they readily fell to the floor when
given a slight shake. Before this was done, however, each child was
given a paper bag to hold the nuts, which tumbled in all directions.
Then a huge pasteboard pumpkin covered with yellow crinkled paper was
brought in. I do not know what else it was made of; I only know that it
looked like a real pumpkin. Bright-colored ribbons hung over the sides,
and when the small boys and girls took turns in pulling them, out came
all sorts of comical little toys and pretty knickknacks.
Before supper was announced the children were given French snappers in
fringed paper, in which they found either a gay cap or apron. After
putting them on they marched around the parlors, out into the hall and
into the dining-room, while the mother of the little girl who had
planned this delightful Hallowe'en party played a marching tune for
them.
The greatest surprise of all awaited them in the dining-room, for the
walls were covered with large branches of evergreens, making it seem
like "real woods"; not a chair was in the room; the little ones were
invited to seat themselves on soft cushions placed on the floor, in true
picnic style, and they had the jolliest time eating their picnic supper
from the yellowest of yellow gourds, which had been hollowed out, lined
with Japanese napkins, and filled with just the things children like
best. On top of each one was an apple--or at least they thought it was,
until taking it in their hands, when it proved to be a bonbon box
filled with delicious nut candy. Then there were dainty sandwiches, pop
corn balls and salad in orange baskets. But better than these were the
gingerbread animals; these were so natural looking that the little ones
knew right away which animals were represented.
After supper they played games until seven, when they went home, laden
with their bags of nuts and toys and souvenir lanterns.
JAPANESE CARD PARTY
Invitations may be written as the natives write--up and down, instead of
across, on rice paper or paper napkins; or little Japanese dolls may be
sent, each clasping a note of invitation.
For decorations, use Japanese draperies, cushions, bead curtains, rugs,
baskets, swords, scrolls, umbrellas, vases, fans, lanterns, screens,
bamboo tables and chairs, Japanese fern balls, with tiny Japanese flags
and fans stuck in here and there, red, or red and white Japanese lilies,
ferns combined with red and yellow ribbons, etc.; or the walls of the
rooms may be entirely covered with branches of trees profusely decorated
with cherry blossoms made of pink paper, representing the beautiful
gardens of Tokio. Burning Japanese incense will add to the
effectiveness. The playing cards used should be lacquered designs in red
and yellow--Starlight, Sunlight, Storm, Japanese Lady (Congress brand),
and Japanese Garden, Japanese Scenery, and Sunset (Lenox brand). For the
signals a Japanese gong should be used in place of a bell. The favors
may be Japanese fans, toys and novelties. For keeping score, Japanese
paper fans may be had in pairs (for finding partners), and punched with
a conductor's punch for games won. Or Japanese dolls may be used,
punching their paper kimonos. For prizes, select Japanese incense
burners, vases, cloisonné, tablewares, white metal and bronze
novelties, lacquer goods, handsome fans, or embroidered kimonos.
The refreshments may be served from a buffet--the guests seated Japanese
fashion on floor cushions--and may include rice cakes; tea punch; tea as
a beverage; "Japanese" salad, made of all kinds of vegetables, served in
inverted Japanese umbrellas; cherry sherbet; Japanese nuts, etc.
JAPANESE SOCIABLE
The invitations to a Japanese sociable should be written as the natives
write, up and down, instead of across, and have a cherry blossom or a
Japanese lady in water-colors in one corner of each.
The guests should be informed beforehand that each one is to tell
something or read something about Japan, any little item of interest
that may have been heard or read, a pretty poem or a little story. The
hostess and whoever assists her in receiving should wear kimonos and
have tiny fans in their hair.
Seats in a Japanese corner may easily be arranged of boxes with
portières thrown over them. Numerous cushions may be piled on these
improvised couches and on the floor. A Japanese parasol may be hung in
the corner, tilting forward to form a canopy, and the walls be hung with
bead curtains. The odor from burning joss sticks will contribute to the
realness of the affair. Japanese lanterns should hang about the room.
After the stories have been told tiny bits of paper and pencils may be
passed and each one present should write down the name of the one who
did best according to her opinion. A Japanese cup and saucer are
presented to the one who receives the most votes.
A pretty decorative idea for a Japanese sociable is to cover entirely
the walls of the room with branches of trees, with cherry blossoms made
of pink paper--their color in Japan--scattered profusely over them, the
scene representing the beautiful gardens of Tokio. If musicians are to
be present they may be screened by a lattice covered with gold paper,
and vines intertwined, while tiny incandescent lights shine through.
Souvenirs may be distributed from a jinrikisha covered with the cherry
blossoms.
The dining-room may be readily transformed into Oriental style with very
little trouble. In place of the usual tea-table have several
tabourettes, each holding a teapot, cups and saucers, lemon and sugar
wafers, and Japanese napkins. A cushion made of matting should be placed
on the floor before each tabourette. Those who serve should be in
Japanese costume. Paper cherry blossoms, fastened to tree branches, and
lanterns would make effective decorations.
If it is desired to have a more elaborate menu, it may be served on
Japanese plates, and should consist of sandwiches folded in Japanese
napkins, vegetable salad, and rice in some form. For dessert serve
sherbet, calling it "cherry blossom ice," and with it have wafers. Tea
and Japanese nuts may be served last to complete the Japanese idea.
LITERARY CONTEST
Have small tables numbered and arranged to seat four or six persons.
Select for each table a judge, who will distribute the cards and blanks.
These judges hold the keys to the contests, so that they may be able to
mark the players correctly.
Give each player a card attached to a piece of baby ribbon that may be
fastened in the buttonhole. Upon these cards the number of points gained
may be written, punched with a ticket punch, or marked with fancy wafers
of different colors. The cards must be numbered to correspond with the
tables, and as many number one cards provided as there are players at
table number one, and so on.
When the players are seated at the tables which correspond in number
with the number upon their cards, let the judges distribute blank paper
and pencils, also copies of the questions comprised in the several
contests, among the players at their respective tables.
A different contest must be prepared for each one of the tables.
When everything is ready the hostess of the evening should tap a bell
for "silence," and announce that ten minutes will be given for each
contest; that at the first tap of the bell all must begin to write their
answers out, numbering them according to the numbers on the questions;
at the second tap the judges are to collect the answers at their
respective tables and mark on each player's card the number of points
made. The system of marking is as follows: Each player is given as many
marks as he has answered questions correctly, and the totals are summed
up at the end of the game.
During the progress of the game there must be no talking nor any
questions asked. At the third tap of the bell the players at table
number one go to table number two, and so on, those at the last table
moving up to table number one. This progression continues until all the
players have had their opportunity to answer all the questions in the
contests. At each change blank paper is distributed, and a bell rung as
in the first instance. When the round has been completed the points are
counted and the prizes awarded. A popular book makes an excellent first
prize; a box of candy in the shape of a book, a second; and a "Primer,"
a third.
The following are the various contests:
CONTEST NO. 1
The charming heroine, my friends,
Was known as ---- ("Alice of Old Vincennes").
She lived when Indians were a power,
And not ---- ("When Knighthood was in Flower").
And in those past times, quaint and olden,
She fell in love with ---- ("Eben Holden").
Then, while her friends began to marvel
A rival came, named ---- ("Richard Carvel").
Each rival his keen sword did draw,
And heeded not ---- ("The Reign of Law").
They slew each other, alas! and then
She married a man named ---- ("Crittenden").
The merry bells rang loud in the steeple
And loudly cheered ---- ("The Voice of the People").
The two rode away on a double bike
And lived in ---- ("Stringtown on the Pike").
They did not gossip with each neighbor,
But each one did ---- ("The Portion of Labor").
CONTEST NO. 2
_Write out the following quotations correctly:_
1. Beauty is always a thing of joy.
2. Let us therefore get up and go to work.
3. The man who steals my pocketbook gets very little.
4. Every one who knows you, loves you.
5. Do pretty and you'll be pretty.
6. God keeps the shorn lamb from the wind.
KEY
1. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
2. Let us then be up and doing.
3. Who steals my purse steals trash.
4. None knew thee but to love thee.
5. Handsome is that handsome does.
6. God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.
CONTEST NO. 3
_Heroes and heroines--in what books do they figure?_
KEY
1. John Ridd. "Lorna Doone."
2. Agnes Wakefield. "David Copperfield."
3. Pomona. "Rudder Grange."
4. Dorothea Brooke. "Middlemarch."
5. Dorothy Manners. "Richard Carvel."
6. Glory Quayle. "The Christian."
CONTEST NO. 4
_Fill blank spaces with titles of popular novels_
In the little village of S---- o-- t-- P----, F---- f-- t---- M----
C----, lived the H----. P---- S----. With him resided his lovely ward,
J---- M----. She was A---- O----F---- G----, and knew little of T----
W----, W---- W----. She had, however, A P---- o---- B---- E---- and
G---- E----. Among her admirers were R---- C----, J---- H----, and
T---- L---- M----.
KEY
In the little village of "Stringtown on the Pike," "Far from the Madding
Crowd," lived the "Hon. Peter Sterling." With him resided his lovely
ward, "Janice Meredith." She was "An Old-Fashioned Girl," and knew
little of "The Wide, Wide World." She had, however, "A Pair of Blue
Eyes" and "Great Expectations." Among her admirers were "Richard
Carvel," "John Halifax," and "The Little Minister."
CONTEST NO. 5
_Synonyms for names of literary men_
KEY
1. Severe. Sterne.
2. Strong. Hardy.
3. Sombre. Black.
4. Jeweler. Goldsmith.
5. Crossing-place. Ford.
6. Rapid. Swift.
CONTEST NO. 6
_The answers to these questions are the names of authors_
KEY
1. When we leave here we go to our what? Holmes.
2. What dies only with life? Hope.
3. What does a maiden's heart crave? Lover.
4. What does an angry person often raise? Caine.
5. What should all literary people do? Reade.
6. If a young man would win what should he do? Sue.
CONTEST NO. 7
_Give the name of--_
KEY
The most cheerful author. Samuel Smiles.
The noisiest author. Howells.
The tallest author. Longfellow.
The most flowery author. Hawthorne.
The holiest author. Pope.
The happiest author. Gay.
The most amusing author. Thomas Tickell.
The most fiery author. Burns.
The most talkative author. Chatterton.
The most distressed author. Akenside.
Again, the hostess may prepare a certain number of blank cards, with the
heading on each one "Who and What?" On a second lot of cards she can
have pasted the pictures of some noted writers--Thackeray, Dickens,
Scott, Dumas, Balzac, Tolstoi, Browning, George Eliot, Carlyle,
Longfellow, Cooper, Emerson, Bryant, Holmes. The pictures of more recent
writers will answer her purpose just as well. These pictures can be
obtained from illustrated catalogues of books. Of these cards there
should be as many as there are guests if the company be a small one, or
as many cards as the hostess may desire; a dozen is a very good number.
Supply each guest with one of the blank cards and a pencil and then
start into circulation the cards on which are pasted the pictures of the
authors. Let the guests pass the cards from one to another, and write
down, according to the number on the picture-card, and opposite the
corresponding number on their own, the name of each author and some book
he has written. This will be found a more difficult task than one
imagines, and numerous guesses will doubtless go wide of the mark. The
one whose card is filled out correctly, or the nearest to it, may be
presented with a copy of some late popular book, and a toy book might be
used as a booby prize.
LITERARY EVENING
In the note of invitation each one should be requested to wear something
suggestive of a book title.
Upon arrival, each guest should be furnished with a card bearing the
names of the entire company. When one fancies he has discovered a title,
he should say nothing about it, but write the title opposite the name of
the impersonator. When as much time has been given to this part of the
program as has been thought desirable, the hostess calls the company to
order and reads aloud a correct list of names and titles, and each
corrects his card accordingly; or, still better, let the cards be
exchanged, so that each must correct that of his neighbor, which will
relieve the victor of the necessity of announcing his own success.
The guests may represent their titles in as inexpensive or as elaborate
a way as they choose. She who represents "Rose in Bloom" need only wear
a full-blown rose. "Sentimental Tommy" wears a Scotch cap bearing the
words "From Thrums" on the front, and, when talking, finds many
opportunities of informing his questioners, "I'll find a w'y!" "The
Hidden Hand" may be represented by a gentleman who carries his hand in a
sling concealed from view. "A Penniless Girl" is easily represented by a
girl carrying an empty purse open and suspended at her belt. "The Woman
in White," "Little Red Riding Hood," and "The Scarlet Letter" are all
easily represented. Three small white wings tied together with a ribbon
represents very well "White Wings" by William Black.
It is not desirable that the costume speak too plainly of the title
selected, for the guests are expected to question one another regarding
their peculiarities, and so they must be well informed as to the books
they represent.
An appropriate menu for a literary evening follows:
MENU
"And like a lobster boiled."--_Butler._
(Lobster a la Newburg.)
"What first I want is daily bread."--_John Quincy Adams._
(Bread and Butter.)
"You are lovely leaves."--_Herrick._
(Lettuce Salad.)
"I will use the olive."--_Shakespeare._
(Olives.)
"My choice would be Vanilla Ice."--_Holmes._
(Ice Cream.)
"Water with berries in it."--_Anon._
(Coffee.)
"Oh, that I were an almond salted!"--_Merrill._
(Salted Almonds.)
LITERARY PEOPLE
Write the questions on red cards and the answers on white. Have each
question and answer numbered in succession. Let the gentlemen select the
red and the ladies the white cards, and when the gentlemen read the
questions, let the ladies read the answers. This is also a good way to
match partners for refreshments.
1. What flower did Alice Cary?
Pansy.
2. What did Eugene Fitch Ware?
John Godfrey Saxe.
3. What does Anthony Hope?
To Marietta Holley.
4. What happens when John Kendrick Bangs?
Samuel Smiles.
5. Why did Helen Hunt Jackson?
Because she wanted him to Dr. O. W. Holmes.
6. What did Charles Dudley Warner?
Not to go into a boat and let E. P. Roe.
7. Why was Rider Haggard?
Because he let Rose Terry Cooke.
8. Why is Sarah Grand?
To make Ik Marvel.
9. Why is George Canning?
To teach Julia Ward Howe.
10. What ailed Harriet Beecher Stowe?
Bunyan.
11. What is it William Macy?
How Thomas Knox.
12. When did Mary Mapes Dodge?
When George W. Cutter.
13. What will turn John Locke?
Francis S. Key.
14. When is Marian Evans Cross?
When William Dean Howells.
15. When did Thomas Buchanan Read?
Just after Winthrop Mackworth Praed.
16. What did Julia McNair Wright?
Judge Joseph Story.
17. What did Eugene J. Hall?
Charles Carleton Coffin.
18. What is James Warden Owen?
What ten pounds of Hezekiah Butterworth.
19. Where did Henry Cabot Lodge?
In Mungo Park, on Thomas Hill.
20. How long will Samuel Lover?
Until Justin Windsor.
21. What gives John Howard Payne?
When Robert Burns Augustus Hare.
MEASURING PARTY
The giving of such a party is a pleasing way of raising money for some
charitable object.
The invitations should read somewhat like the following:
_You are cordially invited to attend a
Measuring Party to be given by the
East End Connett Y. W. C. T. U.
at the home of the President,
Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott,
Monday evening, October 29th, 1905._
Below, this verse should be printed:
A measuring party we give for you,
'Tis something pleasant as well as new.
The invitation carries a sack,
For use in bringing or sending back
Five cents for every foot you're tall,
Measure yourself against the wall.
An extra cent for each inch you'll give,
And thereby show how high you live.
Then with music and song, recitation and pleasure,
We will meet one and all at our party of measure.
With each invitation should be sent a tiny bag made of a bit of silk or
ribbon. On the night of the entertainment, these bags with the money
that has been placed in them are brought by the guests and deposited in
a large bowl at the door. The party then proceeds in the usual manner.
Care should be taken to carry out the program suggested in the last two
lines of the above verse. Much amusement may be created by having some
one appointed to take various measurements of the guests attending, such
as the length of the nose, size of the head, size of the hand, etc.
MEDICAL SOCIABLE
Procure the small glass vials used by homoeopathic physicians. On the
outside of each one paste a narrow slip, on which is written the name of
some trouble for which the Bible offers a remedy. On another slip write
the Bible verse which gives the cure. Roll it up, and run a thread
through it which is fastened to the cork. Here are some suggestions:
Discouragement, Ps. 42: 5; Sadness, Ps. 16: 11; Pain, Rev. 21: 4; Doubt,
Despair, Anger, Impatience, Laziness, Unruly tongue, Loneliness,
Sleeplessness, Weakness, Pride, Bitterness, Covetousness. The
corresponding Bible references will easily be found by using a
concordance. Have one corner of the room arranged for a drug-store. Each
person will receive from the "store" one bottle and the cork belonging
to a different bottle. He must hunt till he has discovered the
"medicine" (cork and paper) belonging to his own bottle, and has
delivered the cork he holds to the proper bottle. Have papers read on
the care of the body and the care of the soul, and also Bible-readings
on miracles of healing. Later have some one, who has looked up the
subject beforehand, read a list of some of the most interesting
Scripture references to various parts of the body. These can readily be
hunted out with the help of a concordance. Some of the Old Testament
references will be found to be very quaint indeed. Decorate the room
with mottoes, such as: "Is there no balm in Israel, is there no
physician there?"
MEDICAL TRUNK
"In my wonderful trunk I have two very tall tropical trees (palms);
something used by an artist (palette [palate]); weapons of war (arms);
many wild animals, and two domestic ones (hares [hairs], calves);
something worn by a king (crown); a bright garden flower (tulips [two
lips]); a musical instrument (drum); two fish and many shell fish
(soles, muscles); branches of trees (limbs); a student (pupil);
something used in ship-building (ribs); whips without handles (lashes).
a product of a spruce-tree (gum); something used by carpenters (nails);
a part of a clock (hands); a large wooden box (chest); part of a wagon
(tongue); something grown on a cornstalk (ears); a part of a shoe
(heel); ten Spanish gentlemen (ten dons [tendons]); part of a nail
(head); weather cocks (vanes [veins]); two kitchen utensils (pans
[knee]); part of a knife (blade [shoulder]); edge of a saw (teeth);
terms used in voting (ayes and noes [eyes and nose]); covering of an
apple (skin); a certain measure (feet); something seen in accidents
(blood); a part of a house (roof [of the mouth]); covers to pails
(lids); something used in upholstering (tow [toe]); part of a stove-pipe
(elbow); a part of a table (legs); something served with ice cream (lady
fingers); a kind of deer (hart [heart]); part of a river (mouth);
something used by negro minstrels (bones); best part of a goose (back);
part of a ship (side); a narrow strip of land (neck); hotel steps (inn
steps [insteps])."
MILITARY SOCIABLE
This is a form of entertainment suitable for Independence Day. "Military
Checkers," played at small tables, may furnish appropriate amusement.
Each table is named for some fort: "Fort Ticonderoga," "Fort Duquesne,"
etc. Though the players "progress" from one table to another, all their
honors are counted as belonging to the fort of their first allegiance,
to which table they return each time they win.
The prizes may be in any form suggestive of Independence Day. An
enameled pencil in the shape of a firecracker, or flag-shaped
cuff-links, would do for the man's prize, and a cracker-jar for the
lady's prize.
The piazza should be strung with colored lanterns, which can be lighted
when the guests are in the dining-room at supper. The dining-room may be
simply decorated with red roses and vines, and the dining-room table in
the same way, a big blue-and-white bowl in the centre of the table
holding the roses. These roses should be bright red in color. Small
flags serve as doilies, and the china used should be blue-and-white. The
candlesticks upon the table hold white candles; the shades should be
red, and streamers of blue ribbons are tied about the base of the
candles, falling with graceful effect over the brightly polished
candlesticks. The bonbons are placed upon the table in two small raffia
baskets. Each bonbon is tied about with a band of baby-ribbon.
When the supper is nearly over the baskets of bonbons are passed, one to
the men and the other to the ladies. Each guest takes one candy, and it
is found that no two in one basket have the same colored ribbon. Each
confection in the men's basket, however, has a mate in the ladies'
basket, and in this way partners are found for the old-time Virginia
reel, which is danced on the piazza. As a jolly ending to the fun the
men of the party set off some fireworks.
MORNING GLORY FAIR
At a recent church fair the flower-booth attracted special notice. It
was decorated with morning glories made of crepe paper, in different
colors. The flowers were profusely twined among the spruce boughs that
formed the top of the booth, and were extremely effective and very
natural. The flower-girls wore large hats with morning glory trimming,
and were in light summer dresses. All the other tables were similarly
decorated, and those in charge wore morning glories in profusion, twined
in the hair and falling in graceful festoons from skirt and bodice.
Morning glory tea was served from a small table, over which stood a
large Japanese umbrella covered with the flowers; the cups carried out
the color scheme of the flowers. Each person purchasing a cup of tea was
presented with a flower as a souvenir of the occasion.
MOTHER GOOSE GAME
During the evening a slip of paper is handed to each guest with the name
of one of the Mother Goose characters upon it. The hostess retains a
list of these, and calls each in turn to repeat within the space of one
minute the familiar verse relative to this character. Failing to do this
a forfeit must be paid. The one who is most prompt in responding
correctly may receive as a prize a goose-quill pen; and the one who
fails, a copy of "Mother Goose." Just before refreshments are served the
"Goose Drill" may be participated in to the time of a march, and the
couples proceed to the refreshment room, where they are served with the
following:
1. Shared by the walrus and carpenter. (Oysters)
2. A King's dish. (Bird pie)
3. A Queen's lunch. (Bread and honey)
4. Taffy's spoils. (Beef sandwiches)
5. The golden eggs. (Egg sandwiches)
6. Old woman's broom. (Cheese-straws)
7. What the baker made. (Rolls)
8. Sample of the pieman's ware. (Washington cake-pie)
9. Jack-a-dandy's delight. (Plum cake)
10. What the ships brought. (Apples and comfits)
The numbered list of refreshments should be printed upon small cards,
which may be retained as souvenirs of the occasion. The guests order
what they choose. The key is retained by the hostess.
MUSICAL CARD PARTY
A good color scheme for this affair is brown and yellow. Invitations may
be in the form of a scroll, engraved with a selection from some favorite
opera, or may represent the "G" clef in brown and yellow water colors.
For decorations use yellow flowers, yellow shaded lights and yellow and
brown hangings. Tally cards may be painted to represent different
musical instruments, such as violins, guitars, mandolins, etc.; or
miniature tambourines and banjos may be used for scoring, hung by long
loops of ribbon over the shoulders, and becoming before the close of the
evening gayly decked with ribbons--yellow for the winners and brown for
the losers. Musical quotations in halves may designate partners. For
prizes, musical pictures in brown coloring, burnt wood plaques of famous
musicians, a Flemish musical stein in brown and yellow, a brown leather
music roll tied for the occasion with yellow streamers, musical novels,
an upright piano candy box with the key board movable to show the candy
inside, etc., may be used. Toy music boxes and grotesque musical
instruments make amusing booby prizes. A triangle, like those for
orchestral playing, may indicate progressions, instead of a bell.
For a brown and yellow menu:
Brown Croquettes Potato Balls
Brown Breadsticks
Chicken Salad, yellow Mayonnaise
Orange Ice Cream, served in orange-peel baskets
Chocolate Cake Chocolate Icing
Chocolate and Lemon Bonbons
Yellow Cheese Balls
Coffee, with yellow whipped Cream
MUSICAL EVENING
The invitations should be sent in small imitation music rolls, and
headed with a line of appropriate music. As each guest enters he
receives a long, narrow strip of pasteboard, bearing a portion of some
familiar song, both words and music. Each card bears a number, and the
eight whose cards are numbered alike are instructed to get together and
practice to sing a verse formed by the union of their eight cards. A
bell calls them to order, judges are appointed, and each group sings its
song, a pianist accompanying them. While the judges are preparing their
verdict, a short musical program may be rendered. A bouquet of flowers
may be presented to the group whose musical effort is considered the
best. The bouquet may consist of eight small buttonhole bouquets, one
for each member of the group. Make a list, numbering from one to twenty,
of tunes that are perfectly familiar to every one. "Yankee Doodle,"
"America," "Annie Rooney," or any of the later popular songs, are some
of the airs that are known everywhere. Number as many cards as there are
guests, with twenty numbers on consecutive lines. These, with pencils,
are distributed to the people as they arrive. An accomplished pianist
then plays snatches of each tune, in the order that the list calls for.
Just enough of the piece is played to let the melody be indicated. Each
person, as the air is played, puts down against the number on the card
what he thinks the tune is. At the end the cards are collected, and
prizes given to the most successful.
To match partners, write the notes of a bar or two of some well-known
melody on the lady's card, and the balance on the gentleman's card.
MUSICAL GUESSING CONTEST
1. Used on a bundle. (Chord [cord])
2. A place of residence. (Flat)
3. A reflection on character. (Slur)
4. Bottom of a statue. (Bass [base])
5. An unaffected person. (Natural)
6. Used in driving horses. (Lines)
7. What makes a check valid. (Signature)
8. What we breathe every day. (Air)
9. Seen on the ocean. (Swells)
10. What betrays nationality. (Accent)
11. An association of lawyers. (Bar)
12. Used in climbing. (Staff)
13. Part of a sentence. (Phrase)
14. Belonging to a fish. (Scales)
15. Used in wheeling. (Pedals)
16. A girl's name. (Grace)
17. Used in flavoring soup. (Time [Thyme])
18. Often passed in school. (Notes)
19. Used in a store. (Counters)
20. An instrument not blunt. (Sharp)
MUSICAL ROMANCE
The young hostess announced that a love story of the Civil War would be
related in musical numbers, and to the one who should best interpret
them a prize would be awarded. All were provided with cards and pencils
and a young woman seated herself at the piano. The hostess then asked
"What was the heroine called?" Whereupon the familiar notes of "Sweet
Marie" were heard, and it began to be understood that the names of
popular airs--given with much spirit by the pianist--would furnish the
answers to the questions propounded, to be recorded upon the cards. The
story progressed thus:
What was the hero's name? "Robin Adair."
Where was he born? "Dixie."
Where was she born? "On the Suwanee River."
Where did they meet? "Comin' thro' the rye."
At what time of day was it? "Just as the sun went down."
When did he propose? "After the ball was over."
What did he say? "Only one girl in this world for me."
What did she say? "I'll leave my happy home for you."
What did he then bid her? "A soldier's farewell."
What did the band play? "The girl I left behind me."
Where did he go? "Georgia."
Where did he spend that night? "Tenting on the old camp ground."
What did the band play when he came home? "When Johnny comes
marching home."
Where were they married? "Old Kentucky home."
Who were the bridesmaids? "Two little girls in blue."
Who furnished the music? "Whistling Rufus."
Who furnished the wedding feast? "Rosie O'Grady."
Where did they make their home? "On the banks of
the Wabash."
What was their motto? "Home, sweet home."
Where did they always remain? "America."
The music was a new feature, and the fact that the airs were so well
known made it the more enjoyable. The advantage of the winner being so
slight, the pleasure of success was the more general.
* * * * *
After supper the hostess said that if they were not tired of guessing
she had another game to propose--a sort of fortune-telling game which
would give each man present the name that his future wife should bear.
It was for him to discover it. The first name was told to make the
subject clear--which was that a chemist's wife should be named "Ann
Eliza." Then they were told to guess the name of a civil engineer's wife
(Bridget); a gambler's (Betty); a humorist's (Sally); a clergyman's
(Marie); a shoemaker's (Peggy); a sexton's (Belle); a porter's (Carrie);
a dancing-master's (Grace); a milliner's (Hattie); a gardener's (Flora);
a judge's (Justine); a pugilist's (Mamie); a pianist's (Octavia); a
life-saver's (Caroline); an upholsterer's (Sophy); an astronomer's
(Stella); a doctor's (Patience); a fisherman's (Netty); a gasman's
(Meta); a marksman's (Amy). Each man could judge, from his occupation,
the name of his future wife.
MUSICAL TERMS ILLUSTRATED
Have some one play these songs:
"Star Spangled Banner," "Marching through Georgia," "Columbia, the Gem
of the Ocean," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp,"
"Hail Columbia," "Home, Sweet Home," "Yankee Doodle," "When Johnnie
Comes Marching Home Again," "Auld Lang Syne," "America." No titles are
announced, but the guests are asked to guess the names and write them in
order upon slips of paper.
Following each piece of music some musical term is illustrated. These
terms, with the means employed to illustrate them, are as follows:
"time," some one hold up a small clock; "measure," a yardstick; "key," a
door-key; "flats," two flatirons; "lines," a pair of nursery lines;
"sharps," a carving set; "tie," a gentleman's tie; "bars," small
clothes-bars; "staff," a cane; "a whole note," a dollar; "a half note,"
a half dollar; "a quarter note," a silver quarter.
MUSICIANS BURIED
1. There were verd isles and tender blue of summer skies.
2. Maud Muller raked the hay, deny it not, O Judge.
3. The bell in ivy tower rings knell of passing day.
4. I arrive, King, most gracious sovereign.
5. She still wears her old smile--the sweet, modest maiden.
6. The mother of Charlie Ross in idle dreams still clasps him.
7. We berate our neighbors soundly, but excuse ourselves.
8. How famous the cherub in ideal art.
9. There will be no confab to-night.
10. If he asks your hand, Eliza, do not say nay.
11. Be brief; lo, toward life's setting sun, man hastens.
12. You've dropped a beet--ho, vender, heigh.
13. The dog spies a cat, and it makes his tail wag nervously.
14. A beau, berrying, needs a basket and a sweetheart.
15. My chop I never eat with peas.
16. You have found an egg, lucky boy.
17. Liz still improves from day to day.
18. Whoever else leaves, the Co. stays in most firms.
19. Cattle enjoy herbal feeding grounds.
20. I do not care a sou, Sarah, whether you will, or not.
KEY TO MUSICIANS BURIED
1. Verdi.
2. Hayden.
3. Bellini.
4. Rive King.
5. Herold.
6. Rossini.
7. Weber.
8. Cherubini.
9. Abt.
10. Handel.
11. Flotow.
12. Beethoven.
13. Wagner.
14. Auber.
15. Chopin.
16. Gluck.
17. Lizst.
18. Costa.
19. Balfe.
20. Sousa.
_Note:_--The letters composing the names of the sought-for musicians
come successively together but the name may begin and end in different
words.
MYSTICAL DINNER MENU
_Menu_ _Key_
SOUPS
1. Capital of Portugal 1. Pea
2. An imitation reptile 2. Mock Turtle
FISH
3. The largest part of Sambo's feet 3. Sole
4. An express label 4. Cod
GAME
5. A universal crown 5. Hare
6. Portion of a mountain range 6. Partridge
7. A tailor's tool 7. Goose
8. To shrink from danger 8. Quail
ROAST MEAT
9. A genial English author 9. Lamb
10. A country of the Crescent 10. Turkey
BOILED MEAT
11. One of Noah's sons 11. Ham
12. Woman's best weapon 12. Tongue
VEGETABLES
13. To steal mildly 13. Cabbage
14. Complete upsets 14. Turnips
15. What successful candidates do 15. Beet
16. Two kinds of toes not found on man or beast
16. Potatoes and Tomatoes
RELISHES
17. Pertaining to regions underground 17. Celery
18. Comical performances 18. Capers
19. Elevated felines 19. Catsup
PUDDINGS
20. What we say to impertinent agents 20. Say go
21. Exactly perpendicular 21. Plumb
22. The mantle of winter 22. Snow
23. What the lawyer says to his clients 23. Suet
PIES
24. To walk in an affected manner 24. Mince
25. A relative of the dairyman 25. Pumpkin
FRUIT
26. The historian's delight 26. Dates
27. Water in motion 27. Currants
28. Small shot (plural) 28. Grapes
MYSTICAL PARTY
_The Y. W. C. T. U.
Has cordially invited you
To the Mystery Reception,
Strange and weird beyond conception.
At seven-thirty o'clock night fall
We will welcome one and all;
With solemn rites and grewsome sights,
We'll meet you all on Monday night.
Street and number._
All those who take part in this should arrive early and have everything
in shape when the guests appear. First, each one should wrap a white
sheet over her and wear a small white mask. Have all the lights turned
low or have candles, and on the gas jets or candles have red paper
shades to cast a red, gloomy light over everything. Have each one who
takes part stand like a statue, and dispose these statues about the
house in corners and in dark places. As the guests arrive have one of
the white clothed figures meet them at the door, and without a word,
motion them to take off their wraps, and then to enter the next room. If
possible get some bones from a medical college and have skulls and cross
bones all about the room. In one dark room should be skulls and pumpkins
with faces cut in them and candles inside. Do not have any other light
in this room. When the guests go into this room have some small pieces
of ice wrapped in muslin presented to them to be felt of in the dark.
All this time the statues should be quiet and remain so until all the
company has arrived. Then seat all the statues at a large table with a
small candle or a dish of burning alcohol in the centre and have each
one tell a weird story. Have a witch in a dark room with a dish of
burning alcohol and have the guests, one at a time, go in to have their
fortunes told. Tricks of different kinds can be played upon the guests.
The program for the mysterious company consists of a number of contests
in which eyesight gives place to the sense of touch.
First of all the hostess produces a book printed in the raised lettering
for the blind and suggests that each guest read ten lines from it. This
is no easy matter. To the contestant reading the ten lines correctly in
the shortest time a prize is awarded.
For the second trial of skill the guests may gather around a circular
table. Beneath the table place a covered box or basket containing the
most variously assorted small articles that it is possible to secure
upon the spur of the moment, the more unexpected the better. No player
must see the articles placed in the basket. When all is in readiness the
objects are taken from the basket and passed rapidly from hand to hand
below the table, ending in the hands of the hostess, and by her are
placed in an empty bag provided for the purpose.
Distribute pencils and ask the guests to write down as many of the
objects passed under the table as they can remember. A prize should be
provided for the person who hands in the fullest list of the objects.
Next blindfold each guest in turn and place in his hands, one at a time,
various objects, the names of which are to be guessed aloud. If curious
and unfamiliar objects are selected, this will prove very amusing.
NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY
This is a favorite occasion for a party among young people. It should be
a small party, not over twenty-four guests, and it will be the more
enjoyable if informal and among those who are well acquainted with each
other.
There are as varied entertainments for such parties as for those at
other seasons. A pretty idea is to confine the list to twelve young
gentlemen and twelve young ladies. The hostess requests each couple to
dress so as to represent a particular month, which she assigns them.
Duck trousers, cotton neckties, and white vests are as distinctive of
summer for the young men, as shirt-waists, duck skirts, and lawn are for
young women, but it will take some ingenuity to devise an effect that
will mark a particular month.
The guests should not assemble until nine o'clock. There should be a
large clock conspicuously placed in the room, and if possible an open
fireplace, with a bright fire on the hearth.
The first part of the time should be taken up in guessing the months,
the company gathering before the open fire in a circle. As fast as one
month is decided upon, the one who impersonates it rises, makes his or
her bow to the company, and recites at least four original lines
pertaining to that month. The more ridiculous or witty they are, the
better they will be appreciated.
After this comes the supper, which may be as elaborate or as simple as
desired, and then a promiscuous mixing of the months will cause some
merriment.
Just as the clock is striking twelve, there is a knock at the door. Upon
opening it, there is revealed a young man dressed as a baby, in a long
white dress tied about with a sash on which is printed January 1, 19--.
If properly planned, the appearance of this New Year baby will cause
shouts of merriment.
Hand shakings and New Year's greetings follow, and the party is over.
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
This game is played by providing each guest a paper and pencil, and
having ten letters of the alphabet read to the company. These are to be
copied, the guests are told to write a New Year's resolution of ten
words, each beginning with one of the letters used, in the order in
which they are given out. These importuned resolutions, when read, will
afford much amusement.
NEW YEAR'S SOCIABLE
As the guests come in, each one is requested to sign his name in a
note-book, and to write underneath it a New Year's resolution. An entire
page should be allowed for each one, so that no one may know what his
neighbor has written. Each guest should be given a card inscribed with
an appropriate quotation, such as "Time and tide wait for no man." These
cards are numbered. These are passed around among the company, with the
explanation that each guest is to amuse the company for the length of
time it takes for the sand to run in a minute glass from one end to the
other (have a minute glass in room), using for the purpose of
entertainment some thought suggested by the quotation on his card. One
can recite a poem, another tell a story, another sing a song, and so on
until every one has done his share for the amusement of the others,
following in order according to the numbers on the cards. After each one
has done his part the hostess announces that she will now do hers and
proceeds to read each resolution that has been written in the book. The
names of the writers being given, it will cause much merriment. Nut
shells set sailing two by two in a basin of water may be named, one for
a man, the other for a girl. If they keep together, it is an indication
that the pair will be married before the year dies, but if they
separate, the fate of the twain is sealed for one year.
NINETEENTH CENTURY GAME
In this game of guess the contestants are told that each question can be
replied to with the name of a celebrity who has lived in, or whose life
has extended into, the nineteenth century. Each guest is given a little
tablet with his name written on every one of the pages. Two minutes are
allowed to each question. The questioner sits with a big bowl before
her, into which, when she calls time, each player drops a slip upon
which he has written his answer. This is the list that the questioner
reads, omitting, of course, the answers:
Why did England so often lose her way in South
Africa? (Mr. Rhodes)
What did the Emperor of China do when the Empress
usurped the throne? (Custer)
What did Isaac watch while his father was forging a
chain? (Abraham Lincoln)
What is Li Hung Chang credited with being? (Schley)
The lane that has no turning is a what? (Longstreet)
What does a Chinese lover say when he proposes?
(Dewey)
What does Aguinaldo keep between himself and the
Americans? (Miles)
What happens when the wind blows in spiders' houses?
(Webster)
What did Buller unfortunately do? (Bragg)
What do the waves do to a vessel wrecked near shore?
(Beecher)
What does a ship do to a seasick man? (Rockefeller)
What did Uncle Sam do when he wanted to know
whether England would let him mediate? (Astor)
What is the chair-boy likely to do to the old lady he
has to push on a hot day? (Wheeler)
What is a novel military name for a cook? (Kitchener)
What do you do when you drive a slow horse? (Polk)
When do you get up to see a sunrise? (Early)
When Max O'Rell gets on a platform what does he do?
(Speaker Reed)
What does a waiter do after he has filled half of the
glasses at a table? (Fillmore)
In the settlement of disputes, do the European nations
quarrel? (General Lee)
The towns taken by the British generally lacked the
what? (Garrison)
What did the Jews say when the mother of Samuel
passed? (Mark Hanna)
In Cairo purchases are made at a what? (Booth)
NOSE AND GOGGLE PARTY
To fun-loving people who enjoy the grotesque, great sport will be found
in giving a Nose and Goggle Party. Here two objects will be gained:
merriment and disguise.
As the guests arrive, disguised as explained below, each is given a
card, perforated, with ribbon run through, in order to wear the card
around the neck, so that everybody can see it.
The cards must have, on one side, a number by which each guest is known;
on the other side, a list of figures, 1, 2, 3, etc. (as many figures as
there are guests), leaving space opposite each figure for a name. In
social conversation each guest is to guess who his or her entertainer
is. With intimate friends, this may be done readily by familiarity with
the voice; but in most cases the identification will not be easy.
Each guest wears a false nose and goggles. The nose may be purchased, or
made by clever fingers, of heavy cardboard covered with chamois.
The noses and goggles must not be removed till after refreshments, which
may be simple or elaborate as the hostess may wish. As you make your
guess, place the name opposite the number on your card corresponding to
the number of the person with whom you are talking; for instance, if
you think you know No. 4, turn your card and write the name opposite No.
4, etc.
NOTED PEOPLE
Cut out pictures of noted men and women from newspapers and magazines,
paste on white paper, and number each one. Provide each guest with paper
and pencil, having the paper contain a list of numbers corresponding to
those on the pictures. The guests are then requested to write opposite
the correct number the name of the person whom each picture represents.
A good idea is to have pictures pinned upon the wall, curtains, and in
every convenient place about the rooms, as the guests will then be
obliged to move about, and there will be no danger of wallflowers. After
each one has been given plenty of time for guessing, the correct list
can be read aloud by one person, each guest passing his paper to his
neighbor for correction. A prize may be given to the one who has the
most correct answers. In connection with this, the game of noted people
can be played. Have small slips of paper with the names of noted people
written upon them, and pin one of these on back of each guest; he is to
guess whom he represents by means of questions put to him by other
guests. This is great fun, and causes much merriment among the young
people. As soon as a player guesses whom he represents a new slip can be
put on his back. A prize may be given the one who guesses the most
names.
NUT CONUNDRUMS
Before the guests arrive hide nuts all over the rooms in every nook and
corner. At a given signal have the guests search for them and the one
finding the most can be given a small prize.
Take English walnuts, split and take out the kernel; write quotations
on small slips of paper, cut in half, put one-half paper in one nut
shell, the other half in another shell, gluing each shell together.
During the evening give one set of half quotations to the girls, the
other set to the boys and then have them hunt for their partners; when
found, each pair have refreshments together. Have the following nut
conundrums guessed, after which serve all kinds of mixed nuts.
CONUNDRUMS
1. What nut grows nearest the sea? (Beechnut)
2. What nut grows the lowest? (Groundnut)
3. What nut is the color of a pretty girl's eyes? (Hazelnut)
4. What nut is good for naughty boys? (Hickory)
5. What nut is like an oft told tale? (Chestnut)
6. What nut grows on the Amazon? (Brazil nut)
7. What nut is like a naughty boy when sister has a beau? (Pecan)
8. What nut is like a Chinaman's eyes? (Almond)
9. What is the favorite nut in Ohio? (Buckeye)
10. What nut is like a good Jersey cow? (Butternut)
11. What is the mason's favorite nut? (Walnut)
12. What nut cannot the farmer go to town without? (Wagon nut)
NUT PARTY
Invitations may be slipped inside peanut or English walnut shells, glued
together, and sent in a small box. The shops are showing big English
walnuts, Parisian almonds and Spanish peanuts, filled with confections
in imitation of the genuine nut meats, which make attractive prizes or
favors. A novelty in silver represents an English walnut (exact size),
"All in a nutshell," which contains powder, puff, mirror, miniature
scent bottle, and pincushion; a silver peanut contains a "magic" pencil
or small vinaigrette; thimble cases, bangles, tape measures, etc., come
in nut designs; a small lace-trimmed handkerchief may be folded and
slipped inside an English walnut shell. The diminutiveness of the prizes
is emphasized if they are wrapped in a series of boxes, each one larger
than the next. For finding partners, English walnuts painted and dressed
in crimped tissue paper to represent different nationalities may be
used, a lady and gentleman being given the same nationality. The menu
served may be made up of nuts: chicken and nut salad, peanut sandwiches,
salted nuts, nut candies, bisque of almonds, pecan cake, walnut wafers,
coffee.
OBSERVATION PARTY
Place these objects tastefully on the dining-room table, each guest on
entering the room being furnished with a catalogue of the subjects,
supposed to be different paintings, made out so that blank spaces will
be left to the right for the answers. From fifteen to twenty minutes are
allowed to guess and write down the answers as fast as they are
discovered. Comparing notes is hardly fair. At the end of the stated
time the guests leave the room. Some one then calls out the correct
answers, and the persons whose lists are the nearest correct, receive
the first, second, third, and fourth prizes, the number of prizes
varying according to the number of guests present. A booby prize for the
one who was the least successful adds to the fun.
Below is given the list of forty subjects, and also the answers. From
the latter you will know what objects to collect and place upon the
table. It is better not to arrange them in exact order.
SUBJECTS ANSWERS
Out for the Night Candle in Candlestick
Departed Days Last Year's Calendar
Scene in Bermuda Onions
We Part to Meet Again Scissors
The Reigning Favorite Umbrella
Home of Burns Flatiron
The Greatest Bet Ever Made Alphabet
A Line from Home Clothes Line
The House the Colonel Lived in Corn Cob without the Corn
Cause of the American Revolution Tacks on a Letter T
A Heavenly Body Dipper
The Little Peacemaker Chopping-knife
Spring Offering Glass of Water
Bound to Rise Yeast Cake
Family Jars Two Glass Jars
Things that End in Smoke Cigars
A Place for Reflection Hand Mirror
Deer in Winter Eggs
Scene in a Base Ball Game Pitcher
A Drive Through the Wood Block of Wood with Nail
Driven Through
A Mute Choir Quire of Paper
A Trophy of the Chase Brush
A Rejected Beau Old Ribbon Bow
A Skylight A Star
Our Colored Waiter Black Tray
Sweet Sixteen Sixteen Lumps of Sugar
Consolation Pipe
Common Sense Pennies
The Black Friar Black Frying Pan
Cole's Memorials of the Great Cinders
The Four Seasons Mustard, Vinegar, Salt
and Pepper
A Morning Caller A Bell
Assorted Liquors Whip, Switch and Slipper
The Skipper's Home Cheese
An Absorbing Subject Blotting Pad
A Dancing Entertainment A Ball
Bound to Shine Bottle of Shoe Blacking
The Spoony Couple Two Spoons
Old Fashioned Flowers Lady's Slippers
Nothing But Leaves Block of Blank Writing Paper
OLD-FASHIONED DINNER
1. A country in Asia Turkey
2. A color and a letter Gravy
3. Cape Cod fruit and impudence Cranberry Sauce
4. A river in Italy, an Irish woman's beverage,
and "the five little pigs that went to
market" Potatoes
5. A parent and cuttings Parsnips
6. Reverse and small bites Turnips
7. Time measures Beets
8. An Indian's wife and an interjection of
silence Squash
9. Well or badly brought up Bread
10. A goat Butter
11. A letter Tea
12. A crowd of people in a small place Jam
13. Mixed-up type Pie
14. Two of a kind Pears
15. A receptacle for fluids and a letter Candy
16. A crow's call and a doctor's payment Coffee
17. Ancient tales Chestnuts
18. What I do to be heard Ice cream
OLD-TIME COUNTRY SCHOOL
(Can be used as a play.)
"_The Red Schoolhouse will open for the fall term on
September fifteenth. As a goodly number of pupils is
desired, all receiving this are urged to search the highways
and byways for others who may wish to attend. School will
begin promptly at eight. As there will be a recess, all
pupils should bring their dinners._
"_SOLOMON WISEACRES, Pedagogue._"
The coming of school-days, usually so much dreaded by young folks, was
hailed with much delight by recipients of the above notice. On the
appointed evening not only were there present the members of the
society, but each one, heeding the injunction regarding the highways and
byways, brought with him a friend. As the teacher had also found an
extra pupil, there were just twenty-four in the party. The boys wore
knee-trousers and the girls short skirts and pinafores, with their hair
hanging down their backs in long braids or curls. All brought with them
their dinners, packed in tin pails, in imitation of their country
cousins.
The schoolhouse was a large new barn, the schoolroom being up-stairs in
the hay-loft. Here were arranged two rows of benches, one for the girls
and one for the boys; blackboards hung on the walls, and there was a
plain wooden table in front for the teacher's desk. Standing behind
this, the schoolmaster, birch rod in hand, and looking very wise in a
pair of huge spectacles, received his pupils and registered their names
in a large book before him. Among those enrolled were Alvira Sophronia
Simmons, Malvina Jane Leggett, Serena Ann Wilkins, Patience Charity
Gray, Nathan Bartholomew Brown, Ichabod Thompson and Abijah Larkins.
Each pupil before being assigned a seat was interrogated by the teacher
somewhat as follows: In what state and country were you born? Do you
know your letters? How far can you count? Who was the first man? Who
built the ark? And so on until the teacher had acquainted himself with
the limits of his pupils' ignorance.
When all were seated Teacher Wiseacres announced that school would open
with singing. The pupils were thereupon thoroughly drilled in the scales
and other exercises, the master severely reprimanding any who sang out
of tune. The lesson concluded with songs usually sung at the club
gatherings, after which a knot of blue ribbon was given the one who had
sung best, and a red bow to the pupil considered second best.
During the course of this lesson, and also of those that followed, there
were frequent interruptions caused by the refractory behavior of some of
the pupils. Serena Ann Wilkins was caught eating an apple, and was made
to stand up in front with a book on her head. Malvina Jane Leggett had
to stand in the corner facing the wall for giggling; while, direst
disgrace of all, Abijah Larkins was obliged to sit on the girls' side
for drawing a caricature of the master on the blackboard.
After the singing-lesson small wooden slates (the old-fashioned kind
bound in red cloth) were passed around and the following exercise in
orthography given out: "It is an agreeable sight to witness the
unparalleled embarrassment of a harassed peddler attempting to gauge the
symmetry of a peeled onion which a sibyl has stabbed with a poniard."
This task was accomplished with much puckering of eyebrows, and no one,
it may be said, succeeded in writing all the words correctly.
The next lesson announced was reading, for which primers were
distributed. These were small books with brown-paper covers, the lessons
being tongue-twisters, beginning with such familiar ones as "She sells
sea-shells," "Peter Piper," etc., and ending with this one of more
recent date, taken from the _Youth's Companion_:
A bitter biting bittern
Bit a better brother-bittern;
And the bitten better bittern bit the bitter biter back.
And the bitter bittern, bitten
By the better bitten bittern,
Said, "I'm a bitter bittern-biter bit, alack!"
The class stood up in front and were made to toe the line drawn in
chalk on the floor. The pupil at the head was called upon first, and
read until a mistake sent him to the foot, when the one next to him took
his place. The master not only continually urged his pupils to greater
speed, but at the same time kept a sharp lookout, and gave many words of
warning to any whose feet were out of order; and the frantic efforts of
the pupils to obey instructions made the lesson one of the most
laughable contests of the evening. It was continued until recess, the
hour for refreshments.
The dinner-pails had been given for safekeeping into the hands of the
teacher. Now, when they were returned, it was discovered that the boys
had received those belonging to the girls and the girls those of the
boys. There was a happy correspondence in this exchange; Ichabod
Thompson receiving the pail of Patience Charity Gray and she receiving
his, and so on. The pupils thus paired off were to share their dinners
with each other. The master, who also brought his dinner, reserved for
himself the pail of the girl pupil supposed to be his favorite.
There was great fun and laughter over the opening of the pails, for the
aim had been not so much to bring a dainty luncheon as one that should
be typical of the old-time district school. The following may be taken
as a sample of the contents of one of the buckets: Bread and butter,
doughnuts, apple turnover, spice-cake, cheese and one very large
cucumber pickle. Apples were contributed by the teacher. Dinner over,
the remainder of recess was spent in playing games. Skipping the rope
was one of the pastimes, and hop-scotch, tag, and hide-and-go-seek were
others.
School was resumed with a geography lesson, really a game played as
follows: The teacher requested one of the pupils to give a geographical
name, that of a country, city, river, etc. Others were then called upon
at random to give names, each of which had to begin with the last letter
of the one preceding it. Thus, if the first name given were Egypt, the
next one must begin with the letter T, as Texas, while the one following
this would begin with S, as St. Louis. Any one who failed to respond in
the time allowed--half a minute--was dropped out of the class and the
question passed on. The lesson was continued until there was but one
left, who received the usual decoration.
The session closed with an old-fashioned spell-down, but before the
class was dismissed the wearers of the ribbons were presented with
prizes, these being small, daintily bound books. The others, that all
might have a suitable reminder of the occasion, received book-shaped
boxes of candy. This done, the bell was rung and school was closed.
This school party can be played in hall or church.
OLD-TIME SPELLING BEE
The fact that a spelling bee is to form a part of the evening's
entertainment need not be indicated upon the invitation, it being a part
of the fun to catch people unawares.
After the arrival of the guests the choice of a "teacher" and two
leaders is effected by ballot. The two leaders then stand out at the end
of the room opposite each other, and each chooses alternately one of the
company at a time, to represent his side, until all have been chosen and
stand in their places in two lines.
The teacher, who is supplied with a book, then gives out a word to the
person at the end of the line to her right. If the word is correctly
spelled the next word is given out to the person at the end of the
opposite side at her left. If this person fails to spell this word
correctly she must immediately leave the line, and the same word is put
to number two on the opposite side. If the word is correctly spelled she
is privileged to choose one person from the opposite line to step over
to the foot of her own line. Another word is then given to the opposite
opponent, and so on down the lines. It often happens that two equally
proficient spellers are pitted against each other for some time, when
the contest becomes very exciting.
LIMIT THE TIME OF THE BEST SPELLER
It is a good plan, lest the contest become wearisome, to limit the time
for the last participant. If at the end of six minutes the winner has
not failed on any word given, he or she becomes director of the revels
that follow, and must be implicitly obeyed for the rest of the evening.
The first duty is to announce a "recess," and having been previously
instructed he or she leads the way to an adjoining room, where upon a
table is a pile of boxes of various shapes and kinds, neatly tied, which
are distributed among the young women. After which it is announced that
each box contains a small school luncheon, and that a young man
accompanies each. She then proceeds to distribute the young men as she
has the boxes. Each young woman then shares her luncheon with her
partner. Should the box contain an apple, a sandwich and a cake these
must be halved.
After "recess" follow games, or music, or recitations, as the winner of
the contest wills.
ORANGE PARTY
To emphasize the color scheme, the young hostess wore a becoming empire
gown of orange-colored silk, and on her left shoulder was fastened a
large rosette of orange-colored chiffon. Each guest, upon arriving, was
presented with a similar rosette to wear as a compliment to the
occasion.
The dining-room was decorated with potted plants. Although it was an
afternoon party, the blinds were drawn and the room lighted
artificially. The electric lights were muffled in orange-colored cheese
cloth, and produced a very charming effect.
Over the centre of the table was spread a large square of orange satin
overlaid with a Battenberg lunch cloth. On this stood the birthday cake,
which had been baked in a fluted mold, then covered thickly with yellow
icing, and was a very clever imitation of the luscious fruit it was
intended to represent. The cake was surrounded by twelve small brass
candlesticks, in which burned orange-colored tapers. At each end of the
table was a smaller Battenberg square over satin. On each of these,
resting in a bed of green leaves, was an orange of abnormal size,
fashioned of papier-mâché, made in two sections, though so exactly
united that the orange seemed intact. In these were the favors--small
yellow bonbon boxes filled with orange conserves and tied with baby
ribbon. Small glass dishes, standing on yellow tissue paper doilies that
were fringed on the edges, and filled with orange puffs, orange kisses
and other home-made sweets, were placed here and there on the table, and
gave it a very festive air.
The refreshments proper consisted of:
Frozen Custard in Orange Cups
Orange Jelly Whipped Cream
Small Cakes Orange Icing
Orangeade
The birthday cake was cut by the hostess, and each maiden served to a
slice. In the cake had been baked an orange seed. She who was so
fortunate as to find this seed in her slice was presented with an orange
spoon on which was graven the hostess's monogram, the date and year.
Before leaving the table each guest was shown a small glass filled with
orange seeds, and was allowed one guess as to the number it contained.
The lucky guesser received a papier-mâché jewel box fashioned to
represent an orange. The "booby" prize was the tiniest orange to be
found in the market.
ORANGE SOCIABLE
In planning for an Orange Sociable use plenty of orange colored paper,
and make the decorations very attractive. Make orange colored shades for
gas or lamp globes, use orange colored paper napkins, make orange
butterflies, and let those who serve on committee wear orange paper caps
and orange colored ties. If possible use orange crepe paper for doilies
and mats. Refreshments should consist of oranges, wafers tied with
orange ribbon, and orangeade.
For entertainment the old nursery rhymes should be used. Have slips of
paper containing one line each of a rhyme such as "There was an old
woman who lived in a shoe." Pass these slips to the guests and have each
hunt up the ones whose rhymes match that he holds. There will be four
for each group, and they will then proceed to draw a picture of what
their rhyme represents. A prize may be given the group drawing the best
picture, consisting of four very small colored babies lying on a bed of
cotton in an orange shell, the orange shell cut in half and tied with
orange ribbon. As there will be four persons in the group, one baby can
be given to each of the four.
PATRIOTIC PARTY
Drape the room for the occasion with red, white and blue bunting. Fill
tall vases with red and white carnations and deep blue larkspur.
Decorate the room with banners, streamers, red, white, and blue lamp
shades, large copies of the State seals, and the like.
Uncle Sam and Miss Columbia should stand in the centre of the room and
receive the guests as they arrive. Members of the social committee,
representing in some way Cuba, Porto Rico, the Philippines, and Hawaii,
should act as ushers to present each newcomer to Uncle Sam and Miss
Columbia.
Ask each guest to come bearing upon his garments somewhere a symbol
that will hint at the name of one of the Presidents. For instance, the
picture of a canoe out of which persons are tumbling may suggest
"Tippecanoe" Harrison; a link of sausage or of a chain, strung on a
string and hung from the neck, will hint at Lincoln. To indicate
Washington a washing-board may be borne in front, while on the back is a
piece of pasteboard painted to resemble a weight and marked "1 Ton." A
"G. A. R." pin fastened to the picture of a meadow may represent
Garfield.
Give to each guest as he arrives a list of all the guests invited, and
let him bestir himself to meet everybody, so as to ascertain if possible
the various presidents represented, whose names when discovered he
writes opposite the proper names on the list given him. These lists will
be handed to an examining board, and, later in the evening, the one
whose list is most complete and accurate will be adorned with a laurel
wreath placed upon his head by some comic orator. This laurel wreath may
be made of green paper, if you lack the real article.
Questions about past ladies of the White House may also prove
interesting and enjoyable. A few such follow, but many others may be
formulated.
What first lady of the land fled from Washington to
escape the British? (Dolly Madison)
What was Mrs. Lincoln's name before marriage? (Miss
Mary Todd)
Name three early Presidents who married widows?
(Washington, Jefferson, and Madison)
What early President married a New York girl?
(Monroe)
Whom did John Q. Adams marry? (Louisa K. Johnson,
of Maryland)
What President had a troubled love affair and marriage?
(Jackson)
What early President besides Washington married a widow
called Martha? (Jefferson)
PEDDLERS' PARADE
One recently given by the young people of a church to raise funds for
charity work was extremely well managed. Invitations were issued to
members of the congregation to attend a Peddlers' Parade at eight
o'clock on a certain evening, a small sum being asked for admission. The
movable seats in the chapel were placed so that a wide space was left
between them down the centre of the hall.
At eight o'clock a march was played, and through the door at the rear
came a motley procession, greeted with peals of laughter, as one after
another of the figures seen on the streets and in the market, selling
their wares, was recognized. A little boy, seven or eight years old,
with a red felt hat, a calico shirt, and gray overalls, carried under
his arm a number of newspapers; a youth, wearing on his head a cook's
white paper cap, had a tray filled with crisp brown doughnuts; two
little girls held baskets filled with bags of candy, and a third a tray,
on which lay small bunches of flowers. A young lady dressed as a market
woman wore a calico gown and a plaid woolen shawl pinned over her head;
on her arm was a basket filled with bunches of celery. A young man
stalked up the aisle behind her, whose costume aroused a great deal of
amusement. Huge pasteboard placards hung over his shoulders, one in
front and one behind; the former bore the inscription:
WILLIAM THE CORN-CURER,
each word occupying a line; the back:
MY SALVE CURES CORNS.
His head was covered by a silk hat, the crown of which was hidden under
a piece of pasteboard like the placards. Then came a lad drawing a cart
in which was an ice cream freezer, labeled:
HOKEY POKEY, FIVE CENTS A GLASS.
An Indian woman, whose wares were Indian baskets, now appeared, and a
lady selling druggists' specialties came next. She held a tray
containing brushes, combs, tooth brushes, sponges, hand mirrors, and
various toilet accessories, and her dress was trimmed with a border of
sponges. A slender girl of seventeen years impersonated a jewelry
peddler and gold watches, chains, bracelets, rings and jewels of all
descriptions were fastened securely to her dress and on the edge silver
teaspoons were crossed as a trimming. Much amusement was created by a
necktie vender, whose costume consisted of a black shirt, black cutaway
coat and a gorgeous tie. On a hardware merchant's tray plebeian tin
girdles shone with as undaunted a lustre as silver, while brass, steel,
copper and wire kitchen utensils made a brave display. Then followed a
young girl wearing round her neck a broad band of ribbon, which hung
nearly to her waist, and on which, fastened so closely that they looked
like a garland, were bows for the hair made of ribbons of various
colors. A gypsy in brilliant apparel, and a French seller of perfumes,
also gayly attired, were conspicuous in the procession, and venders of
popcorn balls and peanuts lent variety to the scene.
Marching through the lane left between the seats to the other end of the
long room, they grouped themselves in a semicircle, and then one after
another, stepping forward, offered for sale the various articles, naming
their prices.
PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Find the following on a penny:
1. A messenger One cent
2. Ancient mode of punishment Stripes
3. Means of inflicting it Lash
4. Piece of armor Shield
5. Devoted young man Bow
6. South American fruit Date
7. Place of worship Temple
8. Portion of a hill Brow
9. Three weapons Arrows
10. First American settler Indian
11. Emblem of victory Wreath
12. Emblem of royalty Crown
13. One way of expressing matrimony United
14. Part of a river Mouth
15. Implements of writing Quills
PHOTOGRAPH PARTY
This is especially adapted for the opening or closing party of the
season given by a club or society. Souvenir booklets, containing small
circular snapshot photos of each member of the club,--each one mounted
in the centre of a page--are given the club members. A title page, with
name, date and history of the club may be added, leaving blank pages for
various memoranda. The cover may be of cardboard, paper, silk or satin,
in the club colors, with the club name in gold. The place cards may be
miniature photographs showing pretty bits of scenery, etc., or a corner
of the room in which the club meetings are usually held. A flashlight
photograph of the club may be taken, which will make a pleasing memento
of the occasion.
PICTORIAL GEOGRAPHY
You can help make an hour at a social fly so quickly that the most
bashful person present will say it was only ten minutes long, by the
help of cards bearing small pictures which have been cut from newspaper
advertisements. For instance, Arkansas may be formed by a capital R, a
sprinkling-can, and a saw; Iowa, a large I, and a picture of a grocer's
scales--I-weigh; Sacramento, by a sack, "ra," a group of men, and the
toe of a slipper; Belgium, by a bell and a stick-pin (Bell-gem); and so
on with a host of such names as Ohio, Red Sea, Arizona, Orange,
Wheeling, Waterbury, Catskill, Delaware, Montana, Potomac, Charleston,
etc.
PICTURE READING
Picture reading is a novel amusement which is adapted to a small party
only.
Provide as many envelopes and short pencils as there are guests. On the
outside of each envelope write the name of a guest. Place a lead-pencil
and a folded sheet of unruled paper inside of each envelope.
When the guests are seated, present each one with the envelope bearing
his or her name. The hostess, or some other person appointed by her,
then explains to the company that each one is expected to draw a picture
upon the paper found within the envelope.
No matter how crudely executed, each person must at least attempt to
draw a picture of something, and then replace the sheet of paper in the
envelope.
A prophet or prophetess must be appointed, also an assistant, care being
taken, however, that the former is pretty well acquainted with the
different guests.
The assistant collects the envelopes, keeping the names thereon
carefully concealed from the prophet. He then takes from an envelope the
drawing and presents it to the prophet.
The latter proceeds to foretell the future life of the maker of the
picture in his hand, revealing as much or as little as he pleases of the
details of the picture.
When he has exhausted the resources of the picture, he returns it to the
assistant, who reads aloud the name on the envelope and restores both it
and the picture to their owner.
If properly carried out, this is a most entertaining form of amusement.
PICTURES OF PROMINENT MEN
If the company be musical, the pictures of celebrated musicians could be
appropriately used, and in writing down the names of these it could also
be required of the guests to cite some noted composition of each; or
should the company be general, the pictures of men prominent in
different professions--divines, orators, actors, statesmen--could be
utilized in almost exactly the same manner.
Should the entertainment be given in July or in March, it would be quite
appropriate to have on the cards pictures of the different presidents,
to be named by the guests, the dates of their respective terms in
offices to be given by them. While almost any one could readily
recognize a picture of Washington, Lincoln or Grant, there are other
presidents whose portraits are not so familiar, and it would take a
pretty good student in United States history to correctly recognize
likenesses of them all, or even a dozen of the less familiar pictures of
the group, much less to give the dates of their terms of office. A
framed picture of one of the greatest of the presidents might be given
as first prize to the person whose card is filled out correctly with all
the names and dates, or comes nearest to being correctly filled.
PIE PARTY
The invitation to this party should be written on three-cornered papers,
shaped and painted to look like pieces of pie.
Have each lady bring a different kind of pie, thus securing great
variety. The refreshments should consist entirely of pies and hot
coffee.
Have each gentleman present write a recipe for the kind of pie eaten by
him, also telling how long it takes to bake it. A suitable prize can be
given for the best recipe.
A large pie filled with bran may contain a favor for each guest, any
little articles that will not be injured in the baking being suitable.
PILGRIM LUNCHEON
A Pilgrim luncheon is a most delightful affair when properly carried
out.
The guests should be requested to dress in quaint old costumes suitable
to the occasion. If the floors are scrubbed and sanded in keeping with
the old-time Pilgrim interiors, so much the better.
Candles in old-fashioned brass sticks will furnish sufficient light. A
cheerful fire in the grate, with a kettle hanging on a crane, will add
to the festivities.
All the old heirlooms--spinning wheels of various sizes, andirons,
candlesticks, etc.--that can be resurrected or borrowed, will be needed.
Decorations consisting of strings of dried apples and bunches of field
corn, can be used with good effect. Old blue and white coverlids can be
used as hangings or couch covers.
Homespun tablecloths and old-fashioned china will be needed in the
dining-room. Only old-time dishes should enter into the menu. Below is
given one:
Fried Chicken Hot Rolls
Boston Baked Beans
Brown Bread Coffee
Cucumber Pickles Plum Preserves
Pumpkin Pie Cheese
Doughnuts Banbury Tarts
PING-PONG LUNCHEON
This ping-pong luncheon deserves mention for the novelty of the idea as
well as for the cleverness of the hostess in planning her menu. The
table decorations consisted of two ping-pong nets stretched diagonally
across the table. In the centre where the nets crossed, four racquets of
white parchment with scarlet edges were placed. From these rose a bunch
of asparagus ferns, and stuck amid the ferns, like big roses, were a
dozen rosettes of taffeta ribbon of six different shades of red and
pink. The name cards were of white cardboard cut in the shape of
racquets with red edges.
The menu included creamed white fish made into balls, each laid on a
miniature racquet cut from thin slices of buttered bread; French chops
trimmed into circular shape with the bone of each twisted with white
frilled paper (forming little racquets) served with potatoes cut into
little balls; balls of cream cheese served on racquets of toasted bread,
with lettuce leaves; and vanilla ice-cream balls served on racquets of
drop cake.
At the close of the luncheon each girl took one of the rosettes and
found in it a tiny silver pin in the shape of a racquet to pin upon her
gown. The two who chose the same color had to meet each other in the
tournament which occupied the rest of the afternoon.
PING-PONG PARTY
The invitations, which were written on pink paper, ran as follows:
_Ping-Pong Party!_
_Polite and pretty people pressed to pleasantly play
ping-pong for prizes: pens, pictures, purses or pencils._
_Patent leather pumps and pinafores positively prohibited._
_Party puts in at 8 P. M.--pulls out at pleasure._
_Program_
_1. Ping-pong partners.
2. Playing ping-pong.
3. Partaking of prepared provender.
4. Presentation of prizes.
R. s. v. p. pretty promptly to Miss Ethel Thompson,_
_179 Chestnut Street._
The tournament began with mixed doubles. A pretty boutonnière was given
to each guest. The men selected for their partners the girls who had
flowers corresponding to theirs. After doubles were played off the
singles were on, and the prizes were given at the supper-table. A
charming Japanese fan, labeled "Pretty present to prevent prickly heat,"
was the ladies' prize; a potted plant, the men's; while some slight
consolation was given the fortunate being who almost won by a wriggly
paper snake, bearing on its harmless fangs the legend, "The perilous
python pitilessly puts a period to pleasure."
A rather unusual supper of sandwiches of thin pumpernickel, potato
salad, pumpkin pie, fruit punch and popcorn was enjoyed.
PIN PARTY
The invitations to this were written on large sheets of paper, and the
sheet was then folded up small, and pinned with a large black pin. Each
guest was requested to bring a fancy stick-pin which he or she was
willing to have disposed of as the hostess saw fit.
On entering, these were given to the hostess, who thrust each into a
small card bearing the name of the person bringing it. While her guests
were removing wraps in the guest-chamber, she put these by twos (one
brought by a girl and one by a man) into small jeweler's boxes. The name
of the girl who brought the one pin was put into the box, but no man's
name was enclosed. When the time came for supper these boxes were passed
to the gentlemen, who each selected one. The name inside indicated which
lady he was to take out to supper. One stick-pin went to each of the
pair, and these served as souvenirs.
It so happened that no man had the pin that he had brought to the
entertainment, and of course no girl had hers, for she would insist that
the man take the pin she had provided. As many of these pins were the
quaintest ones to be found by the persons bringing them, they created
not a little amusement.
But we are getting ahead of our story, for before supper the time was
filled in with various games.
The first of these was an entertainment in which all the guests took
part. A fancy tray contained as many slips of cardboard as there were
guests. This was placed on the centre-table, and the hostess called upon
one of the men to pick up one of these slips at random, and read what it
contained. He did so and read: "The tale of a pin." The hostess then
informed him that he must tell the story of a pin, and do it in two
minutes. The surprise was so great that he scarcely recovered enough to
begin his story before his time was up. Then he had to call on some
girl, and she must take a slip, and do whatever it bade her, for the
period of two minutes. And so on until all had taken part. Some of the
slips read thus:
Speak a piece with something in it about a pin.
Name twenty-five kinds of pins.
Tell a story about a girl and a pin.
Give an oration on points.
Give a talk on pinfeathers.
Improvise a poem on "The boy and the pin."
Point out the various pins you can see in this room.
Tell twenty uses for a hairpin.
Sew with a pin. With this was given a piece of cheese-cloth
and a pin with a long thread tied to the head.
Count the pins in a heap. (All sizes and kinds.)
Make a pin stand on its head.
Draw a picture of a pin. (Breastpin of huge pattern.)
Play a game of "ring pins." This was a variation of the game of quoits
or ring toss. Into a foot square piece of soft pine had been stuck
twenty pins about an inch apart. The victim was given ten small brass
rings, and made to stand two feet from the edge of the table, and see
how many rings he could make catch over a pin.
P.O.D. DINNER PARTY
On the twenty-second day of February the guests were bidden to a P.O.D.
(Post-Office Department) dinner party, but none guessed the meaning of
the mysterious letters till they were seated at the table and found that
the place-cards were unsealed envelopes stamped and directed, each one
containing a tin label similar to the ones upon the sacks used in the
Railway Mail Service. These had been made by a tinsmith and were only
strips of tin three inches long and an inch and a half wide. The sides
had been bent over slightly to form a slot to hold a narrow piece of
cardboard, and a blue or a pink ribbon was drawn through a small hole
punched in one end.
The ladies' slips bore the names of small towns near by, while those of
the gentlemen had the titles of the railroads on which the towns were
situated.
The table was decorated with toy trains and stagecoaches and men on
horseback, all loaded with tiny mail-sacks filled with salted nuts,
candies, and even little cakes. The guests had great fun guiding the
various conveyances around the table and peering into the small sacks.
After dinner the host stood in the dining-room door and would allow no
couple to pass who were not able to show perfectly matched slides.
In the parlor cards on which were written names and addresses were
passed around and two minutes allowed to decipher and write them on
tablets provided for the purpose, and numbered from one to twenty-five.
At the tap of a bell each person passed his or her card to the one on
the right, and in this way the cards made the circuit of the room in the
given time. There were enough difficult ones to give an idea of the
troubles which beset Uncle Sam's faithful servants when handling the
mails.
The first prize was a silver stamp-box, and the consolation one a small
United States atlas.
A boy with a mail-sack distributed packages of bonbons, the
old-fashioned game of "post office" was played.
POP-CORN PARTY
I was much surprised and amused at a little corn-colored envelope which
came with my morning mail the other day. It contained, written upon
corn-colored paper, an invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Blank to be present
at "A Pop-corn Party" on the following Thursday evening at eight
o'clock. In the lower left-hand corner was written, "To meet Mr. C. Cobb
very informally."
In the dressing-room each girl was presented with an addition to her
toilet in the shape of a necklace of popcorn sewed upon satin ribbon,
each necklace having a distinct color. Upon entering the parlors we
found all the men adorned with watch-chains to correspond. We were
speedily invited into the dining-room, where a bright open fire was
burning, and were told that this time the girls were to do "the
popping." And they did, while ghost stories were told, songs were sung
and conundrums given and guessed. As the corn was popped it was given to
the hostess, who, in a corn-colored crepon gown, presently invited all
the men to take partners. This they did by selecting the girls whose
necklaces matched their watch-chains in color.
Then we sat down to a veritable feast of popcorn at a table which had
been entirely arranged in corn color, and upon which were served salted,
sugared and buttered popcorn, popcorn balls, lemon jelly-cake, lemon
sponge-cake, lemonade, hot and cold, lemon ice cream, lemon water ice
and lemon jelly. After our delicious supper we returned to the parlor
and were handed cards with pencils attached. Our hostess then rang a
bell and called for order, and when order reigned she requested us to
write eight nouns beginning with corn, and the name of a general
beginning in the same way. In ten minutes she rang the bell again and
collected the lists. The best one read, "Cornflower, cornstarch,
cornice, cornet, cornea, corner, corncake, cornucopia, General
Cornwallis."
The maker of this list received a pretty corn-colored paper lamp shade
as a prize, and the girl who only had two words on her list received the
booby prize--a corn-colored paper dunce cap, which she was compelled to
wear the rest of the evening.
PORTRAIT GAME
In this new and clever game a name card, with the numbers from one to
six written upon it, a small pad of paper, and a pencil, are handed to
each guest. The gentlemen are then asked to select partners for each
number upon their cards, and when this is done the hostess may give the
signal for the game to begin, and announce that "partners" may proceed
to draw each other's faces upon the pads of paper, each gentleman
depicting the charms of his _vis-à-vis_, and each lady doing likewise.
At the end of five minutes a bell gives the signal for the gentlemen to
seek their next partners, and again the portraiture goes on. When all
the partners have been taken and all the portraits drawn, each portrait
being marked with the artist's initials and a number corresponding to
the number the model occupies on each card, the collection is pinned to
a sheet or portière, and the guests are invited to guess whose likeness
each drawing is meant to represent.
The one guessing the largest number of portraits correctly is given a
prize of a photograph, and the one who has made the best portrait also
receives one.
POVERTY PARTY
The committee should take especial pains to have every one enter into
this party to make it a success. When it was held at the home of the
writer, the house was all torn up ready to move out the next day, so the
floors were bare, the curtains were all down and everything looked very
much poverty stricken. All the good furniture was moved out of the
rooms, and store boxes with long boards across made the seats. Mush and
milk was served in tin cups with tin spoons (borrowed for the party). A
flashlight photograph was taken and every one had a thoroughly good
time.
YEW AIR AST TO A
POVERTY PARTTY!
that us fokes of thee Trinity C. E. air a-goin tu hav at the
hous whare Mr. Linscott livs with his wife. It is on Alanson
Strete. If yer cante finde it go to No. 36.
_MONDAY NITE,
MARTCH THEE TWENTY ATE_
RULS AND REGELASHUNS.
Chap. One. Evry womman who kums must ware a kaliko dres and
apern, ore somethin ekally apropriate.
Chap. Tew. All men must ware there ole close and flannill
shurts. Biled shurts and stanup dickys air prohibbitted
onles there ole and rinkled.
_These Ruls Will Bee Inforced to thee Leter._
ONE--A kompetunt core uf mannagers and ades will be in
attendance.
TEW--The hull sasiety wil interduce strangirs and luk after
bashfil fellers.
THREE--There is a-goin to bee lots of phun fore every boddy.
FORE--Phun wil begin tu commance at haf pas seven.
FIVE--Tu git into thee house yew wil have tew pay tu (2)
cents.
SIX--Tu git anny thing tu ete yew will haf tu pay thre (3)
cents.
SEVEN--Yew beter bring lots uv pennies tu pay phines with.
_Kum Irly and Git a Gude Sete._
POVERTY SOCIABLE
YOU ARE ASKED TO THE PARLORS OF GEN. & MRS. SILAS T. JONES
_Wednesday Evening, April Twelfth._
"Come in your rags, come in your tags," but not in velvet
gowns, or you will be fined the usual some, 25 sents. Read
the program and all kum.
REWLS AND REGERLASHUNS
First. Every womin what kums must ware a Poverty dres and
apern, er somethin ekelly erpropriate, an leave her poodle
dorg to hum.
Second. Know gent with biled shirt and dood koller will be
aloud to kum onless he pays a fine of 5 sents.
Third. A kompitent komitty will intruduse strangers an look
after bashful fellers.
VITTLES
Koffy, 5 sents Ginger Kake, 5 sents
KUM AT KANDLE LIGHTIN AN STAY TIL BEDTIME
NO OBSTREPROUS ER BAD BOYS PERMITTED
PRESIDENTIAL COUPLETS
1. Who first at Washington did pledge
The nation's weal to guard and hedge?
2. Which President, most grave and wary,
Was called "Old Public Functionary"?
3. Whose phaeton, made from ship of state,
Conveyed him to inaugural fête?
4. What President, renowned for spleen,
Joined the Continentals when fourteen?
5. Who in his New York home did take
The oath which doth a President make?
6. Who to his inaugural hied
His good and faithful horse astride?
7. When death first made vacant a President's chair,
What Vice-President succeeded there?
8. Who to his inaugural came disguised,
For fear of mischief ill-advised?
9. Who was wounded in Trenton town
When Washington put the Hessians down?
10. Who President again became
Just four year after resigning the name?
11. What President served but thirty days
Ere death dissolved his term of praise?
12. What President, son of a President,
Was known as "The Old Man Eloquent"?
13. Because March fourth on Sunday came,
Who, for one day, deferred their claim?
14. Who, when his oath of office he took,
Was known as "The Wizard of Kinderhook"?
15. Who, after his inaugural vow,
Turned round to kiss his mother's brow?
16. The initials of what President's name
Stand for a phrase which made his fame?
17. Who in the Quaker City neat
Their oaths of office did repeat?
18. Which Chief Magistrate was styled
"The American Fabius" of the wild?
19. "Novanglus" was the pen-name signed
By what President of cultured mind?
20. Who only as President and Commander-in-Chief
Has stood on the battle-field planning relief?
1. Thomas Jefferson. 2. James Buchanan. 3. Martin Van Buren. 4. Andrew
Jackson. 5. Chester A. Arthur. 6. Thomas Jefferson. 7. John Tyler. 8.
Abraham Lincoln. 9. James Monroe. 10. Grover Cleveland, 11. William
Henry Harrison. 12. John Quincy Adams. 13. James Monroe, Rutherford B.
Hayes, Zachary Taylor. 14. Martin Van Buren. 15. James A. Garfield. 16.
U. S. (Unconditional Surrender) Grant. 17. John Adams, George
Washington. 18. George Washington. 19. John Adams. 20. Abraham Lincoln.
PRESIDENTIAL QUESTIONS
What President had a son who became President?
John Adams.
What President died with the now famous words:
"This is the last of earth. I am content"? John Q.
Adams.
Who was the fifteenth President of the United States?
Buchanan.
What Vice-President became President by the death of
Taylor? Fillmore.
By the death of Garfield? Arthur.
What President fought the last battle of the War of
1812? Jackson.
During the administration of what President did the
Louisiana purchase and Burr's treason occur? Jefferson's.
Under what President was the War of 1812 begun?
Madison.
What President outlined a famous foreign policy?
Monroe.
What two Presidents died the same day? Adams and
Jefferson.
What three Presidents were assassinated? Lincoln,
Garfield, and McKinley.
What Presidents served as generals in the Mexican war?
Taylor and Pierce.
During what administration did the annexation of Texas
and the Mexican war take place? Polk's.
PRESIDENTS' NICKNAMES
Let the nicknames of our Presidents form the subject of a guessing
contest. These should be written one at a time upon a blackboard and
numbered. One minute is allowed in which to guess and write down the
name of the Executive to whom the title was applied. The list of
nicknames is as follows:
Rail-splitter of the West? (Lincoln)
Hero of New Orleans? (Jackson)
Old Man Eloquent? (J. Q. Adams)
Canal Boy? (Garfield)
Northern Man with Southern Principles? (Buchanan)
Tippecanoe? (W. H. Harrison)
Honest Abe? (Lincoln)
Rough and Ready? (Taylor)
Let the best list of answers be awarded a prize.
PUSSY WILLOW PARTY
Especially appropriate ideas for an evening's entertainment to be given
the last of March or the first of April are suggested by the pussy
willow. The invitations sent out to the invited friends can be written
on cards brown-tinted like the bark of the trees, and can be very
artistically decorated with the furry blooms, or with paintings of them.
Trim the parlor with pussy willows by filling vases, pitchers, and
bowls. Place the catkins about the room and suspend branches of them
from gas jets and about the windows. The hostess can adorn herself very
prettily with these blooms by making wreaths for the neck and hair, and
by pinning branches of them on the skirt in some design.
For entertainment, pin against the wall at one end of the room a sheet
upon which is sketched a large pussy willow stalk. Distribute paper
catkins among the guests, who, blindfolded, try in turn, to pin them on
the stalk. This affords a great deal of amusement. Those who succeed in
pinning their catkins upon the stalk receive prizes, given according to
the success of the contestants. These prizes are in the shape of favors
appropriately fashioned from the fluffy little pussies. For further
amusement, have cards distributed on which each person is asked to write
favorite quotations or original rhymes beginning with each letter
contained in the compound word "pussy-willow." These are read in turn,
and many gems are brought fresh to each one's mind. One could also
introduce a pussy willow hunt, as another pastime. For the dining-room
decoration use more pussy willows. A pussy willow centrepiece would
carry out the idea nicely, and add to the attractiveness of the table.
Brown and silvery green are suggestive colors for further decorations,
and may be used on the menu cards, making them simple but appropriate
souvenirs.
RED, WHITE AND BLUE LUNCHEON
The entire color scheme of this Fourth of July luncheon must be worked
out in the national colors; as far as possible the doilies used should
be designed in star-shaped patterns, with a border in wash silks of
interwoven red carnations and blue corn-flowers. Suspended directly over
the centre of the table, a huge liberty bell should be hung, composed of
red and white carnations and blue corn-flowers. Depending therefrom
should be ropes of red, white and blue ribbon, terminating at the four
corners of the table. The luncheon to be served should be as far as
possible in the prevailing colors, the ices might be in firecracker
form, and the starry banner should appear wherever it can be introduced.
Draperies and pictures indicative of the occasion should be placed in
conspicuous places, and do not forget a goodly supply of pyrotechnics
to conclude the day. Such a luncheon will certainly commend itself to
all, and most particularly to the younger element.
Write the following verses on cards and pass around among the guests
after they have left the table. Have each verse read aloud previous to
the performance:
1. Though puzzles do our minds distress,
We'd like two good ones now to guess.
2. We'd like to hear you tell to-day,
Some funny things that children say.
3. Describe some woman in the town,
Her nose and hair, her dress and gown;
But do not give us her address,
Nor tell her name, and we will guess.
4. We'd like a story full of fun;
You're gifted, Lyman, tell us one
5. Misery likes company, they say;
We'd like to hear you tell to-day
(Don't hesitate, but now begin)
Of the worst scrape you e'er were in.
6. Your talent gives as much delight;
We wish that you would please recite.
7. Your part in this program to help us along
Will give us much pleasure; please sing us a song.
8. If music hath charms, we wish that to-day
You'd prove it, and something quite charming would play.
9. Tell some joke on yourself, your wife, or your friend.
But we hope that you'll have it pleasantly end.
10. Describe some trip you've taken far,
To Mexico, Europe, or Zanzibar.
11. Give a tale of old time when settlers were few,
Of what they had then and what they did do.
12. Describe some famous picture,
Whether dark or fair.
Please tell us all about it,
And the artist rare.
13. Without a bit of gossip sweet,
This program would not be complete.
Be sure that while the seasons roll,
This crowd will _never tell_ a soul.
"RILEY" ENTERTAINMENT
A "Riley" party was recently held by one of our church charity
organizations. It proved a decidedly unique affair and quite a
profitable one also. The decorations of the church parlors consisted
mainly of paper, which was most artistically entwined about pillar, post
and picture. A large picture of James Whitcomb Riley was placed upon the
wall facing the entrance, and over it in pasteboard letters,
"When the frost is on the pumpkin,
And the fodder's in the shock."
Almost all the young people who had gotten up the entertainment were
dressed to represent Riley's characters, and several of the most
important presided over the booths. At one, which was literally covered
with paper flowers, "'Lizabeth Ann, she can cook best things to eat,"
sold cakes and pies. At another Riley's poems and photographs were sold,
and at still another "The raggedy man! He works for pa," knocked down
apples from an improvised apple-tree as fast as he could sell them. And
among the purchasers were "Little Orphant Annie," "Max and Jim," "Pa and
ma and me, all three," and many others.
While all were busy buying and tasting the good things, "the old band"
marched in.
"Somehow--anyway
I want to hear the old band play
Sich tunes as 'John Brown's body,' and
'Sweet Alice,' don't you know?
And 'The camels is a-comin'' and
'John Anderson, my Jo.'"
And the impromptu band played them. Later in the evening some of the
Riley poems were recited.
SELF-PORTRAITS
"Actions speak louder than words." So runs the old saw; nevertheless, a
single phrase has often served to make a man famous, and many well-known
personages are readily remembered through especially striking or
appropriate utterances.
How many readers will be able to credit the following to the proper
sources?
1. "I am the greatest historian that ever lived."
2. "All that I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my
mother."
3. "I would rather men should ask why my statue
is not set up than why it is."
4. "My infant son rules his mother; his mother
rules me; I rule the Athenians; the Athenians
rule the Greeks; the Greeks rule Europe, and
Europe rules the world."
5. "Though I have the arm of a woman, I have the
heart of a King, and am ready to pour out
my blood."
6. "Here lies one whose name is writ in water."
7. "Where liberty is _not_, there is my country."
8. "Circumstances! I make circumstances!"
9. "As yet a child, not yet a fool to fame, I lisp'd
in numbers, for the numbers came."
10. "The world is my parish."
11. "With my sword by my side and Homer in my
pocket, I hope to carve my way through the
world."
12. "My country is the world: my countrymen are
mankind."
13. "I am called the richest monarch in the Christian
world; the sun in my dominion never
sets."
14. "I am the State."
15. "Life is a jest, and all things show it; I thought
so once, but now I know it."
16. "If I were an American, as I am an Englishman,
while a foreign troop landed in my country,
I never would lay down my arms--never!
never! never!"
17. "I came, I saw, I conquered."
18. "I could lie down like a tired child and weep
away the life of care which I have borne, and
yet must bear."
19. "I awoke one morning and found myself famous."
20. "Tell your master that if there were as many
devils at Worms as tiles on its roofs, I would
enter."
1. Edward Gibbon.
2. Abraham Lincoln.
3. Cato.
4. Themistocles.
5. Queen Elizabeth.
6. John Keats.
7. Thomas Paine.
8. Napoleon Bonaparte.
9. Alexander Pope.
10. Wesley.
11. Napoleon Bonaparte.
12. Wm. Lloyd Garrison.
13. Charles V.
14. Louis XIV.
15. John Gay.
16. Wm. Pitt, Earl of Chatham.
17. Julius Cæsar.
18. Percy B. Shelley.
19. Lord Byron.
20. Martin Luther.
SEVEN DAYS IN ONE
This fair can be planned by any society that wishes to raise money and
is willing to work to earn it.
MONDAY
Have a booth with everything pertaining to wash-day--wash aprons,
clothes-pin aprons, clothes-pin bags, wash-tubs, boilers, wash-boards,
clothes-lines, clothes-pins, soaps, washing-powder, bluing,
clothes-baskets, etc.
TUESDAY
Have everything a housewife wants for ironing day--ironing-boards,
irons, stands, holders, home-made holders, fine starch, bees' wax,
ironing-board slips, polishing irons, etc.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday's booth should have everything for mending day, such as
needle-books, stocking-bags, buttons, button-bags, pincushions, papers
of pins, needles, thread, darning needles, darning-cotton,
darning-balls, etc.
THURSDAY
Make Thursday the reception day, arranging this booth as a reception
hall, with a good, live committee in attendance. Have a book for the
guests to register their names and addresses (for future use). Serve ice
cream, cake, lemonade and candy. Introduce strangers and appoint a
special committee to look after the backward ones.
FRIDAY
Let this booth be suggestive of sweeping day. Have plenty of dust caps,
dust bags, dusting cloths, brushes, brooms, dust-pans, dusters, large
colored aprons (which sell readily), etc.
SATURDAY
Let this booth be a regular bakery. Have your friends bake various
things for you to sell, and have on sale all such articles as will sell
readily, such as pies, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, bread, baked beans,
etc.
SUNDAY
Have Sunday the crowning day of all. Arrange to have a piano or organ at
this booth, and secure a full choir or quartet to sing the sacred songs;
have solos, duets, instrumental music and an orchestra if possible. Have
sacred readings and make the time spent here an hour of sacred
enjoyment.
If something extra is wanted let the singers dress in old time costumes
and sing the old sacred songs with an organ accompaniment.
SHAMROCK LUNCHEON
AN IDEA FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY
The invitations were written upon pale green note-paper, with a shamrock
leaf painted in water-color in one corner. The exquisitely blended
shades of this leaf make it an easy and effective decoration. In truth,
we encountered some difficulty in finding a leaf to copy; but a volume
of Moore's poems, incased by a considerate binder in a shamrock-sprinkled
cover, solved the problem!
The event was called a "Shamrock Luncheon," the hours were from two
until six, and the word "whist" explained our intentions.
The score-cards were cut from green cardboard, in the shape of a large
shamrock; and across the back of each was written a line of a humorous
St. Patrick's Day poem, which we had discovered in a newspaper. The
verses will be found complete at the end of this article. It is adapted
to twenty-four guests, but it is easy to insert more lines if more
guests are invited.
Each lady selected her partner for the game by finding the holder of the
line which rhymed with her own. The score-cards were tied with streamers
of narrow white or green ribbon, which served both to attach the cards
to the gown and to indicate partners in "changing tables"--the green
always playing with a white ribbon. (Care must be taken to tie rhyming
cards, one with green and one with white.)
When partners had been found, the entire poem, sufficiently humorous to
break up all formality, was read. As each line was read, the owner of
the card bearing that line took her seat as indicated, until all the
guests were easily and laughingly seated.
The six small luncheon tables were set with green and white china, and
had for centrepieces pots of blossoming shamrock. Any florist will sell
or rent these.
The menu was as follows:
Fruit Salad
Boiled Salmon Caper Sauce
Potato au Gratin
Chicken Salad in Lettuce Nests
Olives Wafers
Pistachio Cream
Fancy Cakes Iced in Pale Green
Coffee Bonbons
This repast, served by three pretty waitresses in white gowns and green
ribbons, was eminently satisfactory. Green and white bonbons are easy to
obtain. Care must be taken, however, not to carry the color scheme too
far into the menu, as green is not an appetizing color in all kinds of
food.
ST. PATRICK'S BIRTHDAY
"'Twas the eighth day of March, so some people say,
St. Patrick at midnight, he first saw the day!
While others contend 'twas the ninth he was born,
An' 'twas all a mistake between midnight and morn.
But mistakes will occur in a hurry and shock,
And some blamed the baby, and some blamed the clock.
So that with all the talk there was, no one could know
If the child was too fast, or the clock was too slow!
"Now the first faction fight in owld Ireland, they say,
Was all on account of St. Patrick's birthday.
Some fought for the eighth, for the ninth more would die;
And who wouldn't see right, why, they blackened his eye.
"At last each faction so positive grew
That each kept a birthday, and Patrick had two!
Until good Father Mulcahy, who showed them their sins,
Said no one could have two birthdays, but twins!
Said he: 'Bhoys, don't be fightin' fur eight or fur nine;
Don't be always dividin', but sometimes combine.
Unite eight and nine--seventeen is the mark.
Let that be his birthday.' 'Amen,' said the clark.
"'If he wasn't a twin, sure his histhory will show
That he's worth at least any two saints that we know.'
Then they all 'tuk a dhrop,' which completed their bliss;
And they keep up the practice from that day to this."
SNOWDRIFT PARTY
An ingenious hostess provided no little amusement for her guests by what
she called her "snowdrift party." This is how it is arranged:
First of all select from a good book of quotations or proverbs twenty
sentences applicable to snow. Write these twenty verses on twenty cards,
one verse to each card, and number them with the numbers from one to
twenty. Now get together a half dozen pasteboard or wooden boxes, and
fill these with flakes of cotton, wool or white paper torn into small
pieces. Hide the quotation cards away in the snow thus formed. Each
guest receives a wooden teaspoon, tied with ribbon, a note-book and
pencil. The boxes are distinguished by letters or numbers painted upon
them, and lots are drawn to determine in which "snowdrift" each guest
shall dig. The digging is, of course, done with the spoons. Each player
digs in the snow, turning it up spoonful by spoonful, until he discovers
a card. When a card is found the quotation upon it must be read and the
name of the author, if recognized, written down. Each author's name
should be placed in the note-book opposite the proper number of the
card, in order to facilitate the work of the person who reads the lists
to decide the prize. The cards, whether the author is known or not, are
always returned to the box and hidden away in the snow. At the end of
fifteen minutes, work ceases and the diggers begin on new drifts. This
changing is done every fifteen minutes, a player digging always in a new
snow bank until the number of boxes is exhausted. When the game reaches
this stage all note-books or tablets are collected by the mistress of
the ceremonies. She compares the answers in the note-books with her own
list, previously prepared. Incorrect guesses are pruned away with a blue
pencil and the correct ones counted. It is, of course, the player who
has most of these last who carries off the trophy. The prize should be
in some way suggestive of the occasion.
SOCK SOCIABLE
This little sock we give to you
Is not for you to wear;
Please multiply your size by two
And place therein with care,
In pennies or in cents,
Just twice the number that you wear,
(We hope it is immense).
So if you wear a number 10
You owe us 20, see?
Which, dropped into our little sock,
Will fill our hearts with glee.
'Tis all we ask; it isn't much,
And hardly any trouble,
But if you only have one foot,
We'll surely charge you double.
Now, if you have a friend quite dear,
You'd like to bring with you,
Or if you know some one who'd come,
We'll gladly give you two.
So don't forget the place and date--
We'll answer when you knock,
And welcome you with open arms,
But DON'T FORGET YOUR SOCK.
This little verse should be sent with every invitation to the sociable,
accompanied by a tiny sock made of silk or lawn. On the night of the
entertainment, these socks with the money that has been placed in them
are brought by the guests and deposited in a large bowl at the door. The
sociable then proceeds in the usual manner. This is an excellent way of
raising money for some charitable object.
SPINNING PARTY
"Will you walk into my parlor?"
On the upper left-hand corner there was a picture of a spider spinning
his web, and a fly struggling to escape from its meshes.
When the guests arrived they saw an old-fashioned spinning wheel in the
centre of the room, with flax near by, all ready for spinning. They were
told that all must try for the prizes that were to be awarded to the
lady and gentleman who spun the best thread, after five minutes' trial.
The mother of the hostess, who had done such work when a girl, stood
near to give instruction, and to time the contestants. Those who have no
knowledge of spinning can have no idea how much fun there is in trying
to make an even thread, more especially when surrounded by interested
young people of no greater experience. As the different threads were
finished they were fastened to a tag bearing the name of the worker and
then pinned to a square of black cloth that had been pinned to the wall
for that purpose. When all had tried, a committee was appointed to help
the hostess decide to whom prizes should be awarded.
While the spinning was going on the guests whose turn at the wheel had
not arrived and those who had already tried were set to following the
threads of what looked like an immense spider web wound around the
rooms. It was composed of black and white threads, the black threads
being intended for gentlemen and the white ones for ladies. They were
instructed that when they found an end of one of these threads they were
to begin winding it into a ball; but that they must do so very gently,
or the whole web would be knotted so badly that it could not be undone.
When they came to a knot it must be untied. These threads were so
ingeniously twisted together and wound around pictures, bric-à brac,
table legs, etc., that it took some time to reach the farther end, and
every one had plenty of opportunity to talk with every one else. A card
was fastened to the farther end of each thread, and all the cards had
been so well concealed from view that some time elapsed before the
guests knew what they were to find.
On each card were written the words, "You will take supper with the one
who holds the mate to your card." Then the cards must be compared. Each
contained a spider web, some with four circles, some with more; some
with eight divisions, others with more or less; but there were always
two of each kind, and through the peculiarities of these webs the
partners discovered each other. The difference in webs was sometimes so
slight as not to be detected without close observation; but it was
always plain after having once been pointed out. It is surprising how
many different designs can be worked out in these webs. The work is
really quite fascinating when once begun, so the thought of it must not
frighten any one from giving a spinning party.
When the prizes had been awarded to the best spinners, several tables
were brought in and set about the room.
On the top of each there was fastened a heavy sheet of drawing paper,
upon which five circles had been drawn. The outside circle was as large
as the table would allow. The inner one was only two inches in diameter.
The other three circles were drawn at equal distances between these two.
In the inner space on one table were the figures 25; the next 20; then
came 15, 10 and 5. On the next table the inner space was marked 30, and
each of the other spaces 5 less. On the third and last table the inner
circle was marked 50, and each of the others 5 less.
Each player was given a top, made from a spool, and all the guests took
turns spinning the tops on the table having the lowest figures. When the
top ceased spinning the player was credited with the number on which the
point of the top rested. As soon as a player had twenty-five to his
credit he advanced to the next higher table. There he must win fifty
points before he could pass on to the highest table. When he had won a
hundred points at the third table he was obliged to begin again at the
foot table. The top must not be touched while spinning. Should it drop
to the floor the player must make ten before he could begin to count
again. Should he make 25 at the next trial he only counted 15; but he
had a second trial when his top had dropped to the floor, before the
next player spun his top.
Each player had a credit card tied in his buttonhole upon which numbers
something like the meal tickets issued at restaurants were closely
written. When added these numbers should make 500. The hostess had a
punch with which she cut out the numbers to correspond with those won by
the player. When any player had no more numbers on his card he was
declared winner and the game was ended.
SPINSTER TEA
Where a party of girls wish to have an evening all to themselves the
"Spinster Tea" will furnish them with much merriment.
As this sort of tea should be quite informal the invitations may be
written on plain white note-paper, as follows:
"_Being a spinster in good standing in this community you are
cordially invited to a 'Spinster Tea' on Tuesday evening,
November twentieth, at seven o'clock, at 415 Madison Street.
You are requested to dress in character, and to bring with you
an old-fashioned picture of a man supposed to have been refused
by you. Be prepared to tell the story of his wooing and to
state what he lacked to make him pleasing to you. The narrator
of the most improbable story will be given a heart._"
When the evening of the tea comes, and the guests have all been
introduced one to another, they may be ushered into the dining-room and
the supper be served. The dining-table should be arranged in as
old-fashioned a style as possible. At the four corners place
candlesticks with wax candles, and for a centrepiece have a large
bouquet of artificial bachelors' buttons. Use old-fashioned china and
silver if you happen to have any. At each place put a few bachelors'
buttons, to which attach a menu card by a narrow white taffeta ribbon.
The refreshments should be numbered upon the menu cards, and each guest
be allowed to choose one number each time the waitress passes around.
The key to the menu given should be held by the hostess and the
waitress.
The following menu was recently used at a "Spinster Tea" and created
much merriment:
MENU KEY TO THE MENU
1. Always in pairs. 1. Cup and saucer.
2. Would they were here. 2. Jolly boys.
3. Front curls. 3. Curled molasses chips.
4. Objects of envy. 4. Preserved pears (pairs).
5. Warranted to pop. 5. Bottle of ginger ale.
6. A solace. 6. Tea.
7. Sadly missed. 7. Kisses.
8. High-backed comb. 8. Honey in comb.
9. Cause of woe. 9. Spiced tongue.
10. Courtship. 10. Mush.
11. A lover. 11. A spoon.
12. A small deceit. 12. A plate.
13. Our tears. 13. Salt.
14. Left over. 14. Heart (baked).
After all have partaken of refreshments the guests should adjourn to the
parlor where a circle may be formed, and, beginning at the left, each
spinster in turn may exhibit the picture of her wooer, and relate her
story. Two judges may be chosen by lot to decide which is the prize
story, and a large frosted gingerbread heart may constitute the prize.
STATE ABBREVIATIONS
1. Which is the most religious state? (Mass.)
2. The most egotistical? (Me.)
3. Not a state for the untidy? (Wash.)
4. The most Asiatic? (Ind.)
5. The father of states? (Pa.)
6. The most maidenly? (Miss.)
7. The most useful in haying time? (Mo.)
8. The best state in time of flood? (Ark.)
9. Decimal state? (Tenn.)
10. State of astonishment? (La.)
11. State of exclamation? (O.)
12. State to cure the sick? (Md.)
13. Where there is no such word as fail? (Kan.)
14. The most unhealthy state? (Ill.)
STATE FLOWERS
In case it is desired to represent the various states of the Union by
floral decorations, the following list is given:
Alabama--Goldenrod.
Arkansas--Aster.
California--Columbine.
Delaware--Peach blossom.
Idaho--Syringa.
Iowa--Wild rose.
Maine--[1]Pine cone and
tassel.
Michigan--[1]Apple blossom.
Minnesota--Moccasin
flower.
Missouri--Goldenrod.
Montana--Bitter root.
Nebraska--Goldenrod.
New Jersey--State tree,
sugar maple.
New York--Rose;
State tree, maple.
Oklahoma Territory--[1]Mistletoe.
Oregon--Oregon grape.
Rhode Island--Violet;
State tree, maple.
Vermont--Red clover.
Washington--Rhododendron.
[Footnote 1: Adopted by State Legislature.]
STATE NICKNAMES
Which is the Hoosier State? (Indiana)
The Nutmeg State? (Connecticut)
The Keystone State? (Pennsylvania)
The Buckeye State? (Ohio)
The Palmetto State? (South Carolina)
The Pine Tree State? (Maine)
The Prairie State? (Illinois)
The Sucker State? (Illinois)
The Lone Star State? (Texas)
The Lumber State? (Maine)
The Mother of States? (Virginia)
The Mother of Presidents? (Virginia)
The Old Dominion? (Virginia)
The Old North State? (North Carolina)
The Hawkeye State? (Iowa)
The Green Mountain State? (Vermont)
The Granite State? (Vermont)
The Freestone State? (Connecticut)
The Empire State? (New York)
The Diamond State? (Delaware)
The Creole State? (Louisiana)
The Corn Cracker State? (Kentucky)
The Blue Hen State? (Delaware)
The Bay State? (Massachusetts)
STATE SOCIABLE
Each guest on arriving should be presented with a white card on which
has been pasted a picture of General Washington. These need not all be
alike--in fact, it will increase the interest in the cards if they are
not; any picture of our first President may be used. Small ones cut from
magazines will answer the purpose admirably. Beneath the picture have
the date, and through perforations at the top of the cards run red,
white and blue ribbon hangers. On the reverse of each of the first
thirteen cards given out write the name of one of the thirteen original
States; on the next thirteen the capital of each of these States, and on
the next thirteen one of the principal cities in the States. If the
company is to be a large one the forty-five States of the Union may be
used instead of the original thirteen.
The company then forms into State groups--those holding cards bearing
the name of the State itself, its capital and principal city--and each
group agrees which product of its State is most beneficial to the
greatest number of people. When a report is called for, a vote is taken
from all present as to which product is most essential to the welfare of
the nation as a whole. Three small bouquets of red and white carnations
tied with blue ribbon will make appropriate rewards for the three
supporters of the State which wins distinction.
ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARTY
Invitations to be sent out as follows:
_You are invited to attend a gathering
of the Sons and Daughters of Erin
at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick O'Rafferty,
(Mr. and Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott),
105 Southern Avenue, Cleveland,
on St. Patrick's Day in the evening._
_You will please come masked and representing some Irish lady
or gentleman. Each guest is asked to furnish an Irish story,
song or recitation._
When the guests arrive their assumed names are written on cards and
pinned on each one, and they are introduced to the company under these
names; for instance, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis McFadden, or Mr. Martin Dooly
and Miss Maggie Murphy. Michael O'Toole might go as a bricklayer. There
can be an old apple woman with a basket of apples (which could be sold
for a penny a piece for the treasury). Mike McGinnis of the police force
might go as an Irish policeman. Widdy Malony and her daughter Nora, the
priest, Father McCrary, and several sisters of charity could also be
represented. Let every one enter into the fun with spirit. Have the
decorations of the house all green and have each one wear as much green
as possible. Tin spoons tied with green ribbon can be given as
souvenirs. Have an Irish potato race. Prizes of stick pins in Shamrock
designs can be given the winners, or potato pincushions tied with green
ribbons. Have green paper napkins which can be made from green tissue
paper. Animals can be made from potatoes, using toothpicks for legs and
tails. Have each guest help in the entertainment of the evening by an
Irish song, story or recitation.
REFRESHMENTS FOR IRISH PARTY
Wafers tied with green ribbon
Olives Pickles
Irish potato chips served on lettuce leaves
Green tea
Lady fingers tied with green ribbon
Green ribbon candy
ST. PATRICK'S GUESSING CONTEST
(Something green.)
1. Name of a celebrated poet. (John Greenleaf
Whittier)
2. Name of a celebrated authoress. (Grace Greenwood)
3. Child's artist. (Kate Greenaway)
4. Revolutionary officer. (General Greene)
5. Pennsylvania city. (Greensburg)
6. Cold country. (Greenland)
7. Western bay. (Green Bay)
8. Emigrant. (Green horn)
9. Domestic fruit. (Green gage plum)
10. Large burial place. (Greenwood cemetery)
11. Legal tender. (Greenback)
12. A variety of apples. (Greening)
13. A place for growing plants. (Green house)
14. A part of a theatre. (Green room)
15. A harmless stimulant. (Green tea)
16. A famous town in Kentucky. (Bowling Green)
17. Children's game. (Green gravel)
18. Another name for jealousy. (Green eyed monster)
19. A country place near Pittsburg. (Green Tree)
20. A nourishing tree in the Bible. (Green bay)
21. Title of an Irish song. (Wearing of the Green)
22. Another name for verdure. (Greenery)
23. An article of dessert. (Grenoble walnuts)
24. A beautiful hamlet near Allegheny. (Evergreen)
TELEGRAM PARTY
To interest guests who have a sense of humor and thoroughly enjoy a
little quick thinking you can easily invent new games or adapt and add
novel accessories to some older idea, such as, for instance, "A Telegram
Party."
For this party write your invitations on telegram blanks, and let your
refreshments be served not by a maid (who never enjoys extra work), but
by one or more boys dressed as telegraph messengers. They will delight
in their responsibility and will help you in many ways.
Let the boys also pass to each person a pencil and a telegram blank, on
which are to be written ten letters, dictated at random by ten guests in
turn. These letters each player must manage to use as the initials of
ten words following in such order as to form an intelligible telegram.
None of these initials can be used for address or signature, but
otherwise no limit is placed upon the ingenuity of the writer.
Then let the messengers collect the blanks, and after the hostess has
read all the amusing results let a vote be taken for the cleverest
message and a prize be awarded to the sender.
Of course, the entertainment can be extended by writing any number of
telegrams or varied by requiring that each set of telegrams refer to
some assigned subject.
TENNIS SOCIABLE
Write invitations on small white cardboard racquets. Decorate the walls
with tennis racquets and nets. Have tennis racquets hung from each
chandelier, and stretch a large net across the room. Place in this net
red and white racquets of pasteboard, each tied to several yards of red
and white ribbon, and have them all tangled up. The object is to wind up
the string on the racquets, and secure as many as possible without
breaking the ribbon. The committee should wear red belts with seven red
streamers, each containing a letter, and spelling the word "welcome."
Place welcome mottoes about the room and pinned upon the racquets and
nets. Red and white flowers of all kinds can be used for decorations.
Take small pasteboard racquets, write quotations on, cut in half and
give one-half to the ladies and the other half to the gentlemen, and
have them match the quotations.
Refreshments can be passed in regular tennis racquets; in summer,
lemonade and wafers, or in winter, hot coffee and cake.
Red and white decorated racquets can be given the guests as they leave,
for souvenirs.
TEN VIRGINS (SACRED PLAY)
Select ten young ladies who are good singers--six sopranos and four
altos. Divide into two groups, three sopranos and two altos in each
group. Have all dress in long white robes and each carry a candle. Five
should have lighted candles and five not lighted. Have all behind a
curtain and before they appear have the whole ten sing the hymn, "Be
robed and ready when the bridegroom comes." This can be found in any
sacred song book. Have a small room curtained off on one end of
platform. While singing the last verse, "We'll all go forth to meet Him
when He comes," the five with candles lighted will march forth from
behind the curtain and pass across the platform into the small room.
They go in and the door is shut. The other five virgins come forth with
_no light_ and pass across the platform silently, and knock at the door,
but they cannot get in. The five foolish virgins then sing, "Oh, let us
in, the night is dark and chill," and the five wise virgins who have
passed in will answer, using the chorus of the same hymn, "Too late, too
late, ye cannot enter now." This is found in Methodist Hymnal, No. 375.
The five foolish virgins ask the questions contained in each verse and
the five wise ones answer with the "Too late."
THANKSGIVING DAY DECORATIONS
Great cornstalks, with the husk merely turned back to show the yellow
ear, are extremely effective. A huge bunch of these on either side of
the drawing-room door will take the place of palms. They may also be
placed at the entrance to the dining-room, their sentinel-like
appearance making them charming as a doorway decoration. Here and there
great pumpkins, hollowed out to admit of the flower-pot with its growing
green, make unique jardinières. A bunch of corn, where the ear is red,
tied by means of a bow of yellow ribbon to the chandelier, admits of the
same suggestion as the mistletoe of Christmas time, and makes a pretty
spot of color, besides being the cause of much quiet fun.
A pretty feature is to have a pumpkin table brought in during the
refreshments and hold a guessing contest, which gives an opportunity for
much merriment and for the giving of prizes to the lucky guessers.
This table should be arranged as follows: Upon a small, highly polished
table (mahogany is perhaps the richest in effect), place a dainty,
embroidered centrepiece, and set upon this a large pumpkin, either on a
silver dish or resting directly on the white linen. This pumpkin should
be hollowed out, as the others, leaving only its yellow shell, the
pumpkin holding an assortment of fruit, luscious and beautiful--highly
polished red-cheeked apples, oranges, bananas and grapes; trailing here
and there among them a few red leaves, or if they can be obtained, a
spray of wild clematis, of bitter-sweet, or of smilax.
The guests are told that underneath the fruit lies something suggestive
of nature's ways, and therefore of the occasion and that they are to
guess what it may be and how much of it there may be.
The guesses will be many and varied. The fruit-dish may be passed, the
fruit disposed of, and underneath will be found the pumpkin's seeds,
which have been gathered together. The prize for the guest that guesses
the nearest can be a little horn-of-plenty drinking glass. If one wishes
to give souvenirs of the occasion, charming little pencils can be
obtained that have the lead appearing from a miniature ear of corn. This
feature, however, is quite unnecessary.
THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL DINNER
The following is a description of a novel dinner recently given a party
of twelve football enthusiasts on Thanksgiving Day.
While the ladies were up-stairs removing their wraps, a maid came in
with a tray on which were six wishbones, each having tied to it a knot
of ribbon of one of the different college colors. Of these they were to
take their choice, according to the college or university they
preferred. Meanwhile the gentlemen down-stairs had been presented with
ribbon rosettes, and as these matched the ribbons on the wishbones they
easily found the ladies whom they were to take in to dinner.
When the company entered the dining-room they found that the decorations
were in perfect harmony with the character of the game which they had
just witnessed. Chrysanthemums, which are considered a necessary
accompaniment of a football game, were everywhere. A yellow jardinière
filled with ragged beauties in red and bronze stood in the centre of the
table, while a single long-stemmed flower was laid beside each plate.
There were also chrysanthemums in vases on the mantel and sideboard. The
favors, or "mascots," of the dinner were small turkey-gobblers of
papier-mâché containing the bonbons.
A feature of the dinner enjoyed almost as much as the feast itself was
the novel form of the menus. These were written on two opposite pages of
dainty booklets, the outside covers of which were decorated with
characteristic football sketches accompanied by appropriate quotations.
These were so unique and apropos to the occasion that each guest carried
his home as a souvenir when he left at the end of the evening's
entertainment. Instead of being separated into the usual courses, the
menu was divided, like a football game, into a first and second half,
with an intermission between, and was arranged to read somewhat like a
football program, giving in outline the particulars of a game, the
various terms and expressions in which described the names of the
viands. The following is an illustration, except that in the original
the names of the different articles were omitted, a word in parenthesis
giving a hint where the meaning seemed doubtful:
FIRST HALF
I. The spectators arrive and discuss the "points"
(blue) of the game.
Blue Points
II. A tally-ho "bowls" in with the football team, said
to be "superior." The players enter the field with great
"celerity," the small boys enthusiastically declaring them
to be "crackers."
Celery Soup Crackers
III. Play begins with "a fair catch taken on the fly."
Fish
IV. A "foul (fowl) tackle."
Turkey
"Pease" follows a "runner," but "Murphy" interferes
and "beats" him off.
Peas Squash Potatoes Beets
V. The game at the end of the first half is distinguished
by the fine playing of the "backs" (canvas).
Canvasback Ducks
INTERMISSION
During the intermission the "heads" of several players,
young and green, bruised in the mix-up, receive a "dressing"
down.
Lettuce Salad
SECOND HALF
I. The wedge, or V-shaped, play is tried.
Pie--Mince and Pumpkin
II. Followed by disastrous results, necessitating a call
for "sponge" and "ice."
Sponge Cake Ice Cream
III. The "fruits" of faithful training are manifest,
A "bunch of purples" go down before a single "orange."
"Bartlett" and "Nellis," a fine pair (pear), become
"candidates" for great honor, "raisin'" cheers of delight
from the spectators by circling the ends, who are "nut"
what they are "cracked" up to be.
Fruit--Grapes Oranges Pears Candied Dates
Raisins Nuts
IV. The cup is presented.
Coffee
V. Everybody leaves the grounds.
Although the above may seem a little far-fetched to an authority on
football, the guests were not over-critical, and the novel menu proved a
great source of entertainment, keeping them wondering and speculating
between the courses as to what was coming next. Some of the guests
supposed the "bruised heads" to be those of the cabbage, it having
apparently escaped their minds that there was such a thing as
head-lettuce. Others failed to see the connection between squash and
"runner" until reminded of the fact that squash grows on a vine running
along the ground, while a smile went around the table as one by one,
after concluding that coffee was referred to in "The cup is presented,"
discovered, also, the double meaning in the final words of the menu,
"Everybody leaves the grounds."
A number of things served on the table, such as cranberries, jellies,
olives, etc., were not named in the menu, owing to the difficulty of
expressing them in football language.
After dinner there was much fun and merriment over pulling the
wishbones, the ladies having offered to break theirs with the gentlemen
attending them at dinner. Later the guests gathered around the open
fireplace, cracking nuts, telling stories, and having a good time
generally. When the time came for them to depart they voted the
Thanksgiving dinner of which they had just partaken the most unique to
which they had ever sat down.
THANKSGIVING SOCIABLE
How surprised every one was at the changed appearance of the
Sunday-school room! All the chairs had been removed and at various
places stood great shocks of corn. Upon the wall were hung red berries
and bright-hued autumn leaves, garlands of which may be easily made if
the leaves are gathered as they fall, waxed, pressed, and strung on
strong threads. In the centre of the room was arranged a large
semicircular divan made of pew-cushions covered with dark,
richly-colored draperies. There were a number of sofa-pillows heaped
upon the divan. The room was dark save for the light which glimmered
from hideous-faced pumpkin lanterns.
The committee in charge welcomed the guests and invited them to be
seated in the charmed circle. The first thing that met their gaze was an
immense pile of corn on the cob. Over this, standing on three legs, was
a goblin pumpkin with three pairs of glaring eyes, three noses and three
large mouths. A hush fell upon the company, while here and there could
be heard a suppressed giggle. Suddenly a chorus of girls' voices broke
out in a bright autumn song to enliven the drooping spirits of the
guests.
No sooner had their fears been somewhat allayed than a spectral figure
approached from behind a curtain and sat down by the heap of corn. All
held their breath as it slowly reached out its hand and pulled an ear of
corn from the pile, gazed at a tag which was fastened to it by a ribbon,
read the name of some one who was present, and threw that person the ear
of corn, demanding in a deep, thrilling voice, "A ghost story." It is
needless to describe the quaking and shivering while the story was being
told. The dashing piano solo which followed was fully appreciated.
A second ghost story was demanded in like manner as the first, after
which came singing, more stories, and music. Then one of the girls, who
could recite well, stood facing the company, with a background of
curtains, and gave Whittier's poem, "The Pumpkin" When she reached the
last stanza the curtains back of her were drawn, as if by spirits,
disclosing a long table covered with a snowy cloth, upon which were
piles of doughnuts, pumpkin pies, cheese and cups of steaming coffee.
Every one gave an exclamation of surprise at the sight, and refreshments
were served amidst much fun and laughter.
The sociable closed with gifts of a pie apiece to each person
contributing to the entertainment, and an ear of corn, tied with bright
ribbon, to each guest.
In order to have the ghost stories a success the committee arranging the
program had selected them beforehand.
A great deal of the success of the entertainment was due to the fact
that its nature had been kept secret, and, curiosity having been
aroused, an unusually large number of people attended.
TRANSPLANTING TREES
Pass slips of paper around with the names of different trees, all in
capital letters, but not spelled in order; for instance, Y-H-O-K-R-I-C,
which when transplanted will spell the name Hickory. A suitable prize
can be given the one who succeeds in transplanting the greatest number
of trees.
TREE GUESSING CONTEST
1. A solid, tenacious, easily-moulded substance, and
a part of the hand.
2. A ruminant quadruped of the feminine gender.
3. To show grief, and a machine in which cotton,
wool, or flax is opened and cleansed.
4. Neat, without elegance or dignity.
5. Ill, ill, ill.
6. A nickname, a vowel and an external covering.
7. Used for puddings and a part of the hand.
8. A near and dear relative.
9. A vegetable and a Scottish word denoting possession.
10. A partner, came together, and a part of the human
body.
11. A green muskmelon pickled.
12. A drink, and a lineal measure.
13. A coat or covering.
1. Wax palm.
2. Yew.
3. Weeping willow.
4. Spruce.
5. Sycamore.
6. Tamarind.
7. Sago palm.
8. Paw-paw.
9. Plantain.
10. Palmetto.
11. Mango.
12. Cocoa palm.
13. Fir.
TREE PARTY
For a June entertainment nothing could be more suitable than a tree
party, for at this season the new leaves are all out and everything
looks fresh and green. Trim the house with branches and blossoms, having
as many varieties of trees represented as possible. When all the guests
have arrived, give to each one a strip of cardboard (having a pencil
tied to it with a bit of green ribbon) upon which are written the
following questions for them to answer:
1. What's the social tree, 1. Pear. Tea.
2. And the dancing tree, 2. Hop.
3. And the tree that is nearest the sea? 3. Beech.
4. The daintiest tree, 4. Spruce.
5. And the kissable tree, 5. Tulip. Yew.
6. And the tree where ships may be? 6. Bay.
7. What's the telltale tree, 7. Peach.
8. And the traitor's tree, 8. Judas.
9. And the tree that's the warmest clad? 9. Fir.
10. The languishing tree, 10. Pine.
11. The chronologist's tree, 11. Date.
12. And the tree that makes one sad? 12. Weeping
Willow.
13. What's the emulous tree, 13. Ivy.
14. The industrious tree, 14. Spindle-tree.
15. And the tree that will never stand still? 15. Caper.
16. The unhealthiest tree, 16. Sycamore.
17. The Egyptian-plague tree, 17. Locust.
18. And the tree neither up nor down hill? 18. Plane.
19. The contemptible tree, 19. Medlar.
20. The most yielding tree, 20. India-rubber.
21. And the tree that bears a curse? 21. Fig. Damson.
22. The reddish brown tree, 22. Chestnut.
23. The reddish blue tree, 23. Lilac.
24. And the tree like an Irish nurse? 24. Honeysuckle.
25. What is the tree
That makes each townsman flee? 25. Citron.
26. And what round itself doth entwine? 26. Woodbine.
27. What's the housewife's tree, 27. Broom.
28. And the fisherman's tree, 28. Basswood.
29. What by cockneys is turned into wine? 29. Vine.
30. What's the tree that got up, 30. Rose.
31. And the tree that was lazy, 31. Satin. Aloe.
32. And the tree that guides ships to go forth? 32. (H)elm.
33. The tree that's immortal, 33. Arbor-vitæ.
34. The trees that are not, 34. Dyewoods.
35. And the tree whose wood faces the north? 35. Southernwood.
36. The tree in a bottle, 36. Cork. [Hazel.
37. The tree in a fog, 37. Smoketree.
38. And what each must become ere he's old? 38. Elder.
39. The tree of the people, 39. Poplar.
40. The traveler's tree, 40. Wayfaring tree
41. And the sad tree when schoolmasters hold? 41. Birch.
42. What's the tree that has passed through the fiery heat,
42. Ash.
43. That half-given to doctors when ill? 43. Coffee.
44. The tree that we offer to friends when we meet?
44. Palm.
45. And the tree we may use as a quill? 45. Aspen.
46. What's the tree that in death will benight you?
46. Deadly
nightshade.
47. And the tree that your wants will 47. Breadfruit.
supply?
48. And the tree that to travel invites you, 48. Orange.
49. And the tree that forbids you to die? 49. Olive.
Then the following game may be played:
Pin a slip, containing the name of some tree, on the back of each person
present.
Questions may be asked concerning it, which will give a clue to the
wearer, who is to guess the tree he is supposed to represent.
As fast as each one is guessed, the slip is taken off the back and
pinned on the breast. Allow fifteen minutes for each person to write an
original poem on the tree he represents. Judges are appointed to select
the best poem, and a suitable prize can be awarded.
TREE POOL
That the guests may choose partners, give out cards of red, green,
yellow, and brown cardboard cut in the shape of leaves,--maple, elm,
oak, etc. There should, of course, be but two leaves of the same shape
and color, one of each being passed to the ladies, the corresponding
ones to the men. The game is played in the usual way where there is a
pool of letters, except that the words made must be only the names of
trees or shrubs. For those who may not be altogether familiar with the
game, the rules are that each one in turn draws a letter from the pool,
then tries by transposing one of his opponent's words to use this
letter, and so make a new word for himself. Plurals are not considered
new words. If one cannot use the letter to draw from his opponent's, or
in his own list, it is thrown back, and the turn passes to the next. If,
however, the letter is used, the player has another turn. When either
couple at the head table have made ten words, the bell is rung and the
guests score and progress as in any other game.
When supper is served, have the table decorated with a plant standing in
the centre, and from this to each corner of the table have a row of
Noah's Ark trees, which can be purchased at any toy shop. Stand one of
these on each of the plates as they are passed to the guests. They will
make very attractive souvenirs of the occasion.
TROLLEY PARTY
The guests invited to our trolley party were twenty in number. When all
had assembled, cards with pencils attached were given them, after which
the hostess announced that the trip would take half an hour, that the
conductor would ring his bell for start and finish, but that the guests
must prove their familiarity with the names of the streets, which were
represented on cards scattered through the rooms--pinned to curtains,
table-covers, pincushions, etc. Carnations were given to the one
guessing correctly the greatest number of streets, a tiny bank and a new
penny to the one having the least.
The cards were as follows:
A TROLLEY RIDE--ST. LOUIS TO KIRKWOOD
1. Abraham's wife.
2. What idols' feet are often made of.
3. Stop here when hungry.
4. Always owns a goose.
5. Dear to our hearts though sometimes a "Rip."
6. Brought lightning from the clouds.
7. A part of a door and what doors are usually made of.
8. A sombre color.
9. Of cherry-tree fame.
10. A direction of the compass and a preacher.
11. The side of a tiny stream.
12. One of the discoverers of Pike's Peak.
13. A great turn.
14. Associated with the lower regions.
15. The highest point.
16. What most housewives do on Monday.
17. A famous summer resort.
18. What the preacher who lisped said to the sinner.
19. Green, and dear to girlish hearts.
20. Makes a quick fire.
The names of the streets represented were:
1. Sarah.
2. Clay.
3. Berry Road.
4. Taylor.
5. Jefferson.
6. Franklin.
7. Lockwood.
8. Gray.
9. Washington.
10. Westminster.
11. Edgebrook.
12. Clark.
13. Big Bend.
14. Sulphur.
15. Summit.
16. Wash.
17. Newport.
18. Prather.
19. Olive.
20. Pine.
This same idea could be carried out in connection with the streets of
any other town.
UNIQUE VALENTINE PARTY
The invitations requested that each guest appear in costume and masked.
This was the keynote of the affair. An early lunch was planned, as they
were to choose partners while still masked, and naturally they would
wish to remove their masks after that form of the entertainment had
flagged a little.
The rooms were decorated with valentines which had accumulated in the
household through fourteen years and others prepared for the purpose.
After the choice of partners, masks were removed, and all marched to the
dining-room, keeping time to a pretty march.
It being a birthday party, the ever new feature, the birthday cake, with
its candles, graced the centre of the table, the cake being white
decorated with red hearts and red candles. Three kinds of small cakes
and wafers (all heart-shaped), a plate of each at either end of the
table, made up that part of the refreshments. Cocoa in small cups and
ice cream in heart-shaped molds completed the repast. Confectionery in
the predominating color and shape was also on the table.
The table decorations consisted of red carnations, ferns and smilax, and
were added to by the souvenirs which were laid at the left of each
plate. These were prepared by our family artist for the occasion, and
were red, heart-shaped affairs with gold borders, in the centre a small
sketch in oil, below a line of poetry, and each one numbered. These were
connected by ribbon (running to the centre of the table) to buttonhole
bouquets, carnations and smilax, which with ferns formed the flat
centrepiece. At the ends as many as were convenient were arranged around
the end dishes. Much merriment was created by some reading the lines on
their souvenirs.
Upon leaving the table each guest adjusted the ribbon about her neck,
which brought the bouquet to its proper place "across the heart." After
returning to the parlors the guests were requested to read the lines
which they had found upon their souvenirs, and of which some had been
wondering the meaning; by beginning with No. 1 and reading in rotation a
well-known poem was completed. As you will see, this form of amusement,
with the character representations, goes far toward an evening's
entertainment. Young people consider a party incomplete without a prize
winning contest of some sort. The one I will describe was adopted.
Pencils and slips of paper were distributed, each bearing the name of a
book or song, and numbered; then pieces of drawing paper were handed
around, the first slips being collected, and each person was requested
to make a drawing representing the book or song, and putting his number
on it. These were gathered and pinned up for exhibition. The best
drawing won a prize. Then the person that, upon inspecting the drawings,
could give correctly the names of the most books or songs they
represented (more paper being passed for this purpose) received a prize.
The remainder of the evening was filled in by music, singing and games
of the guests' own choosing. When the time of departure came, all
wished they might enjoy it "all over again."
UNIVERSITY LUNCHEON
A Yale luncheon given last Christmastide was a brilliant success. The
ideas may be utilized for the entertainment of students from any
college, merely changing the colors.
Our decision was to have no flowers, not even a palm, and to keep the
entire house in harmony of coloring. Fortunately for our scheme, every
room had a quiet gray or bluish paper, and in carpets, furniture and
hangings there was not a touch of color that would clash with the blue
of Yale. Our first bit of luck was the loan of a huge bundle of Yale
flags and bunting from the College Men's club. A flag, with a great
white "Yale" on it, we stretched across one end of the sitting-room,
another, as immense as a campaigning banner, draped the west wall of the
dining-room. The stairs were garlanded with blue bunting, and all over
the house fluttered little class flags bearing dates that ran from '80
to '05. We allowed bunches of mistletoe tucked cunningly under gas
fixtures. Holly was out of the question: it would have suggested
Harvard.
Serving luncheon at one was an innovation, but an excellent one. When
the dishes were cleared away the anxiety was over, and the hostess moved
about among her guests without a thought of a meal to be served at the
end of the games. We set ten small tables, three in the dining-room,
four in the sitting-room, two in the parlor and one in the hall. The
tables were snowily linened, there were doilies in blue and white, and
the centrepiece on each table was a glass dish filled with small bunches
of splendid blue and white grapes. There was nothing blue to be found in
the fruit or flower kingdom except these, and the coloring was superb.
All the dishes we used were handsome old-fashioned willow ware, solid
dark blue, or mottled blue china.
VALENTINE ENTERTAINMENT
Two dozen couples make a very goodly company of young folks for a
pleasant little evening; therefore, send out invitations to that number.
The cards of invitation might have on them, either in India ink or
water-colors, an arrow-pierced heart, a whole heart or a broken one;
even a cluster of them, like fishes on a string, according to the
pleasure of the hostess. For each of the twelve young ladies invited,
select a rôle that she will impersonate; for instance, we will say that
the twelve characters to be represented are:
1. Queen of Hearts.
2. Gypsy.
3. Nun.
4. Bicycle Girl.
5. Summer Girl.
6. Colonial Girl.
7. Poster Girl.
8. Widow.
9. Old Maid.
10. Trained Nurse.
11. Columbia.
12. Valentine.
Number twelve can be either a sentimental or a comic character. If the
latter, a good deal of amusement may be derived by getting a younger
brother or some mischievous boy to represent this character. Have the
young ladies gather at the home of the hostess somewhat earlier than the
men present themselves, and when the latter have assembled in the
parlors pass a tray around to them containing a dozen cards, on each of
which is written a couplet. These couplets are suggestive of the rôles
the young ladies play, and each gentleman may select such a couplet as
he sees fit. When all the cards have been taken, the young men in
rotation read aloud the couplet each has chosen, and after the reading
of the couplet the one representing it is brought into the parlor by the
hostess and introduced to the reader, who has thus chosen her as his
valentine.
Among the pleasant features of the supper a "Valentine cake" may be
introduced with good effect. A nicely iced cake, decorated with candy
hearts having sentimental mottoes on them, should be divided into
twenty-four slices before it is brought to the table. In the slices for
the young girls to draw make a small slit with the sharp blade of a
knife, and insert into the opening a slip of paper on which is written
the name of some young man who is present.
In those slices the men are to draw are such small articles as denote
the sort of wife Fate has chosen to be each one's partner for life.
Thus, a silver coin signifies wealth; a scrap of silk, a fashionable
wife; a penny, poverty; a tiny spoon, a good housekeeper; a pen, a
literary woman; a small silver heart, a marriage for love; a small
brush, an artistic wife; a tiny mirror, a vain woman; a piece of crape,
a widow, etc.
First a young lady chooses a slice of cake, then the man whose name she
draws selects one and learns the kind of life-partner he is to have.
Much merriment may be derived from such a cake.
VALENTINE FUN
This description of a Valentine entertainment will be welcomed by those
who desire novel and original ideas.
We were received in a room decorated with wreaths of green, hung in
festoons caught up at regular intervals by ribbon streamers. From the
centre of each wreath hung hearts of parchment paper, tinted in blue and
lettered in gold, each bearing a number and a fate or fortune.
Suspended from a portière rod between the hall and reception room were
three hearts formed of heavy wire and carefully entwined with evergreen;
above each one was a jingle. The first said:
Blow your bubble right through here
And you'll be married before another year.
Above the second was:
To be engaged this very week
Number two is the one to take.
And the third had:
A sad, an awful fate awaits the one who seeks me,
For he or she will ever a spinster or bachelor be.
On a small table near by was an immense bowl filled with sparkling
soapsuds, and also clay pipes decorated with little blue hearts.
We first threw the bubbles off the pipes and then tried to blow them
through the hearts with pretty little fans which were presented to us;
none of us found this easy to do, but it was lots of fun, even if after
all our efforts we saw our bubble float through number three instead of
one or two, where we meant it to go.
After this came a still merrier game. A low scrap-basket was placed in
the centre of the room, and the company arranged into opposing parties,
forming two half circles around the basket. Cardboard hearts in two
different colors were given the sides, an equal number to each side. We
were then requested to try to throw them in the basket, and all
endeavored to do so, but found they had a tantalizing way of landing on
the floor.
When we had exhausted our cards those in the basket were counted, and
the side having the most of its own color won the game.
After this a small blackboard was placed on an easel at one end of the
room, and we were each in turn blindfolded, and handed a piece of chalk
with which to draw an outline of a heart, and to write our name in the
centre; the one doing the best to have a prize of a large candy heart.
The partners for supper were chosen in a novel manner, the men being
numbered, and the names of the girls written on slips of paper, rolled
in clay in little pellets, then dropped into a bowl of water; the one to
rise first belonged to the young man numbered one, and so on until each
had his Valentine.
A "Good Luck" supper was served in an adjoining room. Directly over the
table, suspended from the chandelier, hung a floral horseshoe. In the
centre of the table and at each end were fairy lamps surrounded by
smaller horseshoes. The guest-cards were square envelopes, at one side a
painted horseshoe, and below, "When Good Luck knocks at the door let him
in and keep him there." The souvenirs were clover-leaf stick pins, and
everything connected with the supper bore a symbol of good luck, the
bonbons, cakes, and sandwiches taking the forms of either a clover-leaf
or a horseshoe.
On opening the envelopes, we found an amusing valentine illustrated by a
pen-and-ink sketch, showing the artistic skill of one of the members of
the family.
After supper a tray, containing as many numbers as there were guests,
was passed, and we each took a heart with a corresponding number from
the decorations on the wall and read aloud the fortune found there.
These were very clever, and some surprisingly appropriate.
VALENTINE PARTY--DANISH
The "Town Club" was surprised by receiving white cards decorated with
cherry-colored ribbon and Danish Flag inviting them to a "Danish
Valentine Party." The predominating colors were cherry color and white,
being the Danish National Colors. Decorations of the house were of
cherry-colored and white hearts and vinter-gjaek (snowdrops), the first
Danish flower of the season. The hearts were strung in the parlor,
reception-room and dining-room. The archway between parlor and
reception-room was draped with the American and Danish Flags. In the
centre of each room hung four large-sized hearts, cherry-colored and
white, with a gilt arrow thrust through. In the dining-room the hearts
were strung in the same way, the lamp shade being of cherry-colored
crepe paper. The table was decorated with vinter-gjaek.
The girls wore short skirts and bodices of cherry-colored cambric and
white flannel blouses with full sleeves. The hair was worn in two
braids, crossed and tucked into the fronts of the bodices with knots of
vinter-gjaek fastened into each braid just where it came over the
shoulder. The boys wore dark coats and trousers, with white vests.
At the door was placed a box for valentines; as each guest came he
dropped his valentine into the box with the name of the person who was
to receive it. First for amusement was "Shadow Pictures," the guessing
of each boy's and girl's profile. White cards with numbers in cherry ink
and small cherry-colored pencils were passed to each. As the shadow was
thrown upon the sheet the name was written after the number on the card.
Prizes were given for the most correct guesses. The girls' prize was a
cherry-colored satin pin cushion in the shape of a heart; the boys', an
earthen pig. Then small white cards were passed tied with cherry-colored
ribbon and vinter-gjaek, each card containing a verse and below this the
initials of a name pricked out with a pin. By guessing the names they
stood for, each knew his or her valentine for the evening. It was great
fun. Lots were gjaeket (fooled). The verse on the cards read:
"Sir Knight, would'st know thy lady's name,
These pin pricks tell thee whence I came."
Then all were asked to the dining-room, where they found the following
supper awaiting them served in Danish style:
Coffee Water
Bummernickle (Black Rye Bread) White Bread
With grated cheese, tied with cherry-colored ribbon
Bakte Bomner (Baked Beans) Pickles
Bakte Avola (Baked Apples) Pop-Corn
Avele-Skiever (Doughnuts) Head-Cheese
Souvenirs--Three white candy hearts containing verses, tied with
cherry-colored ribbon.
After supper the valentines brought by the guests were distributed.
Music and a flashlight picture of the "Town Club" completed the
entertainment. Then all departed with light hearts.
VALENTINE SOCIABLE
Invitations should be sent out for the 14th of February. Each guest is
requested to bring a valentine, and as they enter the room, they should
drop them into a basket which should be ready to receive them. These can
be sent later to some poor school or mission to be given out to poor
children, who otherwise would get none. A small room can be fitted up
for a studio, and as the guests arrive, they are invited into this room
to have their pictures taken.
A committee should be appointed to do this work. This can be done by
having the shadow of the head in profile thrown on a sheet of paper
tacked to the wall. The artist then sketches it with pencil and cuts it
out. After all have arrived and have had their pictures taken, paper and
pencil are passed around, and the guests are asked to guess the identity
of each picture.
The pictures are then given to the owners as keepsakes. A nice idea is
for the gentlemen to write a valentine verse on the portraits of the
ladies, or make up some comic poetry. A sale of hearts is also a cute
idea.
Buy small hearts with a valentine couplet on each; these being read
aloud, each heart is to be sold to the person who first completes its
couplet; for instance, "'Tis better to have loved and lost," the person
finishing it as "than never to have loved at all."
The one guessing the greatest number of couplets can be given a small
box of heart-shaped candies.
Partners can be chosen for supper by having each lady write her name on
a slip of paper, and putting all the slips into a hat; each gentleman
will take to supper the one whose name he draws from the hat.
A pretty souvenir can be given each guest in the form of a small
heart-shaped valentine.
Refreshments can be suggestive of the day also. They can consist of
sandwiches cut in heart-shape, tied with red baby ribbon, bright-red
apples, cherry ice, lady fingers, kisses and small heart-shaped candies.
A card on each dish could carry out the idea in the following manner:
Sandwiches--"Heart bread."
Apples--"Love apples."
Cherry Ice--"Frozen heart's blood."
Lady Fingers--"Love's caresses."
Kisses--"Lovers' sweets."
Candies--"Love's sweet compound."
VARIETY OF LITTLE MISSES
1. What Miss causes in turn amusements and quarrels? (Mis-chief)
2. What Miss is distrustful of human nature? (Mis-anthrope)
3. What Miss undervalues her opportunities? (Mis-appreciate)
4. What Miss is not always honest? (Mis-appropriate)
5. What Miss is provoking and a blunderer? (Mis-take)
6. What Miss can destroy the peace of home, school and nation?
(Mis-rule)
7. What Miss is responsible for gross errors? (Mis-doing)
8. What Miss wastes times and money? (Mis-spend)
9. What Miss causes her mother sorrow? (Mis-conduct)
10. What Miss proves an uncertain correspondent? (Mis-direct)
11. What Miss should the traveler shun? (Mis-guide)
12. What Miss is unhappy? (Mis-fortune)
13. What Miss is distinguished as uncivil and ill-bred? (Mis-behave)
14. What Miss gives unreliable information? (Mis-call)
15. What Miss meets with ill-luck and delay? (Mis-adventure)
16. What Miss is untruthful? (Mis-represent)
VEGETABLE PARTY
Over the table was an Italian green-grocer's sign, and the smiling
attendants were dressed to represent Italian women. The table was loaded
with fruits and vegetables, all made of tissue paper. The stock included
pumpkins, squashes, cabbages, cauliflower, curly lettuce, beets,
carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, radishes, oranges, and grapes. The
vegetables sold for five or ten cents, according to size and contents,
for each contained a prize. The radishes and grapes were candies covered
with the proper shade of paper and tied in bunches.
There was enough mystery about the contents of these artificial
vegetables and fruits to make them sell. One person might open a
cucumber and find a child's handkerchief rolled within, but if a
neighbor bought one, hoping to secure a handkerchief, he would be quite
as likely to find a china doll. The proceeds of this sale were donated
to charity.
A slip of paper entitled "Vegetables in Disguise" was passed to each
guest, and twenty-five minutes allotted for puzzling out the answers.
The following is the list the paper contained:
A pronoun preceded and followed by a preposition. (Onion)
A painful projection. (Corn)
Hard to get out of. (Maize [maze])
What vegetables should see a great deal, and why?
(Potatoes. They have so many eyes)
A basement and a question. (Celery [cellar-why])
Every good Chinaman has my first. My second is to overload.
(Cucumber [queue-cumber])
A bivalve and a vegetable growth. (Oyster plant)
Normal, and a very small piece. (Parsnip)
A small waste. (Leek [leak])
A letter. (Pea [p])
A boy, a letter, and a part of the body? (Tomato [Tom-a-toe])
Yielding water, and connections? (Pumpkin)
To crush. (Squash)
A purple part of the year, and sick. (Lentil [Lent-ill])
A tour on your wheel, and years. (Spinach [spin-age])
Hot stuff. (Pepper)
An English dignity, and a platter. (Radish [R. A. dish])
A hen. (Egg plant)
Tramps. (Beets)
The supper, as one would expect at a vegetable party, consisted of
vegetarian dishes only, but it was surprising to find how attractive and
how palatable these were.
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES
In planning for anniversaries there are many and unique ways in which
they may be carried out. Everything that accompanies the anniversary
being celebrated should be used. Always use a decided color and try to
carry out the color scheme in the refreshments, the decorations, and the
costumes. There are many suitable suggestions in the book from which to
choose, in the way of both decoration and entertainment, besides the
following.
FIRST ANNIVERSARY--COTTON WEDDING
The invitations for the cotton wedding may be written in ink on
well-starched cotton cloth. Cut the pieces to fit regular-sized
envelopes. You may request the guests to wear cotton costumes, if you
wish, to add to the effect. Decorate the rooms with cheese-cloth of
several colors gracefully festooned about the walls, and with the
Southern cotton-balls if you can get them. The married couple may stand
under a canopy made of wire covered with cotton wadding to represent
snow, and wear cotton costumes, and the wife may carry a bouquet of
cotton flowers. Artificial flowers made of cotton may be used, too, for
decoration. Cover the refreshment table with cheese-cloth, and have
place-cards written on prettily decorated pieces of starched muslin. You
could have a Spider Hunt for an appropriate entertainment. For this, as
you probably know, you provide balls of cotton twine, and wind the twine
all over the house. The guests have to untangle their respective balls,
and wind them up until they come to the end of the string, where a gift
is discovered. The gifts should be pretty conceits made of
cotton--shoe-bags or work bags of pretty cretonne for the women, and
picture frames of cretonne for the men, etc.
SECOND ANNIVERSARY--PAPER WEDDING
The second year is celebrated as a paper wedding. There are many ways a
house can be decorated with paper. Pretty colored paper shades can be
made for all the gas jets (or lamp chimneys), flower-pots can be trimmed
with fancy crepe paper, butterflies can be made from stiff colored
paper, doilies can be designed from fancy paper, and paper napkins can
be used in many ways. Whatever is used for refreshments paper napkins
can be placed on each dish under the food; tumblers can be wrapped
around with paper and tied with a dainty little ribbon. Plenty of paper
flowers can be used for decoration. The tablecloth may be of paper,
edged with paper lace, the centrepiece of paper roses, the candle-shades
composed of their petals, while the ices may be served in boxes held in
the hearts of paper roses. For entertainment, large mottoes containing
paper caps may be distributed. These should be put on, and with their
assumption a character impersonated by each wearer appropriate to the
headgear. The guesses are recorded in paper booklets and the person most
successful may receive a prize--a book or any paper trifle.
FOURTH ANNIVERSARY--LEATHER WEDDING
The fourth year is observed as a leather wedding. Invitations sent out
for this anniversary can have a small piece of leather enclosed in
envelope. A unique idea is to have a leather saddle hung in the centre
of the room, with a leather whip and riding gloves. As souvenirs small
pieces of leather with the date of the wedding, also the date of the
anniversary, stamped or written upon them, and tied with white baby
ribbon, may be distributed. Small leather calendars can be made, also
heart-shaped leather pen-wipers with small paintings on them.
Appropriate presents for the married couple would be leather purses,
hand-bags, shoes, satchels, pocketbooks, lunch boxes, traveling cases,
etc., and do not forget a leather smoking case for the host.
A burnt-leather box or basket filled with yellow flowers or growing
ferns would not be ill-adapted for a centrepiece for the refreshment
table, and leatherette receptacles, if made in sections tied together
with ribbons matching the flowers, would be pretty for the bonbons,
cakes and salted nuts.
The place-cards may be of leather with the names in heavy gilt
lettering.
A game or contest is usually enjoyed, and the award of a trifling prize
to the victor makes a pleasant climax to the evening's fun. In this
case the article should, of course, be of leather.
FIFTH ANNIVERSARY--WOODEN WEDDING
A description is given of an actual wooden wedding anniversary
celebrated recently. The invitations were printed on paper that looked
like wood. In fact it looked so much like it that it could hardly be
told from wood. For decorations as much real wood was utilized as
possible. In one large archway were hung twelve wooden plates, each with
a painting on, and joined with white ribbon. Twelve young ladies served
on the reception committee and the twelve plates were given them as
souvenirs before they departed. In another archway there was a toothpick
curtain which attracted much attention. This was made on silk cord with
the toothpicks tied about two inches apart, crossways, with a small loop
in the cord. They were draped back and tied with a bunch of silk cord.
In the small doorways were clothes-pin curtains. A large wire bell,
covered with shavings and goldenrod, hung from a canopy of the same,
under which the bride and groom stood to receive their guests.
A large wooden flower-stand was placed in the reception hall and it was
banked with goldenrod and cut flowers, with a large palm on top shelf.
Several wooden bowls and baskets of goldenrod and cut flowers were
scattered about the house. On the mantels, stands, table, sideboard, and
piano, were large palms and goldenrod. All the chairs had been moved out
of the house, except in the dining-room, where they were arranged around
the wall. In the centre of the room was the polished table, with neat
doilies, and for a centrepiece was a large yellow cake with the figure
"5" in wood. This cake stood on a high cake-stand and around the edge of
the stand were a row of clothes-pins, the kind with a spring, and a row
of toothpicks sticking all around the edge of the cake. On two corners
of the table were little wooden shoes filled with cut flowers, and on
the two diagonally opposite corners were large apples stuck full of
toothpicks. The guests were seated in the dining-room for refreshments
and as soon as it was filled, the reception committee closed it with a
large rope of goldenrod across the doorway. For refreshments ice cream
and cake were served on wooden plates with wooden spoons. The ice cream
was made to look like wood, the caterer using a mixture of vanilla,
chocolate, bisque and lemon flavors. The different kinds of cake were
also made to look like different kinds of wood, such as walnut, oak,
cherry, and so forth. The souvenirs were large wooden butter moulds on
which were printed the year of marriage and the year of celebration. An
orchestra of eight pieces played all through the evening, under a canopy
of white cloth on the porch, the porch being carpeted and curtained like
a room.
SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY--WOOLEN WEDDING
The woolen wedding comes with the seventh anniversary. The material is
not effective, but the invitations may be worked in crewels on
perforated Bristol-board.
The "cobweb party" might be revived, using colored yarns instead of
cords, and placing a "fortune" as well as a favor at the end of each.
Some unfortunate swain might, perhaps, find a huge worsted mitten,
guided in his choice of yarn by one in the secret to insure its
selection by a man.
On the refreshment table a large wedding-cake crowned by a "Bo-peep"
doll with her flock of toy sheep would suggest the "woolly" idea.
TENTH ANNIVERSARY--TIN WEDDING
These wedding invitations can be written or printed, and sent out ten
days beforehand, either enclosing a piece of tin, or wrapped in tin
foil.
The bride and groom should receive their guests, the bride carrying her
bouquet in a tin funnel. The groom can wear a small tin horn in his
buttonhole with a small bouquet. The author intends to celebrate her tin
wedding this fall, and this is what she intends to have.
For refreshments, will serve coffee in tin cups, with tin spoons, and
dainty sandwiches on tin plates; will pass water in a tin pail, using a
tin dipper. All refreshments will be passed in tin pans, the waiters
will use tin coffee pots to refill the coffee cups. For a centrepiece
for the table, will use a large tin cake pan, with an opening in the
centre, in which a small fish horn can be placed, the cake pan and fish
horn both being filled with flowers. Shall decorate the rooms with tin
as far as possible. In one archway shall use tin plates tied together
with ribbon, a small hole being punched in the plates for the purpose.
This will form a curtain for one archway. In another archway shall use
tin cups for the same purpose. Tin candlesticks can be used, if one is
fortunate enough to have them. Wire toasters tied with ribbon can be
hung on the walls to hold photographs. Small tin spoons tied with
ribbons can be given as souvenirs, being passed around by the waiters,
in a tin dust pan.
Potted plants can be set in tin pails, and tin cans can be used for
bouquets. A tin wash basin can be passed for a finger bowl. Tin foil can
also be used with which to decorate.
TWELFTH ANNIVERSARY--LINEN WEDDING
The invitations are written on squares of linen in indelible ink, and
the name cards are also of linen. Linen is used freely about the rooms,
linen lace working into decorative schemes most effectively. The flax
flower is, of course, conspicuous whenever it can be obtained. The
artificial flower may be used in many places, as well as the natural
blossoms. The centrepiece, doilies, etc., used on the table should be
embroidered with flax flowers in natural colors.
While the guests are at supper an old-fashioned spinning wheel should be
brought into the parlors in readiness for a spinning contest, which may
be conducted as described in the entertainment, "A Spinning Party."
FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY--CRYSTAL WEDDING
The invitations may be decorated with drawings of small hand-mirrors,
tumblers, etc., and for the ornamentation of the house every conceivable
kind of glass vessel and mirror may be used. In the table decorations
cut or pressed glass should be prominent. In the centre of the table a
small mirror might be placed, with a large glass bowl upon it filled
with flowers. Red carnations with red candle-shades make a very
effective color scheme for the crystal background. Little cakes with red
icing, red bonbons, and red place cards may also be used. The
refreshments should be served on glass dishes, the waiters using glass
trays if possible. Tiny glass bottles each containing a red carnation
and a sprig of smilax make very appropriate souvenirs. Should the bride
desire an appropriate gown for the occasion, it may be trimmed with
quantities of glass beads or the glass drops from a chandelier. Those
who assist in receiving might also be similarly garbed.
TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY--CHINA WEDDING
A good idea for a china wedding would be to have a course dinner and
display all one's china. Use china wherever it can be used instead of
silver, glass, or other dishes. Have plants and flowers displayed in
china. A unique idea would be to give each guest a tiny china cup and
saucer as a souvenir.
Any of the parlor entertainments or contests described in this volume
may be used to pass the time pleasantly either before or after the
dinner.
TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY--SILVER WEDDING
The invitations to a silver wedding should be headed by the two eventful
dates printed in silver.
For the decorations, use any flowers which may be in season, surrounding
the mirrors and pictures as far as possible with a framework of green
spangled with silver. Cover all the lamps and gas shades with white
crepe paper flecked here and there with silver, and suspend balls
covered with silver paper from the chandeliers.
Let the daughters in the family, and the granddaughters if there be any,
wear gowns of simplest white, with draperies of silver tinsel. If there
happen to be any grandchildren it would be well to have them distribute
the favors, which may be bouquets of flowers tied with white ribbons.
The refreshments should be served shortly after the guests arrive. A
suitable way to announce that supper is served will be to have the
wedding march played, when the bride and groom of the evening may be
requested to lead the way to the dining-room.
The supper-table should be lighted with white candles in silver
candelabra, and the snowy tablecloth be crossed diagonally with white
satin ribbon edged with silver. Upon a pretty centrepiece of
silver-spangled tulle may be placed a silver or glass bowl containing
twenty-five white roses. Dishes of white cakes and candies, and
old-fashioned mottoes covered with silver paper may be scattered
plentifully about the table. The large cake should be decorated in white
and silver, and placed upon a silver dish in front of the bride of
twenty-five years ago, who alone should be permitted to cut it.
There is no limit to the presents which may be sent in honor of a silver
wedding, but no guest need be deterred from appearing because of her
inability to send a present; her good wishes will please the host and
hostess quite as well as an elaborate gift.
Pretty souvenirs of a silver wedding are bookmarks of white satin
ribbon, upon each one of which is printed in silver the name of the
guest and the dates of the anniversary he or she has been helping to
celebrate.
FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY--GOLDEN WEDDING
Invitations to a golden wedding should be written or printed on golden
hued cards. Let the bride wear a dress of golden hue, or, if she
dislikes such bright colors, let her use plenty of yellow flowers in her
hair and on her dress. The groom should also wear yellow flowers. Two
armchairs decorated with straw might be used for the seats of honor.
Have the home decorated with goldenrod if in season, if not, any yellow
flower can be used; if the season for sunflowers, they are very pretty
for decoration. Let those who help serve wear yellow dresses or plenty
of yellow flowers. A large yellow cake could be used for a centrepiece,
banked with yellow flowers; use brass candlesticks with yellow candles.
Plenty of flowers or yellow paper should be used for the gas jets, lamp
shades and picture frames. Refreshments might consist of yellow cake,
lemonade, and yellow candy. Pretty souvenirs would be a yellow carnation
for each guest.
WEDDING OF THE OPERAS
Each guest was given a double card or booklet with pencil attached, the
cover representing a miniature sheet of music. Upon one page was a list
of numbered questions, the answers to be written upon the opposite page,
suggested by selections from well-known operas and operettas played upon
the piano or other instrument. The names of the operas from which the
selections were taken answered the questions.
The following were the questions:
1. Who were the bride and groom?
2. What was the bride called--from the circumstances of her wedding?
3. At what sort of party did they meet?
4. He went as a minstrel. What was he called?
5. She went as an Austrian peasant. What was she called?
6. At the wedding what Spanish girl was maid of honor?
7. What noted Swiss was best man?
8. What two ladies (friends of Donizetti's) were bridesmaids?
9. What four Germans were the ushers?
10. What mythological personage presided over the music?
11. Who sang at the ceremony?
12. What noted person from Japan was present?
13. What noted bells were rung in honor of the wedding?
14. What ship did they take for their wedding trip?
15. When on the voyage who captured them?
16. What virtue sustained them in captivity?
17. What gentleman of dark complexion rescued them?
18. What historical people entertained them in France?
19. In Northeast Italy what grand affair did they attend?
20. Who showed them the sights of Venice?
And the music gave answer, as follows:
1. Romeo and Juliet.
2. The Runaway Girl.
3. Masked Ball.
4. Trovatore.
5. The Bohemian Girl.
6. Carmen.
7. William Tell.
8. Lucia di Lammermoor and Linda di Chamouni.
9. Lohengrin, Faust, Tannhäuser and Siegfried.
10. Orpheus.
11. The Meistersinger.
12. The Mikado.
13. The Chimes of Normandy.
14. H. M. S. Pinafore.
15. The Pirates of Penzance.
16. Patience.
17. Othello.
18. The Huguenots.
19. The Carnival of Venice.
20. The Gondoliers.
WHICH IS YOUR AGE
What is the best age for a girl or boy? (Espionage)
To what age will people arrive if they live long enough? (Dotage)
To what age do most women look forward with anxiety? (Marriage)
What age has the soldier often to find? (Courage)
What age is required on the high seas? (Tonnage)
What age are we forbidden to worship? (Image)
What age is not less or more? (Average)
What is the age people are stuck on? (Mucilage)
What age is both profane and destructive? (Damage)
At what age are vessels to ride safe? (Anchorage)
What age is necessary to the clergyman? (Parsonage)
What age is one of communication? (Postage)
What age is most important to travelers by rail? (Mileage)
What is the age now popular for charity? (Coinage)
What age is shared by the doctor and the thief? (Pillage)
What age do we all wish for? (Homage)
What age is slavery? (Hostage)
What age is most enjoyed at the morning meal? (Beverage)
What is the most indigestible age? (Sausage)
WHICH IS YOUR AUNT (ANT)
1. What is the oldest ant? (Adam-ant)
2. What ant hires his home? (Tenant)
3. What ant is joyful? (Jubilant)
4. What ant is learned? (Savant)
5. What ant is well-informed? (Conversant)
6. What ant is trustworthy? (Confidant)
7. What ant is proud? (Arrogant)
8. What ant sees things? (Observant)
9. What ant is angry? (Indignant)
10. What ant tells things? (Informant)
11. What ant is successful? (Triumphant)
12. What ant is an officer? (Commandant)
13. What ant is a beggar? (Mendicant)
14. What ant is obstinate? (Defiant)
15. What ant is youngest? (Infant)
16. What is the ruling ant? (Dominant)
17. What is the wandering ant? (Errant)
18. What ant lives in a house? (Occupant)
19. What ant points out things? (Significant)
20. What ant is prayerful? (Supplicant)
WHICH IS YOUR CITY
1. What city is for few people? (Scarcity)
2. For happy people? (Felicity)
3. For hypocrites? (Duplicity)
4. For chauffeurs? (Velocity)
5. For truthful people? (Veracity)
6. For athletes? (Elasticity)
7. For greedy people? (Voracity)
8. For wild beasts? (Ferocity)
9. For home lovers? (Domesticity)
10. For actors? (Publicity)
11. For reporters? (Audacity)
12. For wise people? (Sagacity)
13. For hungry people? (Capacity)
14. For telegraph operators? (Electricity)
15. For crowds? (Multiplicity)
16. For nations? (Reciprocity)
17. For odd people? (Eccentricity)
18. For beggars? (Mendicity)
19. For unhappy people? (Infelicity)
20. For office seekers? (Pertinacity)
The names of cities and their nicknames may also be used, thus: Boston,
"The Hub"; Philadelphia, "The City of Homes"; Detroit, "City of the
Straits"; Cincinnati, "Queen City of the West"; Chicago, "Windy City,"
or "Garden City"; Buffalo, "Queen City"; Cleveland, "Forest City";
Pittsburg, "Smoky City"; Washington, "City of Magnificent Distances";
Milwaukee, "Cream City"; New York, "Gotham"; Minneapolis, "Falls City";
St. Louis, "Mound City"; San Francisco, "Golden Gate"; New Orleans,
"Crescent City."
WHITE RIBBON SOCIABLE
Invitations should be similar to the following:
_Yourself and friends are cordially invited to attend a
White Ribbon Sociable
given by the Y. W. C. T. U. at the home of the
President, Miss Blank,
Monday evening, September 10, 19--._
Have a small white ribbon bow tied on the corner of the card. Of course
all members of the society should wear their white ribbons. All who
serve on the reception committee should wear a large white ribbon
rosette. Also have a white ribbon quartet for the musical part of the
program, and have each one wear a large white ribbon bow on the left
breast. Have plenty of white flowers for decoration, also use anything
white that can be used in any way to help decorate. Have a large bowl or
white dish in centre of dining-table with small white baby ribbons
hanging over the edge, one for each guest you expect. Tie to the end of
each ribbon a small slip of paper bearing instructions as to what each
one is to do. Each guest is to pull out a slip, see what he is to do,
and then proceed to do it at once. Cover the top of the dish neatly with
white tissue paper. Wafers can be served tied with narrow white ribbon,
also coffee or cocoa, or if in summer serve lemonade.
The following suggestions may be used for the slips of paper:
1. Act in pantomime a doctor's visit.
2. Make a dunce cap and put on head of dignified person.
3. Deliver an oration on George Washington.
4. Sing "Mary had a little lamb," in operatic style.
5. Draw a correct picture of a cow.
6. Tell a funny story.
7. Sing a lullaby to a sofa cushion.
8. Sing a comic song.
9. Compose a rhyme with four lines.
10. Tell a pathetic story.
11. Make a shadow picture of a man's head on the wall with the hands.
12. Show how a small boy cries when a hornet stings him.
13. Sneeze in five different ways.
14. Shake hands with ten different persons in ten different styles.
15. Recite "The boy stood on the burning deck," in dramatic style.
16. Laugh ten varieties of laugh.
17. Imitate the sounds made by two cats fighting.
18. Show how a man acts when he is lost in Boston.
19. Smile ten different smiles.
20. Tip your hat in ten different ways to ten different people.
21. Show how a dude walks.
22. Auction off an overcoat.
23. Try to sell a book as if you were a book agent.
24. Show how a boy writes his first letter.
25. Name ten things you could do with a million dollars.
WHY WE NEVER MARRIED
AN EVENING'S ENTERTAINMENT TO BE GIVEN BY SEVEN MAIDS AND SEVEN
BACHELORS
(Copyright, 1899, by the Curtis Publishing Company and republished by
courtesy of the _Ladies' Home Journal_)
Although this entertainment is here planned to include fourteen people,
the number of those who take part in it may, of course, be reduced to as
few or increased to as many as desired, either by omitting one or more
of the couples already provided for, or by including more couples and
composing additional verses for them.
The characters appear seated in a semicircle, a young man first, then a
young woman, and so on alternately, beginning at the right as one faces
the audience. Each one is dressed in a fashion appropriate to the
character represented. Starting with the first young man at the right,
each advances in turn to the front and recites.
Number one says:
"Of all the girls that ever I knew,
I never saw one that I thought would do.
I wanted a wife that was nice and neat,
That was up to date, and that had small feet;
I wanted a wife that was loving and kind,
And that hadn't too much original mind;
I wanted a wife that could cook and sew,
And that wasn't eternally on the go;
I wanted a wife that just loved to keep house,
And that wasn't too timid to milk the cows;
I wanted a wife that was strikingly beautiful,
Intelligent, rich, and exceedingly dutiful.
That isn't so much to demand in a wife,
But still she's not found, though I've looked all my life."
Number two next recites:
"The only reason why I've never wed
Is as clear as the day, and as easily said:
Two lovers I had who'd have made me a bride,
But the trouble was just that I couldn't decide;
Whenever John came I was sure it was he
That I cared for most; but with Charlie by me,
My hands clasped in his, and his eyes fixed on mine,
'Twas as easy as could be to say, 'I'll be thine.'
Now tell me what was a poor maiden to do,
Who couldn't, to save her, make choice 'tween the two?
I dillied and dallied, and couldn't decide,
Till John, he got married, and Charlie, he died;
And that is the reason why I've never wed;
For how could I help it, as every one said,
When John, he was married, and Charlie was dead."
Number three now speaks:
"I have never proposed to any girl.
Was I to be caught in the snare of a curl,
And dangle through life in a dizzy whirl?
"Humph! I know too much for that by half!
I may look young, but I'm not a calf;
You can't catch a bird like me with chaff.
"I know their tricks, I know their arts,
I know how they scheme to capture hearts;
I know they can play a dozen parts.
"How do I know so much, you ask?
To reply to that isn't much of a task;
For if you must know, O madams and misters,
I'm the only brother of fourteen sisters."
Number four advances and says:
"My lovers came from near and far,
And sued before my feet;
They told me I was like a star;
They said that I was sweet;
And each one swore if I'd accept
His heart and eke his hand,
That he would be the happiest man
Throughout the whole broad land.
But one proud youth remained aloof,
And stood untouched, unmoved;
Oh, bitter fate! he was the one,
The only one I loved!
I tried on him each winning charm,
I put forth every art,
But all in vain; he turned away,
And took with him my heart.
This is the reason I am left
Alone upon the tree,
Like withered fruit, though not a pear;
Oh, would that I might be!"
Number five recites these lines:
"The only reason why I've never married
Is because all my plans for proposing miscarried;
I wouldn't propose till all was propitious,
Till I felt pretty sure that the signs were auspicious.
More than once I've been moved to propound the fond query,
'Won't you tell me you love me, my beautiful dearie?'
When just at that moment came something or other,
A ring at the bell, or a call from her mother,
Or the sudden approach of her infantile brother,
My words to arrest, my intentions to smother;
And once, when a few leading questions I'd asked,
She laughed as if jokes in my questions were masked;
I couldn't conceive what had caused her commotion,
But 'twas so disconcerting I gave up the notion;
Although I felt certain as certain could be,
That whatever she laughed at, it was not at me."
Number six then says:
"From my earliest years
I've had an intuition
That I was intended
To carry out a mission.
Whatever it might be
I hadn't the least notion,
But I searched for it faithfully
From ocean to ocean.
For a while I kept thinking
That I was surely meant
To preach to the heathen,
But I never was sent.
Then the surging thoughts and feelings
That upon me seemed to press
Surely proved beyond all question
That I was a poetess;
But the editors were cruel,
They were stonily unkind;
And their inappreciation
Drove the notion from my mind.
Now I'm sure that I'm a speaker;
'Tis my latest great impression;
And I'd like to prove it to you,
If I might without digression;
But whatever is my mission,
I've been certain all my life,
That 'tis something higher, nobler,
Than to be a slaving wife."
Number seven speaks thus:
"I used to call on Mary Jane
When I was seventeen;
And Mary Jane was fond of me,
Though I was rather green.
One day I told her why I came,
And what was my intent;
And then she said that I must go
And get her pa's consent.
Her pa, he was a mason rude,
Well used to handling bricks,
And when I came to talk with him
My courage went to sticks.
'K-kind sir, may I have M-Mary Jane?'
I asked with gasp and stutter;
Then came an earthquake, then a blank--
I went home on a shutter.
I never married Mary Jane,
The maid whom I'd selected;
The reason was because her pa--
Well, so to speak--objected."
Number eight next advances:
"I fully intended a bride to be,
But Richard and I could never agree;
He fussed at me daily in fault-finding mood,
And I picked at him though I knew it was rude;
He thought that a woman ought always to do
Just what her husband wanted her to,
And I was as set and decided as he,
That that way of life would never suit me;
And so we kept wrangling all summer and fall,
And at last we agreed not to marry at all;
And that is the reason you now find me here,
Feeling cheap, I admit, and I once was so dear."
Number nine speaks as follows:
"Could I give up all the pleasures
That a single man may claim?
Could I see my bachelor treasures
Sniffed at by a scornful dame?
Could I have my choice Havanas
Bandied all about the place,
Strewn around like cheap bananas,
Looked upon as a disgrace?
Could I bear to find a hairpin
Sticking in my shaving-mug?
Or a pair of high-heeled slippers
Lying on my Persian rug?
Would I want my meditations
Broken up by cries of fright
At a mouse or daddy-long-legs,
Or some other fearful sight?
No, I couldn't, and I wouldn't,
And I didn't, as you see;
Of every life, the bachelor's life
Is just the life for me."
Number ten says:
"My lovers were plenty
As plenty could be;
But of the whole number
Not one suited me;
John was too fat,
Joe was too thin,
And George, who'd have done,
Was without any 'tin';
Dick was a sinner,
And James was a saint,
Who, whenever I shocked him,
Looked ready to faint;
Charles was quite handsome,
The likeliest yet,
But he always was smoking
A vile cigarette;
That I'm very particular
'Tis easy to see,
Which all should remember
Who come to court me."
Number eleven now advances:
"First it was Carrie who claimed my heart,
And I thought from her I never would part;
Then it was Rose, with her winsome eyes
Of an azure as deep as the tropic skies;
And next it was Alice, so mild and meek;
I loved her fondly for nearly a week;
Then came Elizabeth's fickle reign,
And after her Mary and Kate and Jane;
A dozen more for a time held sway,
Sometimes for a month, sometimes for a day;
And yet I'm not married; for, truth to tell,
I could make no choice, I loved all so well."
Number twelve speaks thus:
"I never would marry
The best of men;
Though they've tried to persuade me
Again and again;
I know too well
What's good for me
To wed any man,
Whoever he be;
If he tells you he loves you,
He means to deceive you;
If he says he'll be faithful,
He's planning to leave you;
You may think him as meek
As ever was Moses;
You may think him as sweet
As a garden of roses;
You may think him as good
As good can be;
But just remember
One word from me;
Whatever they seem
To be or have been,
You just can't tell
One thing about men."
Number thirteen and number fourteen advance together, and the former
speaks first as follows:
"I've been in love with lots of girls,
A bachelor's life I hate;
I've all the time that I could want
To find and win a mate;
I've never come in contact with
A brick-objecting pa,
Or been deterred by brothers small
Or loudly calling ma;
I've never found it hard to choose
With whom I would be mated;
Oh, no, 'tis quite another cause--
I'm not appreciated;
I've popped the question o'er and o'er,
But if you will believe me,
There wasn't one of all of them
That I could get to have me.
And that is why I'm left alone,
Now love's young dream is gone,
To darn my hose and mend my clo'es
And sew my buttons on."
Then number fourteen says:
"My friends have all told you the reason why they
Keep on in a lonesome, old-maidenly way,
Without any husband to lighten their loads,
Without any helper to smooth the rough roads;
I, too, am unmarried, but not for the causes
That they have all stated in rhythmical clauses:
My lover didn't die,
And he never went away;
My father didn't stand
A moment in my way;
I've never quarreled once,
Nor been bothered to decide,
But I've got a first-class reason
Why I've never been a bride;
At any kind of mission
I wouldn't even glance;
The simple truth is this--
I've never had a chance;
Other folks, I s'pose, have had 'em,
But they've never come to me;
Though I don't see why they shouldn't,
For I'm willing as can be;
And all I've got to say is,
And I say it frank and free,
If you think I won't get married,
Just you question me and see."
At the close of number fourteen's recitation, all rise and stand in
two rows, facing each other, the ladies in one row and the gentlemen
in the other. The gentlemen then recite in concert as follows:
"Since we all are yet unmated,
And are getting on in years,
Why not now decide the matter
By dividing up in pairs?
If I ask you to accept me,
And my lonely life to bless,
Will you? Will you? Will you?"
Ladies in chorus:
"Yes!"
Each lady takes the arm of the gentleman facing her, and all walk off to
the music of the wedding march.
WIFE OF SANTA CLAUS
AN ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL
The Sunday-school, school or club is assembled; the stage is concealed
by a curtain, and the Christmas tree, which is near the stage, by
another curtain or screen. The tree is decorated in the usual manner,
minus the gifts, which are concealed near the stage ready to be
delivered when the right time comes. The tree need not be lighted until
the closing of any preliminary exercises that have been arranged. After
lighting, the tree should be exposed to the view of all. When the
children have gazed at it for a few moments, the superintendent or some
other suitable person should come forward, as if to distribute the gifts
as usual. He should survey the tree attentively and from different
standpoints, and finally, with great astonishment, exclaim:
"Why, what in the world does this mean? What strange thing is this? What
is the matter with my eyes? [_Rubbing his eyes to see better._] I can't
see! As true as I live, I cannot see a single Christmas gift upon this
tree! Think of it, a Christmas tree with no presents! Am I growing
blind? [_Rubbing his eyes again._]
"Do you see any? [_Turning to any child near._] Well, I thought so! It
is too true, children, that although we have a Christmas tree, and a
fine one, too, there is not a single gift upon it; no, not even a little
one for a little bit of a girl! Now, this is altogether too bad of Santa
Claus to forget this Sunday-school--when we've gotten all ready for him,
too, lighted the tree and decorated it so beautifully! It isn't a bit
like him, either. He never did such a thing before. He can't have
forgotten us. The blessed old Saint wouldn't do that! Maybe his
reindeer are lame and he is slow in getting here. No! He would have
sent Jack Frost on ahead to tell us to wait. Let me think a moment. It
can't be that any of you children have been so naughty that he thinks we
don't deserve a visit from him, can it? No, no, that cannot be; it is a
mistake, somehow. It is very mysterious; I never heard of the like
before--no, never----
"Well, what are we going to do about it, anyway? Can't some one speak up
and explain this mystery, or at least tell us what to do to celebrate
Christmas?"
At this juncture the sound of sleigh-bells is heard at the back or side
of the stage, and a loud "Whoa!" and a shrill whistle. There is an
instant of bustling, crunching of ice, stamping and pawing of feet, then
the door bursts open suddenly, as if by a gust of wind, and a nimble
little fellow bounces in, clad all in red and flecked with tufts of
cotton on cap and shoulders to look like snow. He wears a high, peaked
cap of red with a bobbing tassel on the peak, and carries a long thong
whip, which he flourishes in time to the rhyme he chants:
"Ho for us! hey for us!
Please clear the way for us!
I'm Jack Frost from Icicle-land,
Driver of Santa's four-in-hand;
Though late you will ask no excuse."
With a flourish he draws back the curtain, announcing "Mrs. Santa
Claus!" There, with a mammoth pumpkin standing by her side, is seen a
beaming-faced little fat woman. She is dressed in a fur cloak, or
fur-lined circular turned wrong side out, an ermine poke bonnet, made of
white cotton-wool, with black worsted tails, and an immense muff of the
same. She steps forward, and in a dramatic style delivers this address:
MRS. SANTA CLAUS'S ADDRESS
"Good-evening to you, children dear;
I know you cannot guess
The reason I am here to-night,
And so I'll just confess
That I am Mrs. Santa Claus--
Old Santa Claus's wife;
You've never seen me here before,
I'm sure, in all your life.
"So if you'll listen patiently,
I'll tell the reason why
Old Santa could not come to-night,
And why instead came I;
He is so very busy now,
Has so many schools--you see
He can't find time to visit all,
And deck each Christmas tree.
"And so he said unto his wife:
'My faithful partner dear,
That Sunday-school's expecting me
To help keep Christmas cheer;
As I can't possibly reach there,
I'm disappointed quite;
I know that they will look for me
With shining eyes so bright!'
"I, Mrs. Santa, thus replied:
'Please let your better-half
Go visit that nice Sunday-school;
'Twill make the children laugh.'
This plan just suited Santa Claus;
He sent Jack Frost to drive;
He knew what fun 'twould be for me
Among you thus to arrive!
"And so, lest him you should forget,
That blessed, dear old fellow
The queerest Christmas gift sends you,
This pumpkin, big and yellow;
He hopes that when you cut it up
You'll quite delighted be,
To find the inside quite different
From what you're used to see.
"Now if the shell is not too hard
I'll cut it open wide,
That you may see with your own eyes
This curious inside. [_She cuts it open._]
Ah, yes! we've found the inside now,
And so present to view
This fairy, who, from Wonderland,
Has come to visit you."
The fairy, a little girl dressed in white, with a wand, and wings, if
possible, skips out of the pumpkin and sings:
FAIRY'S SONG
(Tune, "Little Buttercup")
"Yes I am a fairy, a genuine fairy,
And if you cannot tell why
I've come in this pumpkin, this big yellow pumpkin,
The reason to guess you may try.
"I bring you sweet tokens, yes, many fond tokens,
Of love and sweet friendship true;
From sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers,
And many dear friends who love you.
"So here are your presents, your own Christmas presents,
With which you may now deck your tree,
So please to remember the bright Christmas fairy,
The bright Christmas fairy you see.
"I wish you 'Merry Christmas,' a real merry Christmas,
And also a 'Happy New-Year;'
If you love one another, each sister and brother,
No harm from the fairies you'll fear."
The gifts are then distributed by the fairy, who appears to take them
from the inside of the pumpkin. Unless the children are too small, and
likely to be timid, they should go forward to receive their gifts when
their names are called by the fairy, who apparently knows them all by
name, but who is prompted by some one reading from a list standing
behind the curtain close by her side. Jack Frost whisks about helping
the fairy hand out the gifts and assisting the wee ones to get down off
the stage with their bundles. During Mrs. Santa's address he might
carelessly perch himself upon the pumpkin.
The pumpkin is made with a strong wire frame (can be made at any
hardware store), and covered with a deep yellow cambric with an
occasional green smutch painted upon it. It is in two hemispheres and is
tied together strongly at the bottom and loosely at the top, so that the
fairy inside can easily loosen the top string and step out when Mrs.
Santa cuts open the pumpkin with a large carving-knife.
In case it is not practicable to have a pumpkin-frame made, substitute
for it a gigantic snowball made of cotton-wool, covered with
diamond-dust to sparkle like snow-crystals. Two large old-fashioned
umbrellas that are dome-shaped will serve very nicely for the frame of a
spherical ball, if the tips of the ribs are wired together. It should
then be covered inside and outside with white cloth on which the cotton
batting can be basted. With such an arrangement it would be necessary to
dispense with the fairy, but the little folks might have the surprise of
seeing the snowball slowly open at a snap from Jack Frost's whip,
disclosing a nest of smaller snowballs. These Jack Frost might toss to
the children and, when opened, they might be found to contain candy and
nuts.
Index
PAGE
Acting Proverbs 3
Advertisement Items 4
All About Kate 4
Apple Social 6
April Fool Dinner 6
April Fool Party 7
Authors' Contest 9
Authors' Guessing Game 9
Authors' Verbal Game 10
"B" Sociable 11
Barn Party 12
Baseball Party 13
Bean Bags 14
Bean Sociable 15
Berry Guessing Contest 15
Bible Contest 16
Bible Evening 17
Bible Names 18
Bible Readings 18
Bird Carnival 19
Bird Guessing Contest 20
Birthday Party 23
Bishop's Riddle 23
Box Party 24
Cake Sale 25
Cake Walk (Novel kind) 26
Calico Carnival 27
Can Factory 28
Cat Guessing Contest 30
Chestnut Sociable 30
Children's Birthday Flowers 32
Children's Birthday Parties 32
Children's Christmas Party 34
Children's Christmas Tableaux 35
Children's Easter Party 37
Children's Souvenirs 40
Children's Sweet Pea Tea 41
Children's Tom Thumb Entertainment 42
Children's Valentine Party 43
Chinese Party 44
Christmas Costume Party 45
Christmas Menu and Table Decorations 47
Christmas Umbrella Game 48
Church Bazaar Suggestions 49
Cobweb Sociable 50
Conundrum Tea 51
Cook Book Sale 51
Cooky Sociable 53
Corn Husking Bee 53
Dutch Party 54
Easter Egg Hunt 55
Easter Luncheon 55
Easter Sociable 57
Fairies' Garden 58
Feast of Seven Tables 60
Feast of Nations 62
Fish Market 64
Flags of Nations 65
Floral Love Story 66
Flower Bazaar 67
Flower Guessing Contest 68
Flower Luncheons 70
Flower Party 73
Flowers Illustrated 75
Fourth of July Museum 76
Game of Nations 78
Geographical Game 79
George and Martha Tea 79
Girls' Names Contest 81
Golf Luncheon 82
Golf Players' Guessing Contest 83
Good Luck Party 83
Gypsy Fortune-Telling 85
Hallowe'en Box Cake 86
Hallowe'en Games 86
Hallowe'en Party 88
Hallowe'en Suggestions 89
Handkerchief Bazaar 91
Hatchet Party 91
Ice Festival 93
Inauguration Day Lunch 94
Independence Day Necessities 96
Indian Dinner Party 97
Indoor Lawn Party 98
Initial Characteristics 99
Jack-O'-Lantern Party 100
Japanese Card Party 102
Japanese Sociable 103
Literary Contest 104
Literary Evening 109
Literary People 111
Measuring Party 112
Medical Sociable 113
Medical Trunk 114
Military Sociable 115
Morning Glory Fair 116
Mother Goose Game 116
Musical Card Party 117
Musical Evening 118
Musical Guessing Contest 119
Musical Romance 119
Musical Terms Illustrated 121
Musicians Buried 122
Mystical Dinner Menu 123
Mystical Party 124
New Year's Eve Party 126
New Year's Resolutions 127
New Year's Sociable 127
Nineteenth Century Game 128
Nose and Goggle Party 129
Noted People 130
Nut Conundrums 130
Nut Party 131
Observation Party 132
Old-Fashioned Dinner 134
Old-Time Country School 134
Old-Time Spelling Bee 138
Orange Party 139
Orange Sociable 141
Patriotic Party 141
Peddlers' Parade 143
Penny for Your Thoughts 144
Photograph Party 145
Pictorial Geography 145
Picture Reading 146
Pictures of Prominent Men 147
Pie Party 147
Pilgrim Luncheon 148
Ping-Pong Luncheon 148
Ping-Pong Party 149
Pin Party 150
P. O. D. Dinner Party 152
Pop-Corn Party 153
Portrait Game 154
Poverty Party 154
Poverty Sociable 156
Presidential Couplets 156
Presidential Questions 158
Presidents' Nicknames 159
Pussy Willow Party 159
Red White and Blue Luncheon 160
"Riley" Entertainment 162
Self-Portraits 163
Seven Days in One 165
Shamrock Luncheon 166
Snowdrift Party 168
Sock Sociable 169
Spinning Party 170
Spinster Tea 173
State Abbreviations 174
State Flowers 175
State Nicknames 175
State Sociable 176
St. Patrick's Day Party 177
St. Patrick's Guessing Contest 178
Telegram Party 179
Tennis Sociable 180
Ten Virgins (Sacred play) 180
Thanksgiving Day Decorations 181
Thanksgiving Football Dinner 182
Thanksgiving Sociable 185
Transplanting Trees 187
Tree Guessing Contest 187
Tree Party 188
Tree Pool 190
Trolley Party 191
Unique Valentine Party 192
University Luncheon 194
Valentine Entertainment 195
Valentine Fun 196
Valentine Party--Danish 198
Valentine Sociable 200
Variety of Little Misses 201
Vegetable Party 202
Wedding Anniversaries 203
Wedding of the Operas 211
Which is Your Age 213
Which is Your Aunt (Ant) 214
Which is Your City 214
White Ribbon Sociable 215
Why We Never Married 217
Wife of Santa Claus 225
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