Show THE AFTERNOON TEA How to Make It an AereeaLle Entertainment 0 a ME DANGERS IN TEA DRINKING The History and Literature of Tea How it houlil be Served Social Customs In Row York row NEW YORK April 30 1SO1Speclal correspondence cor-respondence of THE HERVW Jonas Hau neyvvrote a treatise against tea drinking t in Johnsons time and tbat vast insatiable nad shameless tea drinker took up the cudgels cud-gels for tea settling it as a brain inspirer for all time wrote Rasselas On the strength of it Cobbett wrote against it uso by the laboring classes and the Edinburgh licrfctp indorsed his arguments stating that a prohibition absolute and uncompromising uncomprom-ising of the noxious beverage was the first step toward insuring health aud strength for tho poorand asserted that when a laborer fancied himself refreshed with a mess of this stuff sweetened with tho coarsest brown sugar nnd by azure blue milk it was only the warmth of the water I which consoled him for the moment Cobbutt claimed that the tea table cost more to support than would keep two children child-ren at nurse Tho Qtocjly cci oin an article written perhaps byibo most famous chemist of the I flay said that htca relieves vni lAINS OF nU GI rather by mechanical distention than by supplying the waste of nature by adequate ci btcnpncc but claimed for it the power o calm > laid and benignant exhilaration pieally stimulating the stomach when fa tiTVed by digestive exertion and acting asa as-a appropriate dilutent of tho chyle More recent inquiries into the qualities of the peculiar power of tea have tended to raise i iu popular esteem although no one has satisfactorily explained why it has become bo universally necessary to the human race An agreeable little book called Tho beverages bev-erages we indulge in The herbs which we rcfuseor some such title had a great deal to do with the adoption of tea asa i as-a drink for young men who were training for a boat race or who desired to economize their strength in a mountain climb But everyone from the tired washerwoman washer-woman to the student the wrestler THE nxi LAIr AND THE STRONG MAN demands a cut of tea To the invalid it is the dearest solace if e i is dangerous Tanninthe astringent element ele-ment in tea is however bad for delicate stomachs and seems to ruin appetite Tea therefore should never be allowed to stand I Hot water poured on the leaves and poured off into a cup can hardly afford the tannin I time to ret out Since tea drinkers even put the grounds in a silver bal perforated and sling this through a cup of boiling water thus is produced the most delicate cup of tea The famous Chinese lyric which is painted on almost all the Chinese teapots of the empire is highly poetical On a slow lire set a tripod fill it with clear rainwater Boil it as long as it would bb needed to turn fish white and lobsters red Tnrow this upon tho delicate leaves J of choice tea let it remain as long as the vapor rises in a cloud At your ease drink the pure liquid which will chase avay 1 Tile FIVE CAUSES OF TROUBLE The tea of the cells of the dragoons the purest Pekoe from the leaf buds of threeyearold plants no one ever sees in Europe But we have now secured many brands of tea which are sufficiently good and the famous Indian tea brought in by the great exposition in Paris in ISSJ is fast gaining nn enviable reputation It has a perfect i bouquet and flavor Green tea beloved by our grandmothers and still a favorite with some connoisseurs has proved to have so much theine the clement of intoxication intox-ication in tea that it is forbidden to nervous nerv-ous people It is this element which makes tea save food by its action in preventing various wastes to tho system I is thus peculiarly acceptable to elderly persons to the tired laboring woman Doubtless Mrs Gamps famous teapot with which she entertained Betsy Prig contained green tea teaBut there is an unusually large amount of XITROGEX IS THEIXE Y and green tea possesses so large a proportion propor-tion of it a to be positively dangerous In the process of drying and roasting this volatile vol-atile oil is engendered The Chinese dare not use it for a year after the leaf has been prepared and the packer and unpacker of the tea suffers much from paralysis The tasters of tea become frequently great invalids in-valids unable t cat I Therefore our favorite herb has its dangers dan-gers t gersMore consoling is the legend of the origin of the plant A drowsy hermit after long wrestling with sleep cut off his eyelids and cast them on tho ground From them sprang a shrub whose leaves shaped like eyelids and bordered with a fringe of lashes possessed tho power of warding off sleep This was in the third century and the plant was tea But what has this to do with that pleasant pleas-ant vision of a steaming kettle boiling over a blazing alcohol lamp tho silver tea caddy the padded cozy TO KEEP THE TEAPOT WARM tho basket of cake the thin bread and butter S but-ter the pretty gril presiding over the cups the delicate china the more delicate unfu sion All these elements go to make up the afternoon tea From one or two ladies who stayed at homo one day in the week cad offered this refreshment to the many who grew t find that it was a very easy method of entertaining the original five chock tea which arose in England from the fact that ladies and gentlemen after hunting required some slight refreshment before dressing for dinner and liked to meet for a little chat out of this simple informal in-formal entertainment grew the present party in tho day time It now is used as the method of introducing a daughter etc and is tho ordinary way of entertaining everybody The primal idea was a good one People who had no money for grand spreads were enabled to show to their more opulent neighbors that they too had THE sriuir or nOS1lrALIT The doctors discovered that lea was healthy English br akfast tea would keep nobody awake The cup of tea and the sandwich at five would spoil nobodys dinner The ladies who began these entertainments receiving ceiving modestly in plain dresses wore not out of tone with their guests who came in walking dresses But then the other side was this Ladies had to go t nine teas of an afternoon perhaps tate something everywhere Hence the new disease deUriumteamens Jtwas uncomfortable t assist at a largo party in a heavy winter garment of velvet 4 and fur The afternoon tea loot its prinu 1 tive character and became an evening pariy t in the daytime with the hostess partY daughters in full dress and her lects in walking costume The sipping of ro much tea produces tho nervous prostration the sleeplessness the nameless misery of OCR OVERWROUGHT WOMEN I and thus a healthful inexpensive and most agreeable adjunct to the art of entertaining grew into a thing without a name and became be-came tho largo gaslighted ball at five oclock where half the ladies were in decollete dresses the others in fur tippets I was pronounced a breeder of influenza and the high i road to a headache S i I a lady can be at home every Thursday during the season and always at her position posi-tion behind the blazing urn if she will have the firmness to continue this practice she may create a salon out of her teacups 1 In giving a large afternoon tea for whIch cards have been sent ort tho hostess chould stand by the drawingroom door ud greet each guest who after a few words passes on In tho adjoining room usually the diningroom 2 largo table is spread with a white cloth and at one end is a tea service with a kettle of water boiling over an alcohol lap while at the other end is J SERVICE POll CHOCOLATE There should be flowers on the table and dishes containing bread and butter cut a thin as a shaving Cake and strawberries are always permissible One or two servants ser-vants should always be in attendance to carry away soiled cups and saucers and to keep the table looking fresh but for the pouriug of tho tea and chocolate there should always be a lady who like the hostess hos-tess should wear a gown closed to tho throat for nothing is worse form nowadays I than full dress before dinner and ot course without a bonnet When tea is served every afternoon at I five oclock whether or no there are visi tore as is often the case in many houses the servant who if 0 woman should always I al-ways in tho afternoon wear a plain black gown with a white cap and apron should place a small low table before the lady of 1 the house and lay a pretty white cloth upon it She should then bring in a large tray upon which are the tea service and A PLATE OF BREAD AND BUTTER or cake or both and place it upon the table and then retire but to remain within call though out of sight in case she should be needed The best rule for making tea is the old fashioned one One teaspoonful for each person and one for the pot The pot should first be rinsed with hot water then the tea put in and upon it hot water enough to cover the leaves poured which is at the moment boiling This should stand for five minutes then fill up the pot with more boiling water and pour it immediately imme-diately Some persons prefer lemon in their tea to cream and it is a good plan to have some thin slices cut for the purpose in a pretty little dish on the tray A bowl of cracked ice is also a pleasant addition in summer iced tea being a most refreshing drink in hot weather Neither plates nor napkins ever appear at this informal and cozy meal A guest arriving at this time in the afternoon I after-noon should always be offered a cup of tea AFTERNOON IN SMALL CITIES or in the country in villages and academic towns can be made a most agreeable and ideal entertainment for the official presentation presen-tation of a daughter or for the means of seeing ones friends But in the busy winter win-ter season of a large city it should cOt be made the excuse for giving up tho evening party or the dinner lunch or balL I is not all these it is simply itself and it should be a refuge for those women who are tired of balls of overdressing dancing visiting and shopping It is also very dear to tho young who find tnat convenient tea table a good arena for flirtations I is a form of entertainment which allows al-lows ono to dispense with etiquette and to save time A lady or gentleman who receives an invitation in-vitation to an afternoon tea and makes his visit leaving his card behind him has done his duty he need not make another call the acquaintance is established Nor need a lady do more than leave her card ON THE DAT OF THE TEA her duties are then over for tho season unless a dinner invitation follows This is a greatioon to an over society woman who cannot get around to make all her calls Five oclock teas should be true to their name nor should any other refreshment be offered than tea thin bread and butter and little cakes I other eatables are offered the tea becomes be-comes a reception There is a high tea which takes the place of dinner on Sunday evenings in cities which is a very pretty entertainment In small rural cities in the country they take the place of dinners They were formerly merly very fashionable in Philadelphia I was the opportunity to offer hot rolls and butter scollopped ojsters fried chicken delicately sliced cold ham waffles and hotcake hot-cake preservesalas since the days of canning who offers the delicious preserves of the past and The hostess sits behind her silver urn POURS THE HOT TEA OR COFFEE or chocolate and presses the guest to take f dnqtherwnffie It is a delightful meal and has no prototype in any country but our own It is doubtful however whether the high tea will ever be popular in America in large cities at least with tho custom of seven oclock dinners People find them a violent change of living which is always a challenge to indigestion Some wit said that he always liked to eat hot mince pie just before he went to bed for then he always al-ways knew what hurt him he can take high tea on Sunday evening after having dined all the week at seven oclock and a pain in his chest will tell him that the hot waffle the cold the peach wafe tongue preserve and that last cup of tea mean mischief Oliver Cromwell is said to have been an early tea drinker so was Queen Elizabeth Elaborate old teapots are sold in London with THE CIPHER Or BOTH But the report lacks confirmation Ve cannot imagine Oliver drinking anythin but verjuice nor tho Lion woman as sipping sip-ping up anything less strong than brown stout Literature owes much to tea From Cowper to Austin Dobson tho poets have had their fling at it And what could the modern English novelist do without it1 I las been in politics as all remember who have seen Boston Harbor and it goes into all tho battles and climbs Mt Blanc and the Matterhorn The French wh despised < it are beginning to make a good cup of tea and Russia bathes in it The samovar sam-ovar cheers tho long journeys across these dreary steppes and forms again tho most luxurious ornament of the palace On all thd high roads of Europe one can get a cup of tea except in Spain There it is next to impossible The universal chocolate supersedes super-sedes it I one gets a cup of tea in Spain there is no cream to put in it I is ruined with goats milk In fact the poor tea drinker is hard to 1 please anywhere Ther are to tho critic only ono or two houses of ones acquaintance acquain-tance where Five oclock Tea is perfect 1 E W SIIERWOOD |