another; one plate is never placed upon
another.

The fish, meat, and other courses are served from the pantry, the portions
being arranged for convenience in helping, and garnished with parsley or
lemon. The dish is passed first to the guest seated at the host's right
hand, next to the one on the left, and afterwards in regular rotation,
irrespective of sex. All service is at the left; this leaves the guest's
right hand in position to help himself. The waitress holds the dish upon a
folded napkin on the flat of her hand, and low down. Vegetables are passed
in the same fashion.

You will see how much depends upon having well trained servants at such a
dinner. The service must be without haste, yet without delay; there must
be no clatter of china and silver, no awkwardness in removing plates, etc.
The waitress must be quick to refill glasses or supply whatever is needed.

[700 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

The Help Required.--A dinner to twelve or fourteen guests cannot be served
properly without two or three waiters--usually men at such large
dinners--and additional help in the kitchen. So much thought and anxiety
are required for the success of a home dinner party that it is small
wonder many prefer to add a little to the expense, in cities at least, and
order a dinner for the requisite number at hotel or club, where the
responsibility rests with the management after the details of the menu are
settled. Such a dinner is less of a compliment to one's guests than the
entertainment at one's own home, however; and why should one possess
stores of beautiful and expensive furnishings without their use?

One dinner generally means another a short time afterwards, since in
selecting the small number who can be entertained one must necessarily
leave out others who have equal claims to hospitality and whose sense of
being slighted must be appeased. And if the hostess is socially prominent
she may find herself embarked on a course of entertainments that will tax
her time and her funds to a considerable degree.

Invitations to a dinner must be sent at least two weeks in advance. As has
already been stated, an immediate and unconditional acceptance or regret
is demanded.

Precedence.--At these formal dinners, the question of precedence engages
the hostess's attention, If all the guests are about on equal terms, the
host takes out the oldest or most prominent lady, seating her at his
right. The other, guests are paired off according t