hings of us there. One of these days you will think better
of us. Of late, the introduction of English breakfast tea has raised
a new sect among the tea drinkers, reversing some of the old canons.
Breakfast tea must be boiled! Unlike the delicate article of olden
time, which required only a momentary infusion to develop its
richness, this requires a longer and severer treatment to bring
out its strength,--thus confusing all the established usages, and
throwing the work into the hands of the cook in the kitchen.

The faults of tea, as too commonly found at our hotels and
boarding-houses, are that it is made in every way the reverse of what
it should be. The water is hot, perhaps, but not boiling; the tea has
a general flat, stale, smoky taste, devoid of life or spirit; and it
is served, usually, with thin milk instead of cream. Cream is as
essential to the richness of tea as of coffee. We could wish that the
English fashion might generally prevail, of giving the traveler his
own kettle of boiling water and his own tea-chest, and letting him
make tea for himself. At all events he would then be sure of one merit
in his tea,--it would be hot, a very simple and obvious virtue, but
one very seldom obtained.

Chocolate is a French and Spanish article, and one seldom served on
American tables. We in America, however, make an article every way
equal to any which can be imported from Paris, and he who buys Baker's
best vanilla-chocolate may rest assured that no foreign land can
furnish anything better. A very rich and delicious beverage may be
made by dissolving this in milk slowly boiled down after the French
fashion.

* * * * *

I have now gone over all the ground I laid out, as comprising the
great first principles of cookery; and I would here modestly offer the
opinion that a table where all these principles are carefully observed
would need few dainties. The struggle after so-called delicacies
comes from the poorness of common things. Perfect bread and butter
would soon drive cake out of the field; it has done so in many
families. Nevertheless, I have a word to say under the head of
_Confectionery_, meaning by this the whole range of ornamental
cookery,--or pastry, ices, jellies, preserves, etc. The art of making
all these very perfectly is far better understood in America than the
art of common cooking.

There are more women who know how to make good cake than good
bread,--more who can