can enter on a long dissertation and eat his dinner. Later
when the dessert is removed, and the coffee, cigars and liqueurs brought
in, the toasts come. If the guest of honor is a traveler the host may
start him on his favorite topic by asking: "What do you consider the
most dangerous journey you ever took?" Then naturally will follow tales
of wrecks, floods, hold-ups, trains missed, traveling in different
countries, etc. If the host knows that Jones has the star story and is
too modest to assert himself, it is his duty to call on Jones, not in a
marked way, but easily, gracefully, helping him along by well-put
questions until Jones forgets his embarassment and that he is telling a
story.

A man at a formal dinner assigned to "take in" a lady whom he has never
met before, should take his conversational cue from her--no Chinese
desecration, of course--and thereby avoid pitfalls to which the
diffident and embarrassed are often led. Besides, it is woman's admitted
privilege to "do all the talking," and she best gives the key note at
dinners.

For the informal dinner, be natural, good-natured and jolly. As ready to
listen and to laugh heartily at the jokes of others as to talk.

Do not keep silent because you have no spread eagle oration at command,
your friends do not expect it. Tell your own interesting experiences,
always remembering how tiresome the repetition of the capital "I"
becomes.

Avoid telling jokes at the expense of another guest present. This may do
at a stag supper, but an enemy may be made by making a friend ridiculous
before the ladies.

Make your talk very brief and in telling a story get to the point
quickly without dragging in an endless number of uninteresting details.

After you have told your story and made your hit, be content to give
others a chance even if you have a host of good stories at command.

If Brown is present do not steal his best story and tell it in his
presence; he will not thank you if you do.

Good topics to avoid at a dinner where one does not know the personal
history of each guest present, are divorces, jokes on foreigners of any
nationality, mixed marriages, politics, religion, in fact anything that
could be taken as a personal attack by another guest.

TOASTS.

ORIGIN OF TOASTS.

The proposal of a health in an after-dinner speech dates back to
mediaeval times. At that time the loving cup was used at every banquet.
It was filled to the brim with wine and in the