Part 10

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