When dinner is announced, the host with the guest of honor leads the way to the dining room, followed by the other men with their ladies, and the hostess with the gentleman of honor brings up the rear. The guests all stand behind their chairs until the hostess makes a move to be seated; then the men push up the chairs for the ladies, each lady seating herself from the left of her chair.
The decoration of the table should be simple and low in design and in the center of the table. A small flower may also be placed at the right of each cover. Of course the colors of the flowers must harmonize with the china, but otherwise individual taste should be exercised.
The illumination of the table is most important. If candles are used, they must be so arranged as not to interfere with the guests, and the shades so placed that they will slip down as the candle burns. If candle light is insufficient, try if possible to have the lights come from the side rather than from above.
The Cover.—The place for each guest and the necessary plate, silver, glasses, knives, and napkin is called the cover.
Arrangement of Cover.—Allow twenty inches for every person. Place a ten-inch service plate, having decorations, right side up, in the center of this space, and one and one half inches from the edge of the table.
Arrange knives, edges toward plate, in the order in which they will be needed, beginning at the right. At the right of knives, place soup spoon, bowl up; at the right of soup spoon, the oyster fork, with tines up; the other forks, with tines up, at the left of the plate, in the order in which they will be needed, beginning with the extreme left.
If there are too many courses to admit of all the silver being put on at once, extra silver may be placed at each cover just before serving the course requiring it.
The glass for water should be placed just above the center of the plate, to the right, the wineglasses to the right of the water glass, in the order in which they are to be used. Place the napkins either to the left of the forks, or over service plate. They should be so folded as to hold a bread stick or dinner roll.
The name card is generally placed on top of the napkin or over the plate.