CHAPTER IV.
"ICE BREAKERS," SUGGESTIONS FOR DINNER, MENU AND PLACE CARDS, TABLE STORIES, TOASTS, TABLE DECORATIONS.
Ice Breakers.
A dinner always stands a better chance of being a success if there is some little thing to break the ice at the start. A little verse might be placed on the card bearing the name of each guest. A particularly lively and cheerful young woman might have a verse something like this:—
"Fevers are contagious,
But they're not by half
As quickly, surely catching
As Mrs. Thompson's laugh."
A lady who gives much thought and attention to political reforms might have the following:—
"Dogs have their days, so political parties
Pass through their seasons of sunshine and storm,
While longing eyes see the time that is coming,
When women shall work a more lasting reform."
An attractive young married woman might find this parody at her place:—
"How doth the dainty matron fair
Improve each shining hour,
And work on men both old and young,
Her fascinating power."