At large affairs, serve from the dining table.
At card parties, large and small, serve on the card tables, using a small tea cloth on each table.
At afternoon teas, serve from the tea table in the drawing room.
At lawn parties, serve from a large table on the lawn. Small tables may be placed here and there for the convenience of guests.
Every day afternoon tea may be served, in the summer on the porch, in the winter, in the living room or library.
If two dishes only are served, be sure that they harmonize with each other and with the manner of service.
Suitable and hygienic combinations are always to be considered, but the æsthetic side seems to me of equal importance.
COFFEE FOR LARGE HOME AFFAIRS
Allow eleven ounces of finely ground coffee to each gallon of water. This will serve twenty five persons with one coffee cup each, and forty persons with after-dinner cups. The better way to make a large quantity of coffee without an urn is to purchase a new wash boiler. Wash it and put in the required quantity of water (cold). Weigh the coffee and divide it into half pound lots. Put each lot in a small cheese cloth bag; tie the top of the bag, allowing room for the coffee to swell. Put the bags in the water an hour before serving time, bring slowly to a boil, and then boil rapidly for five minutes. Remove the bags at once, pressing them well. Keep the coffee very hot until it is all served.
Coffee is not spoiled by being kept at boiling point for some time, if the grounds are removed.