of the season, a consideration of the taste of the person to whom the offering is to be made, and an effort to gratify that taste; whilst the floral garlands presented on these occasions, and selected with reference to their meanings, are necessarily productive of harmony and good will.

Much attention to education is given in Germany. The German student life, with its fascinations, has become almost a proverb; but we refer, at present, more especially to that earlier home-training of children, which, after all, is most important in forming the future character. The people are domestic, and thus exercise a most desirable influence in their families; the children being, as a rule, carefully trained to habits of neatness, thrift, and industry. The girls may almost be said to knit by instinct: for it would be quite impossible to say how early or when they acquire the art; and we sometimes feel inclined to think that it must be brought with them from some former state of existence, or to believe what

they tell you, that a knowledge of it "comes by nature." The girls are also taught to spin very early, and no German home is complete without its spinning-wheel.

It is a favorite custom with the women to carry their spinning-wheels to some neighbor's house; thus accomplishing the double purpose of "spinning long yarns " with tongue as well as wheel. Another proof of their social turn of mind, thus seeking society during the absence of husbands and brothers at their work.

Some admirable hints upon the effect a mother has in the formation and development of her children's characters may be found in a work of Jean Paul Richter's, entitled “Levana, or the Doctrine of Education." But, whilst giving the proper priority to a mother's influence, he by no means detracts from a father's responsibility: he holds strongly that this God-appointed union can only act perfectly when it acts in combination.

Thus he says, "Only by the union of manly energy and decision with womanly gentleness does the child rest and sail as at the conflux of two streams. Or, in another figure, the sun raises the tide and so does the moon; but he raises it only one foot, she three, and both united four. The husband only marks full stops in the child's life; the wife commas and semicolons, and both more frequently. One might exclaim," Mothers be fathers,' and 'fathers be mothers!' for the two sexes perfect the human race, as Mars and Venus gave birth to harmony. The man works by exciting powers; the woman by maintaining order and harmony among them. The man in whom the State or his own genius destroys the balance of powers for the advantage of one will also bring this overlaying influence to education; the soldier will educate warlikely; the poet, poetically; the divine piously; the mother only will educate humanly. For only the woman needs to develop nothing in herself but the pure human being; as, in an Æolian harp, no string predominates over the rest, but the melody of its tones proceeds from unison, and returns to it."

HERE are few better maxims in the world than that

TH

"any thing that is worth doing is worth doing well;" and we would add, that there is a right way of doing every thing, and it is always desirable to ascertain what that way may be in order to follow it.

The first direction we would give is the same with dinners as with other things, and perhaps more needed, because there is much temptation here for extravagance: let them be within your means; this is all-important. The second is, that refinement and taste should be apparent in every arrangement. There is nothing that adds more to the charm of good society than elegant re-unions, if properly understood and carried out.

Light and warmth are two great essentials to the enjoyment of a dinner. Nothing tends more to cheerfulness than a brilliantly-lighted room: it has an enlivening power of its own, whose assistance never should be undervalued. As for warmth, little need be said in our country upon that subject, for we are all too apt to have our rooms overheated. But, in England, dining-rooms are often uncomfortably cold: this has a chilling effect, in many ways, on a dinner-party, and should be carefully avoided. The comfort of the guests is always the first thing to be studied in every respect. With regard to

lighting a table, we would say that the manner of doing it is even more important than the quantity employed. The principal object is to throw as much light as possible on the table, with sufficient on the faces of the guests. Lights from chandeliers will be found more successful than any lamps on the table itself. The rest of the room must not, however, be left in darkness: side-lights may be used, or lamps on the sideboard or side-tables.

A very elegant centre-piece for a dinner-table is desirable; not too high nor too large, either a silver épergne, or some work of art of glass or china. Too great a display of massive silver should be avoided, as it always looks ostentatious. The china, for elegant dinners, should be French. Nankin and Canton china are not so much in vogue for entertainments, although much valued for private and domestic use.

The dessert-service should always be handsome, and admits of greater elegance and variety than the dinnerchina; each plate very frequently having its own cluster of fruit or flowers.

The cipher or the family coat-of-arms is also much used on all china at present, or engraved on the glass, which has a very good effect.

The napkins may be folded according to fancy, varying much with the varying fashion. Sometimes they are placed on the plate, with a roll of bread inside, and sometimes arranged in a fan-shape in the champagne-glasses.

We have alluded in a former article to the importance

of punctuality on the part of the guests; but a word is also needed as to the cook's duty in this respect, which is equally if not even more important. And to this matter the lady of the house should give the strictest attention, as her whole dinner may be disturbed and its comfort destroyed by an unpunctual servant.

Who has not suffered from that terrible time, in the drawing-room, when every one was assembled and waiting: minutes seemed hours, conversation growing more and more formal every instant, and yet no signal for dinner? At such times there always appears a strange conspiracy between mind and body. Mind refuses to give forth any of his stores till he sees body righted. We have often been amused to watch this understanding between the two, and to notice how, the moment body receives his due, mind hastens to make the amende honorable, and gives out as rapidly and lavishly as body takes in. Ah, well! it is not only at the dinner-table that one depends upon the other. They must always be on good terms and act in harmony, or we shall find ourselves the sufferers.

We have offered in this article a few directions, accompanied with several hints, for giving a dinner-party according to the usages of good society; but we would by no means be understood to imply that many pleasant dinners might not be, and are not, constantly given by those not furnished with all these appliances. We never meant that you should not welcome your friends to your house,