TABLE DECORATIONS 11 



signal to move all the flowers, and so a very costly 

 floral decoration finished its existence in various 

 corners of the room. A well-known after-dinner 

 speaker has told me that he has frequently had to 

 request the removal of too ample floral decorations 

 before rising to speak. 



If, however, nothing but low floral decorations are 

 employed on large tables a very flat and inartistic 

 effect is produced ; in fact the board might almost 

 as well have been left undecorated. Having in the 

 course of my calling a great number of diplomatic 

 dinner-tables to decorate, I set myself to invent 

 something to get over this difficulty, and the 

 " Ellen Terry " stand was the result. This stand is 

 of very simple construction and is fully described 

 in chapter vii. In the case of large tables the stick 

 or wire must be at least four feet high from the 

 table or its object of allowing speakers to look under 

 the flowers when standing will be defeated. The 

 same stands, made lower and very much lighter, are 

 also the best I have been able to discover for smaller 

 tables, but for dinners of a more or less private 

 nature, where there will be no speeches, it is not 

 necessary to make them any higher than will enable 

 one to see clearly across the table when seated. 

 Nothing can be more annoying than to have to be 



