KNIVES AND FORKS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12066, 23 July 1917, Page 8

KNIVES AND FORKS.

"When we laugh at the Chinese for using chopsticks wo hav p forgotten tho fact that knives and forks are, a luxury of comparatively recent date. Some throe hundred years each man had his own knife, and at a dinner seized flip, joint and cut from it Mich portion as ho wished and passed it on to his neighbour, who did the same. Th 4 knife then cut the meat, into smaller bits, which wore then put into the mouth with tho unoccupied hand. None of the sovereigns of England had forks till the reign of Henry VIl. All, high and lev,-, used their fingers. Hence in the royal households there was a dignitary called the ewer, who, with a set of subordinates, attended at the meals with basins, water and towels. The Wdrvival of cwery was evident after forks had come, into fashion. "Wo learn when James I. entertained tho Spanish Ambassador at a dinner " Their "Majesties washed their hands with water from the same ewer, the towels being presented to the King by the Lord Treasurer and to the Queen by the Lord High Admiral." The Prince of Wales had a ewer to himself, which was afterwards used by the Ambassador.

The first Royal personage in England who was known to have, a fork was Queen Elizabeth, but it h doubtfid whether she ever used it. Forks came so slowly into use that they wera employed only by the higher classes at the middle of the seventeenth century About the period of the Revolution, 1653, few English noblemen had more than a down forks of silver, along with a few of iron and steel. At .length tho steel fork came in for general use, and was manufactured in Slmflield. At first they had two prongs, but afterward.-; another prong was added.