As an aid in this
direction I have prepared the following chart which I would
advise all my readers to cut out and paste in some convenient
place so that at their next dinner party it can be readily
consulted.
STEWART'S LIGHTNING CALCULATOR OF DINNER TABLE CONVERSATION
This chart divides the dinner into its various courses, and under
each course is given what I call an "opening sentence," together
with your partner's probable reply and the topic which is then
introduced for discussion. And, most valuable of all, under each
such topic I have listed certain helpful facts which will enable
you to prolong the conversation along those lines until the
arrival of the next course, and the consequent opening of another
field for discussion. The chart follows:
I. Cocktails.
You say to the partner on your right: "What terrible gin!" She
(he) replies: "Perfectly ghastly." This leads to a discussion of:
Some Aspects of Alcohol.
Helpful Facts:
1. An oyster soaked in alcohol becomes quite rigid in eleven
minutes.
2. Senator Volstead was born Sept. 4, 1869.
3. Alcohol, if taken in too great quantities, often produces
internal disorders.
II. Oysters.
You say to the partner on your right: "Think of being an oyster!"
She (he) replies: "How perfectly ghastly."
This leads to a discussion of: Home Life of Oysters.
Helpful Facts:
1. The average life of an oyster is 38 days, 11 hours.
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