palace. He whose soul
Ponders this true equality, may walk
The fields of earth with gratitude and hope;
Yet, in that meditation, will he find
Motive to sadder grief, as we have found;
Lamenting ancient virtues overthrown,
And for the injustice grieving, that hath made
So wide a difference between man and man."

Chapter 13. Dinners, Banquets, Etc.

Dinner, as we all know, indicates a certain hour and a certain habit
whose aim is the nourishment of the body, and a deliverance from
hunger; but in our modern civilized life it possesses other purposes
also. Man is a gregarious animal, and when he takes his food he likes
company; from this peculiarity there has sprung up the custom of dinner
parties. In attending dinner parties, however, the guests as a rule do
not seek sustenance, they only go to them when they have nothing else
to do, and many scarcely touch the food that is laid before them.
Their object is to do honor to the host and hostess, not to eat, but to
be entertained by pleasant and congenial conversation. Nevertheless,
the host, at whose invitation the company has assembled, is expected to
provide a great abundance and a large variety of savory dishes, as well
as a good supply of choice wines. Flesh and wine are indispensable,
even though the entertainers eschew both in their private life, and
most of the guests daily consume too much of each. Few have the
courage to part with conventional practices when arranging a social
function.

American chefs are excellent caterers, and well know how to please the
tastes of the American people. They concentrate on the art of
providing dainty dishes, and human ingenuity is heavily taxed by them
in their efforts to invent new gustatory delicacies. The dishes which
they place before each guest are so numerous that even a gourmand must
leave some untouched. At a fashionable dinner no one can possibly
taste, much less eat, everything that is placed before him, yet the
food is all so nicely cooked and served in so appetizing a manner, that
it is difficult to resist the temptation at least to sample it; when
you have done this, however, you will continue eating until all has
been finished, but your stomach will probably be a sad sufferer,
groaning grievously on the following day on account of the frolic of
your palate. This ill-mated pair, although both are chiefly interested
in food, seldom seem to agree. I must not omit to mention however tha