Sandwiches for service as hors d'oeuvres, either as a preface to a meal or with the salad, are much smaller than those prepared for other service, but, for all home purposes, let the sandwiches be small. They are best when prepared just before serving, but for the lunch or picnic basket they may be kept wrapped in confectioners' or paraffine paper. For large companies, wrap the sandwiches in a damp cloth, wrung as dry as possible, then surround with a dry cloth; or cover the sandwiches, neatly piled, with a large earthen bowl. Certain sandwiches are better adapted to certain occasions than are others. The rules for salads hold good at all times and salad sandwiches at club luncheons, where the sandwiches, even if prepared at a grand hotel, must of necessity stand several hours before serving, should be gracefully declined by those who have regard for their stomachs. The "much-worked" lettuce-salad sandwich is the worst of the lot. Any variety of bread twenty-four hours old is admissible. Sometimes two varieties are combined in the same sandwich. Let the bread, freed from crust, be cut into slices about on eighth an inch thick, then cut into strips or triangles, or stamp out into fanciful shapes. Use the trimmings for bread sauce, puddings, or bread crumbing. Cream the butter to insure its spreading smoothly and evenly. Avoid spreading either the butter or filling over the edge. When slices of meat are used, let them be cut as thin as a wafer, and use more than one in each sandwich. Fancy butters are recommended when sliced meat is used. For fillings of meat or fish purées, pounding the same in a mortar to a paste is of advantage; the addition of butter, cream or sauce of some variety gives a proper consistency for spreading. Salted meats and fish give sandwiches of pronounced flavor - acid in the form or lemon juice, chopped pickles or capers is an improvement to these and all fish sandwich mixtures. Pastes of fresh fish or meat will bear quite high seasoning. Nut pastes or pounded and sliced nuts and cheese give pleasing fillings.

Sweet sandwiches are offered with cocoa or tea; bread or lady-fingers, yellow or white, may be used as the foundation of these; jams, jellies, marmalades, preserved ginger, etc., are the usual fillings.

For five o'clock tea, sandwiches spread with flower-flavored butter are considered quite aesthetic. The butter is kept over night, or for some hours, between layers of fresh violets or rose petals in a closely closed receptacle.