Our Southern Belle

The few documents that have been collected on Mattie Love (Meigs) Thaden reveal that she was a serious Christian. The following short announcement, which appeared in the Society column of the Atlanta Constitution in 1905, is further evidence.

A Silver Tea

The Ladies Aid Society of the West Side Methodist church will give a silver tea for the benefit of the parsonage Monday evening, March 1 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Thaden 458 West Hunter street. The public is most cordially invited. A pleasant evening is promised to all.
(27 Feb 1905, p. 6.)

So what is a Silver Tea? A brief Google search turned up an article about a contemporary charity organization that has revived the Silver Tea explaining that it "is a tradition that began in the early 1900s when guests at fundraising events learned to place their contributions – very discreetly – into a large silver bowl.”¹

This gives us a better glimpse into Mattie's home as she graciously hosted a pleasant social gathering of Southern ladies and gentlemen on a Georgia winter evening. One can almost see the sparkle of the polished tea sets and hear the delicate clatter of porcelein cups against their saucer mates. And off in a place that is niether prominent nor hidden sits the silver bowl, steadily collecting the willing contributions of the guests. . . .
¹Burl Stiff, “A Silver Anniversary for the Silver Tea,” The San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec 2008, par. 7.