抄録
The old articles on the table talk, which were carried in the magazines of the Meiji period, were investigated with a view to locating the first publication citing the advantages of the table talk as well as clarifying the types of those articles. The magazines including those for women by eight different publishers were studied. The results are as follows: 1) The very first article on the table talk in Japan was found in Tsushin Jogaku Kogiroku or Correspondence Course of Study for Women by Yoshiharu Iwamoto in 1887. 2) 23 articles are related to the table talk, and they may be classified into six types: (a) Those that acknowledge it as strengthening the family tie, (b) Those that cite good effects on the education of children, (c) Those recommending it to help rationalize the family system, (d) Those describing in reference to food preparation and table manners, (e) Those that emphasize how happy conversation at the table is good for health, and (f) Those describing how the table talk should be in the new form and function of the dining room.
