Plan to have an even number of guests invited, half ladies and half gentlemen.

Provide thick boards for each lady, also a hammer and paper of tacks, and for the men, plain hats (untrimmed) and material for trimming, also a paper of pins.

When all the guests arrive set them to work. The ladies have to hammer as many tacks in straight, in their boards as they can, during the allotted time, while the men trim their hats, choosing their material from that which is provided. When the time (which may be as long or as short as you wish) is up, the men put on their respective hats and pass before the ladies for inspection; the one having the best trimmed one receives a prize.

The men inspect the work of the ladies, and the one who has hammered the most tacks into her board "straight," receives a prize.