THE manner in which a salutation is given, marks the lady or gentleman. It seems natural to all to make an outward acknowledgment of the presence of others, and to express the pleasure felt at the meeting, in some way that will be tangible. In rude stages of society the salutation became an act of worship, and those forms crystallized, as civilization advanced, into something more elegant, and thus have become the common property of modern nations. Each country has its own peculiar forms, and all evince a warm, spontaneous interest in the welfare of those around.
Oriental peoples are very punctilious in their greetings.
Men of distinction in Japan wear over their shoulder a scarf, the length of which determines their. rank. When two gentlemen meet, they bow until the ends of the scarf which each one wears, touches the ground. Of course the one with the shortest scarf has to bow the lowest. A Monbotto of Africa when he meets a friend, holds out the right hand, and cracks the joints of the middle fingers. Eskimos salute by rubbing noses together.