Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-02-10
Dress and Address.
from the Saturday Review.l

From the Saturday Review.l
There is, as we are told, large class
| of persons who unfortunately lack the
cultivation which alone will bring the
| gentle spirit into such training as will
fit it practically for exhibition in soci-
ety." For the benefit of this class oi
persons two manuals have been com.
| PEELED, one of which treats of the Laws
of Society, and the other of the Art OF
Dress. We should very much like to
see person who dressed according to
one of these manuals, and behaved ac-
cording to the other of them and with
out intending to disparage the efforts
which will be made tonight to amuse
the public at the theater, we venture to
predict that the appearance and man
ners of that person would be more lu-
dicrous than any burlesque or pantc-
mime that is likely to be produced.
By way of bringing the gentle spirit
into training, we will extract few OF the
most valuable of the precepts which are
collected in these manuals. And first, as
| regards manners, gentlemen who go to
evening parties are requested to make
themselves as agreeable as possible, to
refrain from hanging about the door, and
to endeavor to promote the general en-
| joymeHt of the party. On entering a
public carriage, gentleman should raise
his hat, for the observance of this rule
tends TO tighten the tcdium and fatigue
of travel" If a gentleman has newspa-
pers, he will offer them to the other pas
sengerS before reading them himself,
but they, "if they have manners, will
decline them. This is. to borrow the
writer's phrase, "etiquettish" behavior in
a railway carriage. Another rule of the
same code is that, if you are going to
smoke, you should Strike your fu.
see" and, before using it, offer it
to the gentleman nearest to you who is
also going TO smoke. Considering that the
passing of lighted fusee from hand to
hand is an awkward and possibly danger
GUS operation, we would suggest that it
should be transferred, if at all, before
striking. But we do not see why this
beautiful expedient for tightening the
fatigue of travel should be restricted in
its application to newspapers and fusees.
1t seems to us to be indisputably "eti-
quettish to offer to fellow-traveler
ones pocket handkerchief before using
it oneself If it is clearly understood
that politeness requires one man to offer
newspaper and the other to decline it,
the sooner such rule is abrogated the
better; or, if it is preserved, it ought to
be extended to ones coat, wrapper, cap,
and all other travelling conveniences, and
every passenger ought to offer his seat to
all the othar naeaanCora enooaesivaiv
There is sneer somewhere in this
book at the Spanish host who assures his
guest that his house and all that it con-
tains is at his disposal. But it is equally
absurd to offer q newspaper which you
do not expect or desire to be accepted.
If you meet q lady in the street, and she
appears to wish to speak TO you, it is
proper to turn and walk with her; aud
you are to insist on taking any book,
parcel, or umbrella" from her, and carry
il as far as you 20 with her. 1t might by
possibility happen in the suburbs that
lady might be met carrying baby, and
il would be useful to be informed whether
baby is a "psrcel," within the mean
ing Of this rule. Another rule, which
may be found applicable at Christmas,
when card parties are common, is that
a gentleman pays for bis lady partner in
the event of loss" We should like to
see gentleman offering to do this.
Mr.. SpurgeoB, the other day, was
scoldiug certain Of his followers who de-
clined TO interfere in politics on the
ground that they were not of this
world" This, be argued, was mere met