Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-07-12
Company Manners.

| the half-bred than the fact that the lat
| ter have company manners, and the for
mer have not. Or rather, that the COM
pany manners of the former go all
/ through. their own firesides and their
| friends drawing-rOOms seeing no differ
euce between them while with the lat
| ter they are temporary and removable,
put on with the company clothes, and,
! like them, unaccustomed in the cut and
uneasy in the fit.
The first thing that dresses itself for
company. after the body, is the voice.
The company voice is a thing s,ti gene
ris, and quite rs easy to understand as
company clothes. With women of the
! intensely feminine kind it is apt to be
rendered thin in quality or mincing in
method or both, when pitched In the
true company key. Or it may be pre-
sented simply smooth, level, waxen,
with as little variety of emotion as there
is in the tinkling Of musical snnh-
box. With others, of the man-aplng
kind, it is sent to the lowest depths OF
the chest, in imitation of the bear led
barytones. Some have lisp when they
are seeing friends and some have the
daintiest little dash of accent. Some,
who are of the arch and playful order
of feminalities, fling their voice up to
the top of the throat, whence it issues
4 in piping treble, "a from highly at
tenuated flute. At home these voices
are comfortable, round, commonplace );
coming from the natural point, and neil
tller dug ont of cavern, nor Jerked
from small-holed flute, like the wind
! through key-hole. And at home the
lisper sounds all her SIS clear and sibll-
ant. and the pretty accent has vanished
I and left not trace.
One person, let us suppose lady for
the occasion, Ssumes, rs the company
manner that u,st becomes her, e1uber-
ant gayety. She has been complimented
on her brightness :" on the vivacity of
face, conversation, bearing; on the en-
ormous amount of vitality she must
have to float her, as it has done, over
her troubles, perhaps over her forty
years odd on the delightful sparkle OF
her eye; on her eyqnisitely ripping,
I delicious, hearty or jocnnd laugh.
| Henceforth brightness is put on with
the pearl necklace and the pink bows.
At home she may be as gloomy as the
dullest old crow that ever croaked but
no sooner does company appear than
she dresses her face and demeanor in
smiles and brig ghtness :, and only those
who know her and understand the real
meaning of her show. Another invests
in grace and sweetness; another in SYM
pathy. Another puts on the presence
of sorrow. Ethereal and refined melan-
choly goes as part of the dress which
marks company.
The company manner OF some Is "
tpose as statues. You wonder how they
look when they are asleep, or how they
would act if the house was on fire ;
whether they would lose their classic
graces then in the Wild demonstrations
of fear, or pass between the smoke and
flames like Dido deserted, or Jphigenia
on her way to sacrifice. As it is, they
put on the slightly parted lips, the
4 bended brow, the curved arm, the three
quarters face, as trimmings to their long
limp robes which simulate the flow OF
Phidian draperies. When they move,
they move alphabetically every atti-
tude is studied so as to fall into harmo-
nious lines and they know the exact
value of each position and all the best
views. The whole of it is company
manner, without one shred of spontan-
CITY or natural lOveliness. At home,
behind the protecting curtains OF thell
privacy, they sit cross-legged, coil them
selves ungracefully in the easy-chalr
slope without regard to line against the
chimney-piece, lean their elbows on the
, table with their arms at sharp angles
neither graciously curved nor nobl!
posed and when they walk in SAFE
places, not expecting to meet thel
{ friends, they bowl along just as any un
classic vulgarian might, without {
thought of their usual role, which is +
look like figure out OF the Panathenai'
frieze or the last discovery at Pompeii
One girl glides about with scarce-lifte'
. feet, like naiad floating rather than
woman walking, when she has endua
Z herself in low frock and artificial flow
: ers in her hair. Another makes a fe1
!. short steps forward, with curious lit
= tie art of balancing herself on one foo
. if she is arrested, never seen in privat
!. life, and always reserved for company
, < third has q pretty puzzled air whe
4 you go up to speak to her then laugh
!. ingly apologies as she pities herself fo
4 her stupid short-sightedness, whic
4 she has put on with her white musli
! and satin shoes. This short-sightedness
! by the way, is common form OF CON
4 pany manner with both women and mel
! To the one it gives a touching, appea
! ing kind of grace a suggestion of hell
i lessncss that needs careful guiding; {
(; innocence that could be 80 easily d.
4 ceived! To the other it allows the e.
8 ercise of certain cool impertinent
4 which cannot be resented even by I'll
!. most fiery.
The whole theory of good breedin
g. is artificial and Nature is against OF
!. plucking grapes from brar bic bushe
~ What we SOW, that we generally REAP
- and having determined that society
/. not to be composed of men and wOmel
10 but of dolls, pictures, and uncOvenantt
rs actors, we need not be surprised whe
10 we unmask the dummies and come dow
to the wool. The code of oOmpar
10 manners tolerates no approach to nat
4 ralness. Neither passion nor enthus
81 asm nor condemnation, nothing but u
grace and pretense, is allowed in tn
an arbitrary kingdom Of the drawing-roor
Of The only thing which can reconcile
W. to this decentralization is it's thoroug
IN IN ness. The best-bred people have !
Al company manners, becanse they are ,
y WAYS in company at home or abroad.
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