The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-07-11
Company Manners.

: Nothing marks more sharply the diff
ference between the thorough anG
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 al
through, their own flresides and theil
friends drawing-rooms seeing no differ
ence between them while with the lat
ter they are temporary and removable
put on with the company clothes, and
like them, unaecustomed in the cut and
. uneasy in the ft.
The first thing that dresses itself fol
company, after the body, is the voice.
The company voice is a thing s,ti gene
rts, and quite as 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 a musical snuff
box. With others. of the man-aping
kind, it is sent to the lowest depths OF
the chest, in imitation of the bear led
barytones. Some have q lisp when they
are seeing friends and some have the
| udluG16Sb llGbI0 udSu OI dCC0ubs some,
who are of the arch and playful order
of feminalities, fling their voice up to
the top of the throat, whence it issues
in piping treble, as from a highly at
tenuated flute. At home these voices
are comfortable, round, commonplace !;
coming from the natural point, and nei-
ther dug out of a cavern, nor jerked
from q small-holed flute, like the wind
/ l. Il AID o% I.o
lisper sounds all her SIS clear and sibil-
ant, and the pretty accent has vanished
and left not a trace. ... .r
One person, let us suppose lady for
the occasion, assumes, as the company
manner that best becomes her, e1uber-
ant gayety. She has been complimented
on her &c 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 exquisitely ripping,
delicious, hearty or jocund laugh.
Heneeforth 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
she dresses h@ face and demeanor in
smiles and brightness 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.
IF &c 10
pose 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 Iphigenia
on her way to sacrifice. AS it is, they
put on the slightly parted lips, the
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 harno-
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 their
privacy, they sit cross-legged, coil them
selves ungracefully in the easy-chair,
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 nObly
posed and when they walk in safe
places, not expecting to meet their
friends, they bowl along just as any I'M
classic vulgarian might, without a
thought of their usual role, which Is to
look like figure out of the Panathenaic
frieZe or the last discovery at POmpeii.
One girl glides about with searce-ifted
feet, like naiad floating rather than a
woman walking, when she has endued
herself in low frock and artificial flow
ers in her hair Another makes few
short steps forward, with curious lit
tie art of balancing herself on one foot
if she is arrested, never seen in private
life, and always reserved for company.
A third has pretty puzzled air when
you go up to speak to her I; then laugh
ingIy apologies as she pities herself for
her stupid short-sightedness which
she has put on with her white musliR
and satin shoes. This isshort-sightedness
by the way, is common form of COM
pany manner with both women and men.
To the one it gives a touching, appeal
ing kind of grace suggestion of help
lessness that needs careful guiding; of
innocence that could be so easily de-
ceivedl To the other it allows the ex-
ercise of a certain cool impertinence
which cannot be resented even by the
most fiery. i
The whole theory of good breeding
is artificial and Nature is against our
plucking grapes from bran BILE bushes.
What we SOW, that we generally reap
and having determined that society is
not to be composed of men and women,
but of dolls, pictures, and uncovenanted
actors, we need not be surprised when
we unmask the dummies and come down
to the wool. The code of company
manners tolerates no approach to natu-
ralness. Neither passion nor enthusi-
asm nor condemnation, nothing but the
grace and pretense, is allowed in that
arbitrary kingdom of the drawingroom.
The only thing which can reconcile us
to this decentralization is it's thorough
ness. The best-bred people have no
company manners, because they are al
ways in company at home or abroad. In
all teshnica1 subtleties they are edu-
Gated from the beginning hence are
always at ease. From the beginning,
too, they are taught self suppression,
politeness, personal grace; and their
self-consciousness is that aTS ceIare ar
tenn which manifests itself only in the
most courteous attention to others.
One consequence of which is, that their
lives are all art, and that their art, as
such, is perfect. No broad lines here,
no bold daubs there, to distress ones
delicacy of sense or harmony. Every
thing exactly modulated, dehciously
toned. Whether the end is worth the
means employed is not question to be
settled Off-hand. One thing, however,
is certain it is best to have our COM
pany manners with as little affection as
possible, and to retain just enough of
our real selves as is sufficient for natur-
al dignity and self-respect, when we put
on our drawing-room clothes and shake
hands with the host we despise and the
guests we dislike-London Saturday
ReVie1U.
1t is told of a certain Glasgow bai-