The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-05-17

cadents Of foreign travel IL the practice
OF universal misunderstanding with
ones hat OF when out of doors, when
addressing lady, or In the presence Of
government 6unkies, capping people
you sever knew because they hanpen to
(! know the nlend they are walking with,
bowling to the shoeblack at your hotel,
% the scullion tn the yard, to the cham
bermaid on the stairs, to the secretary,
TO the sh0p-girl, to the indefinite female
character seated at the desks in all the
cafes. to the people ut the table d'hote,
In the railway and omnibus, and l
know not where besides! Well, l
thought all this was understood abroad;
went about saying: "How beautiful is
this custom! How much we have to
learn In politeness!" l did little Of it
with great difficulty myself. and pre-
tended to like it, and lO"ked surprised
and shocked when any one voted the
whole business bore! Judge, then Of
my astonishment upon reaping the fol-
lowing note in the Paris Figaro:
Ought one to salute on entering
which we have submitted to our read
ers, has been answered differently by
many Of our correspondents. Out Of
twenty, eight are affirmative, twelve are
negative; we select the following replies:
Affirnlative-'When you get into
tain, you enter q private or public
place, whichever you may choose 10 con-
slider it. In raising your hand to your
hat, you simply act in a polite manner
to strangers who will do the like to you
when they alight; tits simple rule OF
good company
"Here Il tll&. ne1vafive:
"'Never whilst live! I have paid
for my place. I take it, and occupy it
like the rest; they are prepared to g"Owl
at me the instant get in, it is needless
to salute them.'
"Esre il another negative:
40: no mor' need to low in Il rail-
way than at a cafe or restaurant: you
might as well bow on entering a circus!
notice the people who bow; they look
nervc.sly timid, silly, or like people
afraid Of the police.''
BIZ. the most remarkable sentence is
THE closing opinion Of lhe editor Of the
Fsy0rO: '''rhis lust negative opinion is
on the whole our own!" Now, upon
this truly awful and complex subject Of
Continental b0wing almost hesitate tO
pronounce All piniOn, hut one Of two
things is clear. Either bowing is essen
tial to pOliteness, or it il not; lit is. the
influence Of the crude Briton is rapidly
correcting the polite Frenchnlan, who
evidently won: t 60 on bowling witi.Outa
return, in which case the Brit0n il nm
importer Of bud manners; or ii all this
bOwing is not essential to pOliteness,
why then the Briton is q public and
courageous benefactOr, model Of good
sense, and the Frencl,man ought to be
thankful for being corrected.
I should like to believe this, but 1
have some qualms. As naturally prac.
tired abroad, q certain almost universal
grace of manner, of v hich this bowling
is u part, seems to me to add sweetness
and dignity to life. don't think it can
lie imported into England, but confess
l should he sorry to see the Frenchman
or Italian give up his bow in imitation
of the Englishnlan las the editor Of the
Figaro seems to plOp0sel, as l should Ike
annoyed to see the English shopkceper
ad0pt the foreign practice OF haggling
over the price of his goods. Alas! how
truly SOME one has said, when nations
meet, they exchange their vices, not
their virtues!" Personally, as following
ut home, inteud to err steadily on the
wrong side: but when / am in France
and Italy, intend to do as much like
the foreigner as l can, short Of wearing
out my hat or wagging OFT my head
II. II. Luwcis IL TeIy.'d"iu.