Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-11-01
"a GENTLEMAN.o
A Few Useful Hints for Young Men.
From The Mentor" by Alfred Ayres.
HOW TO WALK.

From The Mentor" by Alfred Ayres
HOW TO WALK.
If man would appear like a gentleman, he
must walk, stand, and sit like one. In walking
he should, above all, avoid everything that is
unnatural or that smacks Of self-consciousness
How often do we see men in the street whose
every movement tells US their minds are chiefly
on themselves! One throws his chest out a la
dindon, while another walks with an abnormal
stoop; but both delight in kind Of rolling,
staggering gait and an unnatural swing of the
arms. We all know, when we see such man,
no matter what his appearance in other respects
may be, that he is person of low breeding.
Not only is mans walk an index OF his char
acter and of the grade of his culture. but it is
also an index of the frame of mind he is in.
There is the thoughtful walk and the thought
less walk, the responsible walk and the careless
walk, the workers walk and the idler's walk,
the ingenious walk and the insidlous walk, and
so on, In word, what there is in us we all
carry In essentially the same way; hence the
surest way TO have the carriage Of gentity is
to have gentility to carry.
MAKING A BOW.
In public the bow is the proper mode Of salu-
tatiOn, also under certain circumstances in pri-
vate, and, according to circumstances, it should
be familiar. cordial, respectful or formal. An
inclination Of the head Or a gesture with the
hand or cane suffices betweenmen, except when
one would be specially deferential to age or
position; but in saluting lady the hat should
be removed. A very common mode of doing
this in New York, at present. particularly by
the younger men. is to jerk the hat off and
sling it on as hastily as possible. AS haste is
Incompatible with grace, and as there is an old
pantomimic law that 'every picture must be
held" for q longer or shorter time the jerk-and-
rQmnyinn IN hot in l,ta-
ton, is not to be commended. The enspresse-
nent a man puts into his salutatiOns is gradu-
ated by circumstances, the most deferential
manner being to carry the hat down the full
length Of the arm, keeping it there until the
person saluted has passed. If a man stops to
speak to lady In the street he should remain
uncovered, unless the conversation should be
prOtracted, which it is sure not to be, il either
Of the parties knows and cares to observe the
prOprieties.
well-bred man, meeting lady In a public
place, though she is near relative-wife,
mother or slster-and though he may have
parted from her but half an hour before will
salute her as deferentially as he would salute
mere acquaintance, The passers-by are ignor-
ant Of the relationship, and to them his DEFER
entail manner says ''She is lady,"
RULES FOR REPRODUCTIONS.
II you meet an acquaintance in the street
when you are walking with afriend, do not in
troduce them; nor should you ever introduce
people in public places, unless you have good
reason to believe that the introduction will be
agreeable--nay more, is desired by both par
ties The universal introducer is very unpleas-
ant person to associate with. In introducing
persons, it is the lower that is introduced to the
higher, and. as a rule, the younger to the older,
the gentleman to the lady.
A PUBLIC NUISANCE.
Another disagreeablc habit is that OF going
about singing, humming, or whistling. The
man that habitually does either of these, either
In the strect--no matter what the hour-in the
halls of hotels, as he goes up and down stairs,
or in his own apartments, when there is any
ono within hearing, has the manners of boor,
and deserves the. calapoose for disorderiy con-
duct.
SMOKING As 4 GENTLEMAN.
There is no ore thiag, perhaps. in which t.ae