Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-02-04
DUTCH ETIQUETTE.
A Country Where Women Receive bR
I Little COnsileration.

a Country Whef0 women Receive 04S
Little Consideration.
1 have no idea of attempting to tell
anything new about Holland and the
Dutch, but there are some things about
domestic etiquette and the like that
only woman would notice, of which
l may write, and which are just what
''Our Dutch" practiced. The man il
''lord of sll' in Holland; the woman
is almost without shadow of estima-
ton. The typical Dutchman hasn't .
particle of the chivalrous about him,
and abounds in the arts Of sighting
and impertinence. He is q sort of .
bear, tame and good-natured. but still
full of the bruin element. His country
women are actually afraid of him, es-
pecially when outside their own door.
The Dutchwoman lives in constant fear
of insult; and when she is ont on the
street she acts ~ if she was afraid that
her ursine brothers were going to bite,
paw or hug her. Not that the men are
dangerous, for rarely is it heard that
the bears have bitten. Look out on
the street, and you will see that the
ladies walk in the road and the gentle
men on the sidewalk. Always so, no
matter how muddy or dusty the road is,
or how many teams are passing. Watch
them, and YOU can not help but notice
that the gentlemen and ladies never
speak to each other on tie street. That
would be a breach of etiquette that socie-
ty would hardly pardon. Even when 4
man meets his wife hs is not permitted
to ask what he shall bring home for
dinner! The gentleman bows first, the
same as in France, apd lady may
have bows from any number of men
whose name she does not even know.
And the bowling is Il marvel! The fore
head almost touches the knees in the
act. and there is no halfway work.
about it-nO nodding or sweeping
touch of the hat, but an entire removal
o: the hat to supplement- that intense
bow. Everybody bows, then they take
Ofa their hats To one another and pro-
foundry bow. Your friends cOachman
or lackey does the same toward you as
his master does, and the servants are
just as polite 10 each other. A lady is
bowed to by ALL the friends of her
father. husband or brother; and your
housemaid's friends Us well. Every
man bows to the house of his lady ac-
quaintances when he passes; bows,
smiles and raises his bat, no matter
whether the ladies are visible or not
If they are visible they return the bow
with an over-polite bend of the whole
body.
The women seem to think that where
there are several men congregated they
will take especial delight in insulting
them, ard lady is never known to
pass a clubhouse Or knot OF men on
the street. II she is obliged to pass up
a street where there is a club, she does
not dare TO brave the dreaded windows,
but will cross the street until she is past
the house, and then cross back again.
i have seen lady of my acquaintance
make the round of several streets to
avoid a clubhouse, being at the time
in great hurry to reach an apOthe-
cary, whose shop was next beyond the
club. If a lady, alone or accompanied
by other ladies, must needs enter a con-
fcctionery, library or other place where
men will naturally go and finds gen.
tlcman or two there, she will ,Vtire 10
precipitately as if she had seen case
of smallpox. The men know this, but
unless my lord the man has quite lin
isfcd his business he will not retire.
The lady retreats in most undignitied
manner, and the human bear finishes
his hook or his chocolate, even though
the lady is waiting at the door for him
to leave.-Home Journal.