Morning journal and courier., 1886-02-18
Awkwardness in Society.

ltFOm the NeW 1OrK Hour.
 It is curious how very few of the men in ''society" know what to do with their hands. To nine men out of ten the present custom of leaving both hat and walking stick in the hall while making a call is matter of posi- tive misery, and makes it decidedly case of 'fabandon hope all ye who enter here." What a difference between men and women in this respect! Watch man enter q draw ing room when making an afternoon call without his hat. After shaking hands with his hostess. and exchanging few cursory re- marks, and may be being presented to some people, his hands instinctively seek his pockets and remain there until he is abso- lutely obliged to take them out, while look of boredom and helplessness comes over his face. Mark the same man enter the room with his hat in his hand; it is only an mani mate object: thing of cardboard and silk; but it makes a world of difference to it's owners comfort and presence of mind at that unhappy moment; it is something to handle, something to rely on, and if conversation fais him he can anyhow smooth it, and have something to occupy his hands. At musi cale he can look inside, and for the thou sandth time read the makers name and feel happy, as it saves him from gazing at the chandelier, while his auricular sense is being assailed by what he does not understand.
 A woman, on the contrary, will enter room without even huff, chat with her hostess, and eventually sit down with an at home air, which at all events gives the on- locker the impression of perfect ease. Then at q ball, not one man out of thousand can walk across the room when the floor is empty, and walk naturally and unconsciously Into his pockets his hands go before half the dis tance has been traversed, and the man is happy once again and drops the attempt at ''swagger," which he had assumed. Until lately fashion allowed men sheet anchor at balls, by permitting them to carry crush hats, the moral support of which allowed them to be at all events natural and seem at ease. Why cannot they carry them nows It is sadly lacking. Women have their fans and can toy with them. Why not allow the male sex small something to relieve their feeling!
 h this respect women in New York de- cidedly have the advantage over the men, and excel them in grace, but in another way the male very decidedly has the advantage over the female sex, and that is the art of sitting down. While not one man out of a hundred is at home with nothing in his hands, not one woman out of thousand is able to sit down ill chair gracefully and el- egantly. A few, very few, sit down, and their opposite neighbors cannot determine 'futIuSI LuSIl SIlOCS dIO oI IICACu or American manufacture, but these are quite the exception, and in very small minority. In England all young girls are as regularly taught to sit down properly, just as they taught how to play the piano and sew, aud that is by practice. Consequently female shoe leather is by no means apparent as it is in this country. At dances, more particularly, this is notice able, as movements there are more hurried, and the pl ce, music and conversation hin der attention to minor details, and the dis play of ankle Is somewhat alarming, and often by no means captivating. Very few women have really pretty feet, and the best made and best fitting chausure will fail to hide defects in the pedal extremities. Girls do not think of this when they "hop" down into a chair, as many of them do, and should practice the art of sitting down before a cheval glass before they perform in public. At dance recently given in this city man present took the trouble during the german to walk around the room and make a count of the various degrees of open-woTk hose visible Out of about 30 couples only five girls knew how to sit down, the rest showing CT less ignorance or indiffer- ence in or to the art. That men do not like to see girls sitting down like this is certain, as the remarks that are constantly made tes- tify, and surely they need only be once told of it to rectfy what detracts seriously from the appearance of many sweet, pretty and simple girl.