Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-09
AN ENGLISH CUSTOM.
A LoNrON WRITER EXPLAINS THE
MYSTERIES OF HAT TOUCHING.

Only People OF Different Social Grades
who Touch to Each other-Etiquette
OF servants--The overpaid Cabman.
saIutation of Ladies'.
have said That hat touching is an almost
universal custom in England, and IL is.
Every one INDUCES in it, But before l go
further let me explain that it is only peo-
pie of different grades Of society who touch
their hats to each other Ii has suddenly oc-
CURED % me that this qualifying statement
is necessary for the ediilcatlon Of those who
might otherwise think that gentlemen
touched their hats to each other, tradesmen
TO tradesmen, servants TO servants, and 50
on II gentlemen do, as occasionally may DO
possible 1t is only as sort of mere elaborate
wave Of the hand, or raising OF the walking
stick handle when passing each other IN
walking, or elevation Of the whip when md
ing or driving. At all events, it is not the
kind of hat touching mean, or am here al
luding to- The hat touching 20 which l re-
?. is that which is mutually INDUCED in be-
tween superors and interiors.
OF course, a mans own men servants touch
their hats to him. II they don't they would
lose their places. So a gentleman's servants
must touch their hats TO their master friends
whenever they speak to them, or see them
and this means when they pass them in
the roads. 1t is the sign of gentlemans
servants, old fashioned people will tell you,
for them to touch thor hats to his friends.
II they don't touch their hats, it is pre-
sumable that their master and his friends
are not real quality no matter how rich he
may be or how grandly he may live, He and
they will be put down as snobs and nouveau
riches. who lack the mellow tone Of the true
gentry. All the laborers on an estate and
the villagers in a country village touch their
hats to 1.-THE gentry whenever they meet.
The women and girls of a village stop and
courtesy in the roads to gentlemen or ladies,
though this is not near so common as it used
TO be. So the maids and women servants
always courtesy to the master and mistress
when they meet them out. Tradtsinen, by
which are meant the butchers, bakers, fish
mopgers, green Erocers and millmen with
whom gentleman deals, all touch their hats
to him.
Tailors, diapers, upholstercrs, hosiers,
confcctioners, etc, are u cut above hat
touching, and raise their hats to their GUS
toners, there being a wide range in the mat
ter of servility between hat raising and hat
touching. To all this hat touching there is
attached an obligation upon the person to
whom the hat is touched. Hc must touch
his hat in return. If he doesn't he is not Il
gentleman | don't mean upon the broad
ground Isltent to every one-lack of good
manners-but because it is the custom. Let
me illustrate: / saw, the otherday, wealthy
tradesman, "A draper who is much richer than
most of the gentry who are his customers,
and a man who would ordinarily pass for II
gentleman with people who didn't know him.
saw this man have a laboring man touch
his hat TO him, and he didn't touch his hat
back Had he been a gentleman he would
have done So OF course, ladies can't touch
their hats. Their return salute is slight
inclination of the head-hardly bow-to
either hat touching or courtesy. Nor do
ladies or gentlemen return the obeisances of
their own servants, either in or out of doors
except, perhaps, when the servant is met
in the street or road.
But gentleman isn't expected to touch his
hat in return to his groom or footman when
out with him on horseback or in carriage,
though both servants may touch their hats
to him every five minutes. So, when a cab
man to whom you pay more than his fare
touches his hat to you lin consequence you
are not to touch yours back to him. Nor to
railway guards and pOrters who are aclnowl-
edging tips, on hotel walters ditto. If, how
ever, you by any chance met and saw either
cabman, guard, porter or waiter in the street
or road afterwards, and they touched their
hats to you in presumed respectful recogni-
ton of you, you must then return the salute.
hope | make myself understood If you
hadn't tipped or overpaid them, the chances
are you wouldn't be called upon to do SO.
Among other people who touch their hats
to YOU are policemen and postmen. That is,
the policemen and postmen on the beat which
includes your house. But one mustn't for
get the annual Christmas boxes which are
expected on boxing day for tho policemen
and postmen. Stop subscribing to these, one
wear, and sec how much hat touching you
will get Suppose, too, you quarrel with a
friend, or have tiff that stops your speak
ing for time. Don't you think his servants
will give up touching their hats to you when
they see you. if they can manage it, So will
yours stop touching their hats to him. You
are therefore quits But it is pitiful in its
pettiness, the whole thing, when one comes to
think of it. To people who reflect at all, it
is living in FOOLS paradse-if one can fit
the expression to such condition of things
going on exacting, accepting, and liking hon.
age that means no more than the fear of con-
sequences, or the hope of gain in those who
Weld it., and imagining that it means re-
spect.
do not mean to say that there are not
plenty of cases where hat touching means
what it is supposed to mean, and ought to
mean. bub VINO Will utiO say IieJ MO INV
in the minoritya OF course evory man, gen
tleman or not, should touch his hat, if not
actually raise it, to bishop or other clergy
man, particularly il he be of advanced
years. This is, of course, chiefly out of re-
gard for the calling, though the man may
b. also entitled to special respect. Every
one lifts his hat and remains uncovered in
the presence of the queen or member of
the royal family. With most people, this
means only when she, or they, drive past in
the street. She and they. on such occasions,
always bow in return. So, when the Ma
tional Anthem is played, every man present
takes off his hat and keeps it off till the
band stops This is whether the queen, or
members of the royal family, be present or
not. Army officers, whether in uniform OF
not IF known, are always saluted in public
by the soldiers of their own regiment, and,
believe, of any other regiment quartered in
the same garrison. This, think, exhausts
the hat touchers 20 ocSaignes" London
Letter in The Argonaut.