St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-14


~ YRM 4 various different trav-
/Mt9 Nelers, pedestrians or
| T - ,fOtherwise, greet one
NTH hTanother. And this OBJ
WTIJ ~ t server is person who
ANIL - has spent part of his
NMXAAD r. life in foreign climes.
9~ StalD A whole train of
thoughts must arise in his mind as to
the ways in which he him self has been
greeted in other climes. Lavater has
laid it down that the character of a man
may be detected by the most trifling ges-
lures, and as men make the nation it
the peculiarit:es of the people
are shown by such small acts
as the varied styles of salutation.
1t is not intended in the present article
to go deeply into the subject and write
learnedly on the origin and meaning of
all the ancient forms of greeting, but to
briefly show how opposed are the ideas
of the various countries as to what
ought to be done or left undone. Be-
ginning, then, with the AnglO-Saxon
race, as typified by the Americans and
English, it is hardly necessary to say
the most common and general salutation
is that of shaking hands. This is, of
course, only done on coming in close
contact, and but once in day with the
same person is sufficient. So pc
culiarly English is it held to be by
European continental nations, however,
that if man wishes to be particularly
attentive to traveller from Great Bri-
tain OF America he will insist OH shak-
ing hands with him as often as he can
get the chance, says the San Francisco
Chronicle.
There are those who claim to form
their opinion of stranger from the way
in which he gives his hand. One meets
at odd times people who consider your
arm and hand pump-handle and treat
it as such; people who nearly drive
your rings into your fingers with the
force of their squeeze; people whose
hands are as II they belonged to mani
mate objects and drop the moment they
are released, and people who give the
real hearty, though gentle, pressure
which bespeakS the cultivated and con-
siderate mind.
Even if it is not possible for the peo-
pie to approach near enough for this
friendly grip, the manner in which one
person recognizes another is legion. A
gentleman approaching lady watches
her closely to see whether she will bow
to him. If so, off goes his hat. Hardly
two men, however, do this simple act in
the same way. One flourishes it at
arms length; another hardly raises it
from his head; third exposes the in
side, as If he were asking a charity,
whilst fourth seems frightened lest by
some miSchance he should diSarrange
his hair. The fair lady, too, does not
always return the salute in the same
way.
"Here is Mr.. So-and.So," one says, II
suppose must bow to him." and the
dainty head is inclined just enough to
be civil.
A few PAGES further on another figure
appears, and then with winning smile
and beamlng eye a recognition which
would charm the head of any man is
given.
Sober old buffers nod to eacE other
and keep Oh doing so for few PAGES,
when they meet each other, while
young gallants do anything from wink
of the eye or motion of the arm to
rapping their acquaintance over the
legs with their sticks or bowling in a
dignified manner. In England, where
the distinction of classes is still very
marked, a labOring man or man-servant,
on meeting gentleman or lady, touches
his hat, and the person Saluted, if he be
a man, returns the recognition in almost
the same way. Formerly maid servants,
on meeting their masters or mistresses
out of doors, used to courtesy, but, eX-
cept in villages, this custom has quite
died out. OF course. this is speaking
generally, for it is well known that in
presentations at court
THE COURTESY Is DE RIGEUR,
and indeed, to make one gracefully re-
quires no little training and many visits
to master in the arts.
In England, too. boys and many young
men raise their hats to old men and
those who may be in any position above
them, but excepting in these cases it is
not customary for the male sex to greet
each other thus.
Cross the channel, however, and one
is in land where hat-lifting is the rec
OgniZed salutatiOn. 1t appears at first
curious to a native of American or
English soil to see a not too clean coal
HEAVIER or peddler sOlemnly raise his head
cOvering-it does not always amount to
as much as a hat-to an equally dirty
brother workman, with an air many
a young dude might envy; but in
time one fails to notice such things. On
entering and leaving a shop, no matter
how small, the polite man again I'M
covers his head, while each of these
actions is always accompanied by an APP
prOpriate word of greeting. The peas
ants in Spain, in the country. on meet
ing stranger, offer him as SalutatiOn
portion of the bread they always carry
with them. OF course it is refused with
thanks, and great would be the aston
ishment of the wOuld-be donor were it
accepted. In Germany, in fact pretty
well all over the continent, to pass a
man or woman OIL country road with
out saying friendly greeting is looked
upon as very impolite, and the person
Hnir fni ,,l.- I,n Iol
stranger.
Among the French and Belgians es-
pecially the habit of men embracing
one another is quite common. A father
and son or two intimate friends think
nothing of falling into each others arms
and kissing in public. Cold tempered
nations consider such etfusiOns unnec-
eSSary and believe there is just as
much feeling in the warm grip of the
hand and few words of welcome or fare
we'll.
The kiss is defined by those who have
studied the subject as the ''salute by
tasting" AS opposed to it the Malays
and other Polynesians salute by smell
ing. This is performed by rubbing
noses. A former resident of New Zea-
land says that on meeting after an alb
Sence of some time two MaOris seize
hands and rub noses violently, at the
same time loudly weeping, presumably
from the pleasure of seeing each other
or perhaps from the pain of friction.
In India the Buddhists salute by low
ering the palm of the right hand and
bringing it up towards the face, at the
same time saying ''Ram, ram, chai."
The MOhammedans do the same, but
simply say "Salaam." This is only done
in either case among members of the
same faith. The SalutatiOn is ALWAYS
made, too, with the right hand, to use
the left being considered an insult. Be-
fore the Indian mutiny, when this was
not thoroughly understood by the Brit