New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-11
THE SPREAD OF WESTERN ETIQUETTE

Tho otbcr dav a party of sailors went ashore i'll
prooklvn. and one of their NUMBER REFUSING "
drnl, with some sociabe Italians, WAS st'pocu ~
tho latter Now while it is well known ,h'' ''.'
Italian blood Is hot and that the use oi tn' NJ
- redress social grievances is veneraoie ouS'
in Italy the rcsenting of REFUSAL 10 u-'iA |
something new on the part OF these
Immigrants 1t appears in fact, 10 lhuio"v VIZ
snread Of far-Western etiquette, ana may NC
30 rdod nc showing the rapdty with whlch ior-
oion clements are absorbed ana aSsih'l'u "
these DAYS OF quick and general comiiui''o' w.
Tho custom of killing men for refusing 10 o'ihN
was instituted many years ago, on whao was U",n
the frontier 1t obtained extensively III O'
fornia during the halcyon and vociierous u" =.
40 and 80. Many otherwise estnapio poioO"'
fell victims at that time to dehcehey o, 'uus
noont For tenderfoot" to conclude that ne
was not thirsty, or that he preferred 10 drihN !"
otbcr company, when genaly solicited by some
a;,; :. Tcrror- WINS then apt to be fatal mis-
.,.o. and the summary takng-off Of the recaicl-
tron, ncrson seldom aroused in the unsympa'heUio
breasts Of the spectators any other feeling IMAM
oro If contemptuous surprise that n man shouiu
let ca foolish rs to decline to nominate HIS
NIXON, when frankly invited 50 to DO
Tho generating cause OF the resentment Whicn
in such cases found expression in pistoi-shot OF
Inifc-thrust was undoubtedly n somewhat uhuuN
! cultivated sclf-estccm. To the lcrrot Oh inc
| mininp-camp n refusal to partake ms hosp'an|
! implied a silent but none the less Offensive 40
sumption of superiority on the part OF inc reiu'e
| Tho latter was regarded putting on arr
and that was something the frontier coihihuni,S
pcvcr could stand. Vcrdant strangers WHO III
all innocence Of purpose entered that frce-ahu-
casv world wearing the stove-pipe-hat ana
tbe "bilcd shirt" Of the conventional East
literally took their lives in their hands Inc
more SIGHT OF those symbols OF CASTOR clN'l'"'-
tion often evoked the widest outbreaks ~ 'he
subsistence of which the devoted stranger ""s
| melancholy and hopeless wreck but the ui"ii'
ten social code Of the West drew the Inc oil toiet"-
ton short and sharp at the refusal oil an lhVl'on
TO drink Doubtless unconscious cefcora''o"
surnfied tbe primary postuate that any refusal
of whskcy was prma facie unnatural anu, 'nri'-
foro susnicious. Thus il followed logically that
before a normal human being would reiuSe
vvbisl,ev he must be dominated by some powerful
toolino. and what could that be but scorn or
hatred of the person giving the rejected invita-
,lon2 Hence. he must be an enemy, and that
noint once reached self-defence not only Iustlhed
I'm, enioined the subsequent lcthal proceedings
This peculiar and in some respects embarrassing
code prevailed in the West for many years, ana IL
mi-bt have aourshed yet but for the iact thaC sol
particularly homicdal TcrrOrs abused It, going Sc
far as to shoot persons who had not in terms re-
? fused 70 drink but had merely hcsitated-posSloy
as the caner spirits suggested for no more SINISTER
reason than the desire TO select some spccay nap
, ny phrase in which to testify the cheeriullesS
: their acquiesccnce It then began to be felt Una
the custom might BE- more honored in the oreaci
than in the Observance, and as the Terrors refused
obstinatey to take this view, their objections wer
I gradually but effectively overcome through III
medium of Vigilance Committees-after shgh
course of whose discipline the subsequent pro
: cccdirgs interested them no more as
s Western poet puts it, On the whole, the abandon
. ment of the good old custom seems to nave pee
% attended with certain advantages, and II Is mor
h than probable that an attempt to revive IL wour
= now lie opposed quite strenuouSy Everything
- however. moves in cycles according TO som
philosophers, and so We should not be surprise
chat Western etiquette, even of an obsolete Klh'
Is seems TO be taking hold upon the plastic nature
IS Of the sunny children of Italy who are at presen
n cndowing us with their cheap labor, over-rlI
!, bananas, and ready stilettos.