Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-23
MISTAKES OF AMERICANs.
English Etiquette Different from Ameri.
can Etiquette.

English Etiquette Different from Ameri-
can Etiquette.
cockaisne in the San rranciseo Arronsut
The mistakes which Americans make when
in England arise not 90 much from fault a.
from ignorance. These are generally regarded
by English people with ''more of sorrow than
of anger" and are treated with q sort Of COM
passionate good humor. which, while IL over.
looks the fault, finds no excuse for the igno-
rance. In an Englishman's estimation every
one should know ali about England. II does
not matter that man or woman is foreigner.
That no excuse lg,,0rdntid legis is plea which
can not be set mp in English society by any
body any more than it can be pleaded in court
Of law. Whoever thinks differently and will
have the hardwood to contend that the con-
trary is the case does not know English society,
and by his contention will prove himself one OF
the class OF persons whom English people would
pity. do not suppose there are q people on
the face of the earth who are SO crassly, so in
Inherently. 80 endearingly, so confessedly ig-
norant OF the social usages of other countries
which do not conform to their own, as are the
English people. What the people Of other
countries do at home in their own land is of no
interest or significance to them. The rules Of
society in England are the only correct ones,
and no one has any business to at differently
than as they command or direct
There Is vast army of anglomaniacs who
come to England every year, who, ! am pain
fully aware, imagine that they could not make
a mistake in English society. Now, it is all
very well to assert that the characteristics of q
gentleman are the same the world over. So
they are. No one doubts it. But the ways of
exhibiting these characteristics differ. In no
two countries are the ways identical. Perhaps,
in diplomatic life, you may find Englishmen
and Frenchmen, Russians and Spaniards, Ger
mans and Italians. Americans and Austrians,
Japanese and Chinese, all COMFORTING them
selves in obedience to one studied governing
code OF manners and conduct. But nowhere else
Will you observe it. 1t may be that in general
way the usages of polite society in every civil
lied country are, ii not identical, very similar.
Full dress at evening entertainments il
one. Taking Of your hat in the presence of a
lady Is another. Returning calls, answering
invitations, being punctual at dinner party
and things OF that sort. But for q man to sup
pose that because he knows these general fun
damental principles OF good breeding he is .
master OF all the details which in each country
go to make up the social life Of each, is simply
absurd. His knowledge Of these general rules
OF all countries does not inform him OF the
many subordinate regulations and customs of
England any more than it does of those Of
Portugal or China. The usages and customs of
English life are in many particulars as differ
ent from those which we obtain in America as
usages and customs can be.
with Americans in England; both gentleman and
ladies, anglomaniacs included. l can candidly
say that have never met anyone who passed
for any length of time as English. Those who
did at all were very few in number. While the
majority disclosed their nationality at once,
the few l mention, by a studied imitation OF
English manner, speech and accent managed to
keep up the deception for a short time. But
the English eye and ear, doubtless thrown of
guard by Poole-cut coats and Redfern made
gowns, and, therefore, for a space not ON the
alert, soon regained their wonted keenness of
perception and then the mask fell off. Sooner
or later something betrayed the fraud. And it
was not SO much Ill speech or accent, which
had apparently been studied and fairly ac-
CURED under competent coach. in some
decidedly American and decidedly un-English
actIOn that the American cat was alIowed
egress from the fragile and counterfeit English
bag.
1 remember some years ago an American
iergyman, who, through the introduction Of
I4utual friends was received into some OF the
lghest and best English society. He was very
much liked. and was made good deal of in
one way or another. He did not pose as an
Englishman, 1t Is true. A seemingly uncon-
querable habit of rafting his final RS, as well
rs an apparently lnvincible inclination to say
Why. yes, and why, no" on every possible
occasion, would have precluded the possibility
OF any success on his part II he had tried to do
SO. And his admiration for England and things
English was unbounded and to stand well with
and to be thought well of by English people,
especially with those with whom he was asso-
ciating, was his constant aim and desire. He
was thought well OF and did stand high in the
estimation of his English friends But am free
to confess that he would have been thought
better of and would have stood higher had he
not, when at meals, laid down his knife on his
plate and gone on eating with his fork in his
right hand. This may seem trifiing, aud no
m al ha fvurll erty q
American every time. At any rate, it will show
that the person is not English. or course, in
saying this, do not refer to the habits of the
middle classes about which l must admit my
ignorance.
On another occasion another American clergy
man, well-known man in New York, had been
most Hospitality entertained at one of the
southern country towns by some ladies of rank
and position living there, and, wishing to make
some small return. he invited the ladies to tea
with him at his hotel. Upon their arrival
within his comfortable hre-lit sitting-room on
q chill autumnal evening, he kindly suggested:
Ladies' won't you remove your sacques2"
was not present, so did not hear it, but
have heard the two ladies laughing condescend-
ingly, though good humOredly, over the poor
fellows benightedness. The flaws were many
In the short and single sentence. In the first
place no English gentleman except in politi-
cal speech at the delivery of which Primrose
danes were presently would ever address the
opposite sex as ''ladiss." 1t would be Mrs.
This or That" or Lady the other" or both
names repeated; but never ladies in bunch
In the next place, the stilted and pedantic
remove" would in an Englishman's mouth
become take off; and lastly, "sacques" would
be jackets" Trifing matters again, perhaps
some people will think. Possibly they are. Yet
it is just such little drops and grains of water
and sand of social life and custom which make the
mighty ocean and pleasant land of the anglo
maniacs dream. 1t is useless for any Ameri-
can to wear Poole-made coats, to carry tightly
rolled up silk umbrella on sunny days, to screw
a rmless eye-glass into one eve, to have his
horses tails locked and squared, to stick cock
AIDES on his servants hats, to come over and
hire a country house every year in England, to
drive about in four-horse drag with two
grooms to say chawnce and dawnce and cawn't.
to pretend not to know what the Glorious
Fourth" means or who was born on February
~, to affect disdain for people who work and
to have his crest and coat of arms on every
thing that belongs to him, unless he takes the
trouble to study and to master these-self- same
little drops and little grains OF knowledge.
China Awakening.
From the Scottish American.
Although there is no doubt that in early ages
China was the most advanced of all nations in
art science and general civilization, for GEN.