Wichita eagle., 1889-01-18
-xsssS>lllaz~
9ail1, g eagle
ETIQUETTE OF THE HAT.
Some Anecdotes About Pleasing
Custom of Society.
How a Gentleman Should Manipulate His
Tile When Meeting Lady Acquaint-
ances-The Difference Between
Well-Bred Man and Boor.

a woman's role IS to seem utterly OBJ
fivious OF her bonnet after the parting look
into the mirror establishes the pleasing
truth that il is settled safely and becoming
~, remarks writer in Once a Week. The
man who forgets what he has upon his
head is boor, incorrigibly absent-minded.
The right manipulation of his hat is like
Bpellng-it must be learned early and thor
pughly, or it comes hard, and is always
Bkittlsh possession.
A mother habitually indulgent to her
children, called her eldest born-a boy or
ten-back when he had left her on street
corner. The lad covered under the severity
Of eye and accent.
Never dare leave me in the streets
ngain without raising your hatl " she said.
SIT is q token of respect you owe to every
woman, and never forget that your mother
Is womanl"
The reproof was doubled barbed. Associa-
tion with mothers and sisters IS excellent
practice in an exercise that can not be
abated without injury to him who takes the
liberty. "The fellow who mods cavalier
welcome or farewell to his sister at the
window, or in the street, will, with the
most gallant intentions, some day, in a fit
of abstraction, or when hurried by business
into forgetfulness of his company manners,
nod as carelessly TO some other fellows
sister, and score a point in favor of the
rival whose hand, from the force of early
habit and long usage, moves involuntarily
toward the cap brim at the approach of any
woman whose face is familiar to him.
A nod is not bow.
To nod TO woman is open disrespect.
The mother who carves the two sentences
and the import thereof upon the mind Of
her boy builds so much better than she
knows as to merit the gratitude of her sex.
The bob or duck of the covered head which
salutes a comrade of his gender is barely
pardonable, even in America. Students in
foreign universities would be sent to Gov
entry were they to practice it on meeting in.
corridor or thoroughfare. Equally gen
eral in the older lands, where external
courteses rank higher than with US, is the
custom of doffing the hat on passing lady
stranger or acquaintance on the stair
case or in the halls of hotel or other public
building. In witnessing the effect of the
neglect of the gracious little ceremony in
the country that furnishes the best hus-
bands in the world it is important to re-
strain the regretful sigh:
These things ought We TO have done, and
not leave the other undonel"
The undoing is carried TO disgraceful ex-
cess as we descend the social scale The
lower we go the more scanty is the observ-
ance Of the etiquette and moralites of the
hat, until we are forced 10 consider the i'm
portant adjunct to the outdoor toilet as an
almost infallible barometer of breeding
Respect Of the rules regulating its manage
ment in refined circles is the last sign of
better days and better manners with which
the decayed gentleman parts. When his
hand forgetS the way to the hat brim, he is
very near the foot of the hill. What a
slangY lad once called in my hearing 90 the
hat trick" is likewise that which the self
made man Of pleban extraction is slowest
to learn. l have seen millionaires forget
to remove their hats in superb drawing
rooms.
One of the most Notifying experiences
Of my earlier married life was the visit to
our country house of distinguished man
than whom the State held none ADLER of his
profession. We had invited several friends
to meet him, and the dinner given in his
honor passed off smoothly. The lion reared
in perfectly satisfactory manner, winning
universal admiration. Coffee was served
on the veranda, and the evening being cool,
the great man called for his hat He
might have asked permission from the wom-
en- present to assume it, we thought, but
orators must preserve their vocal cords from
rust. As the chilliness increased, we ad-
journed to the library, where a fire had been
kndled. There, in the assembled presence
Of our choicest neighbors, the great man
wore his hat until the hour OF separation!
The recollection is an agony. The infer
ence, borne out by subsequent discoveries,
was inevitable. He was a commoner of the
cOmmonalty and vulgar ingram. 1t ought
to have been impossible tor him to commit
such breach of good manners in any cir
cumstances. The varnIsh of surface-and
unaccustomed-court like other cheap
and patent dressing, requires frequent re-
newal and can not be warranted to wear
AS a grateful contrast, offer another au-
thentc incident A true gentleman, driving
through the country with his wife and chill
dren, stopped at small farm house to in
quire the way. A child on the front seat of
the carriage had a view of MIN as he knocked
at the door.
'Papa's talking to lady," chrped the lit
tie one. 81 can't see her, but | know be-
cause he took off his hat when the door
opened, and is standing with his hat in his
hand"
The ''lady" followed him TO the steps as he
returned to the carriage. Her sleeves were
rolled up to her shoulders she wore a shabby
calico gown without collar. Her hair was
unkempt, her arms and hands drIpped with
suds. Her parting directions were shrilly
nasal and ungrammaticaL The man who
appeared beside her as a prince beside a
serf. stood with his noble head barred as in
a royal presence.
"How could youf" queried the quck-eyed
occupant of the front seat 'She wasn't a
bit of lady"
'She was a woman, my boy; and gen.
teman is always gentleman for ms own
sake
Men can do no end of pretty things with
their hats, sighed belle to me. The tao
tics Of that useful article (Inascuiuel are
sclence-one of the arts. Yet two-thirds of
them don't half appreciate their privileges
in that line, or suspect their possibilities"
l saw man who calls himself gentle
man kiss his betrothed the other day, with
his hat set as lmmovably on his head as if it
had grown there with his growth and |
strengthened with his strength!
Fancy condition of mind and BODY that |
could make such a thing practicable in :. |
Christian land, and in the nineteenth cent
ury.
HINTS FOR EMERGENCIES