The Clifton clarion., 1889-08-14
GOOD FORM OF TO-DAY.
How It Differs from That of the P st In
 Various Important Respect"

How It Differs from That of t!Ie P :st In
 Various Important Respect"
 In little book just published, en- titled Good Form,' the etiquette of some few years ago is amusingly con trasted with that of to-day. when every thing is more succinct and expeditions than it used to be.
 When the ladies of John Leech's time went to dinner parties they were shown into bedrooms and allowed some min utes to adjust their ringlets Now they hand their cloak to servant and walk straight from their carriage or cab to the presence Of their hostess. At we'd dings in the '40s" each bridesmaid had groomsmar to look after her and see that she had what she liked at tie elaborate breakfast of the matri- monial function of tAat day. Now there is only a ''best man, ;" though how he comes by the superlative adjective when he is sole groomsmau it is difficult to say. Among other changes of custom is that concerned with the bridesmaids 2 dresses, which used to be given by tho bride. And our authoress might have added that it was no longer fashionable as it then was, for the bride to cry. All weddings nowadays are dry-eyod. Crying has ''gone out. It was tA.e very height of the fashion in the year 1927 When Sir Edward Bulwer Lyt- ton married Miss Rosina Wheeler an eyewitness of the ceremony describes both bride and bridegroom as being overcome with sensibility; pale. tot tering and tearful.n No one totters to the altar now. It would not be good form" But the bride must not. On the other hand, romp up the aisle in the exultation of her heart. The correct pace is, perhaps, best described as re- sembling that of policeman on his beat. It is slow and stately.
 Another marked change in social customs is mentioned in connection with the etiquette of "small and early'' parties. No longer does hostess ask her guests to sing or play. This ordeal. so dreaded by the girl of a couple oi decades ago, is no longer to be feared. "I hope you have brought some music, Miss Smith," was frequently tho pre- Jude to a distracting performances that gave pleasure to no one, least Of all to the player. And, strange to say. now that music is always professional and generally worth listening to, it is diff cult to persuade people to remain silent while it is going on; whereas, when amateurs were singing. it would have been considered a shocking piece oi rudeness for any one to have talked till the lady had finished describing how she wore a wreath of roses, or the gen. tleman had finished dilating upon his home aless, ragged and tanned condition.
 At the dinner table it was considered the duty of the host and hostess to urge their guest to eat. This custom in our own day is entirely abandoned. partly owing to the now universal style of having all dishes handed round. The board no longer groanS as once Ii did, the weight of the viands being transferred to that chapel of ease the sideboard-where, in seclusion, a hireling carves the joint and skillfully dissects the bird whose anatomy used to prove such an intricate problem to the bothered amateur at the end of the table. Skill in carving is not now one of the polite accomplishments where with it is necessary to equip youth for his social career. Till now eti. quette books have been only uninten- tionally amusing, but the present writer treats her subject with a seng9 of humor that makes it easy reading. London Daily News.