Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-07-30
VALUE OF ETIQUETTE.
What Her Laws Mean and Accomplish If
Properly Observed.

Properly Observed.
The foolish girl who laughs at eti-
quette, and says she will not be bound
by its rules, is the one you may be GER
tain who does not possess the virtue of
consideration and who makes friends
only to lose them. The laws of etiquette
are the best and kindest in the world,
for they were arranged by hundreds
of wise heads during hundreds of years
to make life run more smoothly and to
make each person more comfortable.
You are in sorrow because some one
dear to you has died-some friend who
is loving, but injudicious, calls and
wants to insist upon seeing you. You
know that the sympathy she offers will
| only reopen the old wounds; you can not
bear to be rude to her, but Madame
Etiquette steps in, announces that you
must not see visitors because you are in
mourning, and so you are not harassed,
your friends feelings are not hurt, and
it is the law of good society that has pro-
tected you.
You have been to large party where
house was decorated with many flow
ers; you remember as you left the sup
sion, and you wondered when it would
ever return to it's normal condi-
ton. 1t is demanded that you shall
make call and tell your hostess of the
pleasure she has given you. Again,
etiquette respects comfort and claims
that your call must be made within two
weeks of the day after the dance; so
that by this rule the household has time
| to return to its usual state before there
is an influx of visitors.
You have just told Dick that you will
be his wife; and the one thing you
dread is the giggling and staring to
which you will have to submit because
in the small village in which you live
the kindly thought of the dignified lady,
Madame Etiquette, is either forgotten
or not appreciated. Now, be wise and
take some married friend into your con-
fidence; let her give tea or luncheon
and invite your girl friends, and at it
she will say, putting her arm around you,
Il want you to wish Lillian all the hap
piness possible, because in very short
time she is going to be married to Mr..
Richard Steele" So the story is told at
once, and all the little embarrassments,
| the inuendoes and the embarrassing
wonderment are done away with.
Sorrow and shame, because of some
one living, invades your home You feel
your cheeks redden because of the
conduct of some one near and dear
to you. And you wonder what the
world will say to you. My poor girl,
the well-trained world says nothing;
| your friends come to see you, you re.
ceive your invitations, and nobody makes
you feel conscious of what has happened.
This is not hard-heartedness; it is con-
sideration. To utterly ignore disgrace
for which the innocent suffer is the
kindest lesson that Madame Etiquette
has ever taught.
She is even wise in debating the hours
for making visits; to your girl friends
she suggests any time between three
and six o'clock-which gives you an op-
portunity to have entirely finished up
whatever you wish to do in the morning,
| to have your luncheon or dinner. and to
be busy only with book or fancy work
after three o'clock. To your men
friends, from eight to nine is the proper
hour at which to appear; then the cares
of the day are over and you are at lib
erty to entertain in the way you think
best
To shrug your shoulders at what eti-
quette demands is simply to announce
yourself very ignorant, for her laws,
properly observed, mean protection fol
the innocent, consideration for the
young, congratulation for the happv,~