Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-09-24

Numerous Ways In which British Gus
toms Differ from American Ones.

toms Differ from American Ones.
To adequately indicate the diver
genccs between the ways OF English
society and our own would require a
volume, says the New York Ledger,
but some striking examples may be
given in few paragraphs. TO begin
with the Names applied to servants.
In England there is ne such thing as
adining-rOom girl" She is called a
"parlor-maid." What we term an
"up-stairs girl" is a "housemaid. Z"
There are no "chambermaids" or
walters" in an English private house.
They are found only in hotels and
restaurants. To speak of coachman
as driver" would be very @bad
form" Coachmen, buffers, house
keepers, and ladies' maids are called
by their surnames only, never by their
Christian names.
Americans who ape English usages
almost always blunder in the use Of
crests. In England only men put
crests on their paper, silver, clothing,
carriages, etc. For lady, and espe-
cially a young lady, to put crest on
anything would be considered bad
form. To speak to a man of his wife
as "your wife" would not be tolerated.;
you must say MRS. So-and-so." The
use of "sir" in conversation between
equals would be thought very bad
form. The railway terms in En-
gland differ markedly from ours. The
"track" is a "line"; depot" is a STA
tlon" "ticket-office" is booking
Office; conductor" is a guard;
the engineer" is the driver; the
"car" is carriage; baggage" is
luggage" and "baggage-car" is a
"van." In English theaters, what we
call orchestra seats" are stalls, and
the "parquet" is termed the "pit."
English newspapers you do not sub
scribe for" but "take in" An "ed-
itorial" is always" q "leader."
1t is not good form for young
lady to go to school. She must be
educated at home. We may also
note that the abbreviation used for
bachelor of arts" and master of
arts" arc "B. A." and M. A., where
as in this country they are "a. b."
and "a. NJ What we call public
schools" are termed national schools"
in England. An English public
school" corresponds to such American
INSTITUTIONS as the Phillips Acad-
emies at Exeter and Andover. At
Oxford and Cambridge the term
graduate" is not used as verb to
express the taking Of university
degree. CHANGING at games we may
remark that in England billiards Is
always played on pocket table. You
do not, however, say that you "pock-
ct" a ball; you "hole" it. A car
rom" is a "cannon;" scratch" is a
"fluke;" "run" is "break;' and a
"shot" is a stroke" Croquet, which
once was popular, is no longer re-
garded as good form. .
In England shooting is never called
cunning" or hunting" The latter
term is applied exclusively to fox
hunting. A horse good at jumping
is called a good fence" All jumps
except bitches and "water" (brooks)
are called fences" On the other
hand, what we call fences" are
termed timber" All traces" in En-
elend- running races. There are
no trotting races. All English races,
are run, not upon a dirt track. but
upon grass; hence the expression, the
"turf."
A word about the etiquette of calls
and cards. In England it would be
the worst possible form for gentle
man to call on an unmarried lady and
ask the servant if she is at home.
He must always ask for the mother
only. A gentleman is never asked to
"call again soon" but he Is told: Il
hope we shall see a good deal OF you. !"
In England cards are left only
when the person called on is out.
They are never sent in before the
caller if the person called on is at
home. For husband and wife to have
both names on one card, as "Mr. and
Mrs. Jones', is very bad form. So it
is for unmarried ladies to have sep
arate visiting cards of their own.
Their names should be engraved under
the name Of their mother or of some
-sscfrOr marrfcu rcmaIe reTaJIUn. TN
England ones address should always
be on ones card, in smaller letters,
in the right-lower corner.
We might enumerate thousand
other peculiaritiesp but we have cited
enough to show that an American
citizen could not easily acquire what
in England is called good form" with
out an expenditure of time that could
be put to better purpose.
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