New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-07
A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE
HOW SHALL A GENTLEMAN SALUTE H1S
SERVANTS?

as IN the propcr form of sautation between social
superiors and interiors The difficulty under whies|
the Suburban Bachelor" labors, and which hae|
prompted him to write the letter above mcntioneoI
consists in his lack of knowledge OF che correceI
thing to do when he happens to meet in the ssreeu|
one of the female domestics OF his Establishments
Is he to ignore the girls presence? or Is ne toI
cross the street to avoid her? The latter alterna-I
tive is manfcstly wanting in dignity. while the
idea of cutting honest girl dead out OF dooTusI
when one receives her ministrations smilingly tn-I
doors, is repellant to any man who has his heartI
in the right place The Bachelor" he Il anI
Engshman. remember-adds that "a bow 10 sol
clearly inappropriate" that he has never tried It'll
and confcsses that in despair he is forced TO seek
refuge in smiling namely at the girl who naturally
follows his example. Kecnly sensible. of the In
cOngruty OF the position, the Bachelor" asks fosI
advice on this momentous question of etiquettesI
which he claims to have been left unrccognizeol
by the various manuals of manners and good
breeding.
| The question put by the suburban bachelor I'll
very characteristic one. Even without the sig-l
nature of the letter, it would be easy to perceived
from its tenor that its writer is an Englishman'
No Frenchman. nor in fact, any member of theI
Latin or southern races, would have ever felt thel
slightest embarrassment hesitation rs to theI
|
an inferior They do not find that bow is|
clearly Inappropriate" but, the contrary, raiseI
| their hat from their head when they meet inI
| public women occupying mental positions M
| their households In their eyes woman ~
| always woman, no matter what her soc.aA
grade or CASTE and the only distinction which tnej
| Frenchman for instance, permits himself 70 maRoI
| in his form Of greeting is a certain gradnadonl
| between the sweep of the coup de chapeau
which he gives to a duchess, and that which ne
| accords to his cook or laundres .,.... th>I
The lower the social status OF the saiutah~ WI
more marked the graduations of his greeunsAi
| ,vhereas tho HIGHER his rank the more imper-
ccptible do they become. Royal and lmperiai
| rer.onages for instance, show disposition toi
| accord even more courtesy and consideration iof
| the feelings Of their domestics than they 90 20
their courtiers and nobles and nowhere do Servants
receive better and more appreclatlve ueatmens
than in princely households.
remember, for instance, to have seen one dayi
| AZ Schoenbrunn the chivalrous Emperor OF AUS
tria walk some distance to fetch chair for the
old English nurse of the children OF his daugh'eFs
! the Archduchess Gisela, who were playing in thoI
grounds The nurse had the Archduchess's young7
est child an infant in her arms, and no one savel
| the Emperor seemed to dream of the possbiityj
| Of her being tired It was very charming TO eee<
| the genial, kindly way in which he pressed the
| old woman to take the seat which he had fetcheds
for her
1t was hut last winter that We read OF tnoi
| Gar and his brothers walking for two miles on
foot and barehcaded in binding snowstorm
behind the hearse containing the remains OF thu
| old Scotch woman who had had charge OF the
| Imperial nursery when they were all children.
| No such compliment as this has ever been paio
| by the Autocrat to any Of the great dignitaries
Ill l,trin fhA of.
wears. and the aged nurse of humble birth was
accorded by His Muscovite Majesty courtesy
withheld from famous generals, statesmen princes
and princesses.
Queen Victoria, who is so chary about extend-
ing her still shapey hand in greeting, even for
the purpose Of its being kissed, shakes hands IN
the most natural and unaffected manner with her
old servants on the Osborne "Rndsor and Bal
| moral estates, and, although 81 =
| descended to honor any of the eieoer
at buckingham Palace at Marlvoiou9h House,
with her presence since the death OF the Prince
| Consort thirty years ago, yet she was wone
| before rendered iuirm by her rheumatic ailmens
of the last two or three years, to attend the
servants balls given at her Highland Castle, ana
even to dance with some of her principal
| domostics If remember right, the late John
Brown was several times distinguished in this
| fashion by his sovereign
The reigning Grandduchess Of Baden, sister OF
| the late Emperor Frederick has just erected q
magnificent monument over the grave OF the chief
dresser or principal ladys maid who had served
her mother the late Empress Augusta, during the
last forty years of the latters life. The tomb
bears an inscription the effect that il is destined
10 commemorate the gratitude of the daughter Of
the Empress to the latters faithful and devoted
servant. whose deathbed attended by the
Grand Duchess and the Grand Duke in person.
II cite these instances it is merely to convince
any one who might happen TO share the perplexi.
ties of the suburban bachelor that, at any
rate Emperors, Kings and Prnces-the Amounted
of the Lord" and the Salt of the Earth" in fact
would not consider a bow any similar act Of
courtesy accorded TO one of the female domestics
Of their households clearly inappropriate
The fact is the average Engishman has failed
as yet TO grasp the art Of bowling that is to say.
Of saluting with his hat. True, his manners IN
this respect have undergone considerable In
provcment during the last quarter of a CENTURY
an improvement attributable TO the vast increase
of intercourse with the French and other contt-
mental nations. But, five and twenty years age
in Palmerstonan days. an Englshman who doned
his hat correctly. or who barred his head and threw
away his CIGAR when addressing woman, was con-
-idcrei by his countrymen as foreign "Frenchy.'
" affected" and bad FORM | have heard all
of these terms applied 10 the late Earl Granville.
who, having been educated on the Continent. and
brought up at the foreign courts, TO which hiS
father was accredited as Ambassador was the very
approximation of delicate, refined and elegant
courtesy. i remember my astonishment in thoeo
days, when, just after returning from the CONT
nent. saw young Peer approach and address
the Princess OF Wales, keeping his hat on his head
throughout the conversation, barely touching IL on
greeting her and on taking his leave. In those
DAYS, however, hats seemed glued to their wearerS
heads. a state of affairs partly attributable per-