The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-15
1Uo Ac7s or THE POLITICIAN
The Nnndshaks mud The Address by the
First Name with II Diminu,ive EndinE.

their political lie Wnlcn are rarely iouHu ap'
| where else in modern civilization. one OF
| them is the habit OF shaking hands at every
| opportunity. and tho other is the schoolgirl
| habit Of addressing ono another by their first
| names with a dimnutve ending. In no other
profession. business. or industry does TINS
| habit commonly prevail. The great men who
| spend their lives In studying the habits OF
ants and bugs might devote some OF their at
tention to this problem and write volume
| about it,
Let any ono go to meeting OF tho Tammany
| General Committee in Tammany Hall. or to
Republican County Convention. or INTO inc ro-
tunda OF the City Hall. or into tho corridors OF
the Custom House. and ho will gee how con-
irmcd politicians are in those habits, Where
merchants or other business men would speak,
or bow. or start in with o conversation without
any particular salutation or address. the poll
ticinns begin BY shaking hands and addressing
each other by their first names with an ie
Instead OF jim 1t is Jimmie and Charlie. Eddie
Tommic. or whatever the first name may be-
Sol Borliner Is one OF the few exceptions to
this. but he Is hardly q ull-nedged politician.
and by the time no gets acquainted no may DO
called Sollie. Even tho Hon. Percival Far
Quhar Is known politically as Porcie.
This is tho customary method OF snlutation
between politicians who regard themselves as
=,
at tho same time. says Hello. Eddie" and
they simultaneously shake hands. 1t Is a
mechanical operation that they go through In
stinctively and 1t is doubtful were they asked
minute afterward II they had shaken hands
whether they would DO able TO remember. or
course it Is only where politicians meet on
equal terms that the feminine airectionate
diminutive is used. Where tho politicians are
not OF equal standing the higher ono calls the
lower one by his first name. adding the femi-
nine dtminutive If he wishes to BIO especially
gracious. while the lower politician addresses
the higher one by the title OF his Office.
Two Commissioners meeting in friendly
manner would not address each other us Com
official terms. but would sny" clio. Tonmie"
and Hello. Eddie, nnd shake, hands. Il a
would say "GVod morning. Mr. Commits
wne ting would
Tommie." according %, tho amount OF atfse.
tonate regard he wished to displny If the
would address each other rs il they wore both
ollice but Of relative standing. There is the
same graduation of expression between
ss,uporintendent and the men under him rs
drssse% BY their tits ~ tie lower politicians.
q
the side of the higher politician.
It not as n'ricHse as It sscmH fot comes
s ssap Sarn Inc poes
between which handslakinE rarely taxes
place, hut within Wide limits the handshukinG
goes on in u perpetual motion every time they
meet. Tho Assembly mar md The Alderman
are most addicted tothe handshakn: habit:
Alderman from one to two years may tond to
the lessenins or tine partial cure OF the hand
shaking habit In tt"ln. bur any man who
II n for n nj * a M IL n .
all tho time. he must shake hands at least ten
thousand times year. Every time he goes t to
with everybody who speaks to him. When he
goes through the district he shakes hands
With a great many more people than he En ows
tho names Of. His canvass. OF tho renomina-
ton and reelection begins the morning after
election day. and he keeps up tho handsEak-
ing tho whole year long.
It requires, quite knack to shake hands
being handshakers. There, was John Con
Rf @ yf sf Ass asi had nes 1s
10000 voters. and Connolly went around shak-
in: hands with them for Ave years He shook
always recall an hour atterward with whom
he hud shaken hands. and; coming back into
hands over again. This would be a little too
frequent as ole handshake day for the same
man is enough ip politics. or at the most two.
one in the morning and one in the even ng.
but twice within an hour was calculated to
have the opposite effect from the one ed
had forg Ten that he had shaken hands with
them only few minutes before.
eance tf p Of e sEI and no
sibly, a caressing leaning with the left hand on
tho right shoulder Of the recipient of the hand
Recipient a ceiling Of the great esteem in
which he is held y the hsn9shsksr and q
his serscs sns done It IS worse
than no handshake at all. for the man who
does not do i right gets t thH rGpHtat2n Of
budding political ambition;
This canyASsing handshako is different from
the casual political handshake. which is an
automaticsl and mechanical thing. done IN tho
way as man brettss Whether nc takes
and the meehsnicsI political handshaf . gets
It differs from the professional hundshaker's
handshake IN being unconscious. though ths
N sush
man is the Hon. Timothy Justinian Camp
bell. who shakes hands with his constituents
Q great regard and affection for hin. tho Hon.
Mr. Campbell has. without being conscious Of
the art used by the Hon. MIR. Campbell in ex-
The irst named habit is the strength OF
many successfql district politicians. The Hon.
Centre street. opposite the ,Tombs, and call by
the ars, name threeitonr Of the men wo-
Heu Hul VI MS ulStTlct WHO pHbo tueTe.
The Hon. Mr.. Gibbs knows by name about
four-1fths Of tho Republican voters in his dis
trict and about one-third OF the Democratic
voters. The Hon Mr.. Campbell knows ma
Grand street districts. This beats. the hand
shake In its most improved form. for while 4
man may be suspicious Of Z handshake and
name. the racol!cction Of his first name will
go far to dispsl any doubt in his mind US to
whether he is recalled
:, What has brought several profess ioopal hand;
shakers to grief and earned them tho title Of
Iloll"r more than ANYTHING else Is their inahil-
they snake 50 warmly and whom they impress
so profoundly with their Elances. 1t does not
60 whom they cannot recall the name. and they
wound the mans vanity and personal feelinG
more than IL they never trioG to impress him
with their warm regard for him. For 1t may
hh eNcusable for them not to recall him deli
nitely; but both not to recall him and TO try to
Tool him besides Is too much,
The use OF last names in familiar political
Intercourse Is rare Men are known by their
official titles or the rifles Of the Offices they
their first names The easiest way il to asSo-
ciate them with their offices. and the hest way
Is cnll th'm = sir II you forget their naines
ono OF the easiest ways Of all in shaking
hands with several men ut once is to address
h.t nj lnnt yal nd To