The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-04-29
A Problem in Etiquette.

A correspondent asks for a cate
gorical answer to the following inn
portant question::
ITO be truly polite, should gen
tleman remove his hat when in an
elevator, public or private, with
LADY,"
We shall not abuse our corre-
spondents confidence by attempting
to solve so profound social prob
lem as this off-hand. 1t will be bet
ter to lay before him some of the
chief data on which the study of
the subject is based, together with
the opinion of the leading authori-
ties, and leave him to form his own
judgment.
In New York there is always a
crowd on the ground floor, waiting
for the elevator. When the door
opens the mass surges inward. The
killed and wounded, generally wo-
men, are carted to the morgue and
the hospital in patrol wagon, and
the elevator shoots up with the sur
vivors. The gentlemen do not re-
move their hats. Anybody who did
so would be marked at once as a
clay" Jays also rise to give their
seats on the elevated cars, and the
New York gentlemen slide into the
vacant places. Gentlemen likewise
occupy the seats in the ladies' cabins
of the ferry-boats while the women
stand. The mems cabins are occu-
pied chiefly by hogs.
In Chicago the conditions are SUBJ
stantially the same as in New York.
Not only are the stock yards the
most potent element in setting the
social tone of the place, but the fact
that most of the inhabitants have
their offices in the twentieth story
and live in the elevators would rem
der it impracticable to adopt any
such rule as that to which our cor
respondent refers.
In Washington it is the uniform
rule for gentlemen to remove their
hats in the presence of ladies in ele-
vators of any description. Persons
who do not do so are set down as
coming from New York or Chicago
In spite of the mixed character OF
its transient population, Washing
ton is essentially a Southern town
and it is dominated by the Southern
traditions of ceremonious courtesy
toward women. There are very few
open elevators there as yet. When
they become more plentiful the Gus.
toms may be modified.
In San Francisco the practice is
al &c. l. e
people who want to be in the swim
When you are invited to dinner in
London you can feel secure in put
ting on dress coat, and in Creede
a flannel shirt, but in Milwaukee you
don't know what you ought to wear
and that is uncomfortable. Just sc
in New York you can be at ease with
your hat on in an elevator full o.
women, and in Washington with il
off, but in San Francisco, whichever
course you adopt, you are sure O.
mourning the wrath and scorn of the
faction that adheres to the opposite
policy.
There are local censors of manner.
Of the highest authority who viii
tell you that it is the mark of vul
garian to remove the hat in public
elevator in the presence of strange
ladies. They say that the elevato
is part of the public hall and tina
it is no more proper to intrude one'
personality on women with whom
one is not acquainted in such place
than it would be to lift the hat tt
them in the street. One distinguish
ed connoisseur in etiquette asserts
that gentleman will uncover hi
head in a closed elevator when ladies
are present and that he will also d.
it in an open one if he is blanket
fool. Otherwise not. An open ele
vator he considers part of the hall
closed one room. Another OK
pert draws a different distinction
He would have the hat removed il
elevators in hotels and other place
of abode, and left on in Office build
ings. And there are still others VIII,
will be satisfied with nothing les
than the unconditional divorce O
the hat and the head in every ele
vator containing ladies, whereve
and whatever it may be. They evel
go so far as to apply to those VIII
do not act on their views the sam
epithet of 'vulgarians" which tn
pundits of the other school apply t.
them.
We trust that our correspondent
feels now that he has the basis for
judgment of his own. If not, w
suggest that he select half a dozel
of the ladies of his acquaintanc
whom he is most anxious to pleas
and ask them what course woul'
suit them best. Then he will be safe
whatever the authorities may do