The Washington bee., 1893-04-22
"Patty Pan Knoyvledge."

Thanks to the many admirable publ
cations which tell everybody just what
to do under all circumstances, people
have much larger fund of informa-
tion than they had twenty years ago;
but unfortunately, there are subjects
on which little knowledge" is sure to
be the proverbial dangerous thing"
One of them is etiquette. What may
be termed half baked manners are the
result of those countless paragraphs
the receipt for whose writing seems
that for an historian, Ignorance is Ia
boriously acquired and religiously
maintained. Or the correct thing"
is misquoted or misunderstood. For
instance, every now and then this floats
through the press: The napkin must
be half folded and thrown down beside
the plate" This is all very we'll so far
as it goes; the trouble is 1t doesn't 60
very far. Only part of the rule is
given. The whole goes on to say "un-
less napkin rings are used, and you OK.
pect to take another meal in the same
house." Of course no one will use
your napkin, so, if you have no more
need of it. it may be thrown aside. But
in many American households the same
table linen serves the same people more
than once, Assuredly, you should not
reflect upon your hostess daintiness by
assuming that this is not possible; like
certain woman, in whose own home
the napkin ring was reigning who
tossed the napkin in an untidy heap
upon the table three times day of a
three weeks visit; this in face of the
fact that it was invariably placed in q
ring beside her plate when she sat down
to eat. S]ae had seen or grasped the
first part only of the diotum, and no
doubt imagined that she was impressing
her entertainers with her elegant infor-
nation.
Sometime a custom becomes obso-
lete. It was once proper for man to
precede q woman in ascending stairs.
Later advices state that he should allow
her precedence everywhere and at oil
times. It is out of fashion, too, for
ones eso oort to cling tenaciously to the
outside of the walk, that rule having
been expounded in other days and other
environment than this. It is so out OF
date as to be q woeful blunder when
pan gives both arms to girl with
whom he is walking. AS with customs
so it Is with words and phrases. Now
adays we never pronounce 'valet" after
the French fashion, 'valay," but as
though it were written wallet" Only
country cousins use the word 'boudoir"
any longer. The mistress of that little
snuggery calls 1t her morning room,
and she stares and smiles when you
speak of her "coupe," gently cor
reoting the mistake by ordering her
"brougham" at three, pronouncing it
as though it were spelled "broome.
She avoids, as far as possible, any use
of the word "6on 6on;" ''sweetie" and
''sweetmeats" are the correct appella-
tions for candy--old words revived.
Fashionable men are no longer "ill'' or
well" but .in form" or ''out of form.
'Form," like "smart, is a tremendous
ly popular word. One is no longer
criticized as being bad style or not do
ing anything we'll. On the contrary,
form" takes the place of all that. Il
don't like her form, you know" And
the same young man to whom form"
is a watchword, and London clothes
necessity, speaks of his "top coat" and
"top hat, his "rig" and his "kit, wears
his face clean shaven, and would blush
with shame did you carelessly speak OF
his "stick" as cane. In the face OF all
this, surely he is to be pardoned who
sometimes fails Ito change when he al
teration finds"