Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-07-13
Patty Pan knowledge"

Thanks to the many admirable pub
lications which tell everybody just
what to do under all circumstances,
people have much larger fund of in
formation than they had twenty years
ago but unfortunately, there are SUBJ
jects on which "little knowledge" is
sure TO be the proverbial dangerous
thing" One of them is etiquette.
What may be termed halfbaked man
ners are the result OF those countless
paragraphs the receipt for whose writ
ing seems that for an historian, ''igno-
rance is laboriously acquired and reli-
giously maintained" Or the correct
thirg'i is misquoted or misunderstood.
For instance, every now aud then this
aoats through the press ''The napkin
must be half folded and thrown down
beside the plate" This is all very well
so far as it goes; the trouble is it doesn't
20 very far. Only part of the rule is
given. The whole goes on to say "un-
less napkin rings arc used, and you ex-
pect to take another meal in the same
house, Ofcourse no one will use your
napkin, so if you have no more need of
ii, it may be thrown aside. But in many
american households the same table
linen serves the same people more
than once. Assurediy, you should no,
reflect upon your hostess daintines;s IS y
assum ng that this is not possible;
like certain woman, in whose OWN
home the napkin ring was reignlnS
who tossed the napkin in an untldy
heap upon the table three times day
of three weeks visit, this III face of
the fact that it was invariably placed
in ring beside her plate when she sat
down to eat. She had seen or grasped
the first part only of the dictum. and no
doubt imagined that she was impress
ing her entertainers with her elegant
information.
Sometime custom besomes obsolete.
1t was once proper for man to pre-
cede woman in ascending the stairs.
Later advlces state that he should al
low her precedence everywhere and at
all times. 1t is out of fashion, too, for
ones escort to cling tenacionsly to the
outside of the walk, that rule having
been expounded in other days and
other environment than this. II is so
oLt of date as to be a woeful blunder
wien a man gives both arms to girl
W tn whom he is walking. AS with
customs so it is with words and phrases.
Nowadays we never pronounce valet
after the French fashion, "valay." On
ly country cousins use the word "bonr-
doir" any longer. The mistress of that
little snuggery calls it her morning
room" and she stares and smiles when
you speak of her 'coupe," gently cor
recting the mistake by ordering her
"brougham" at three, pronounc!ng it
as though it were spelled "broome." "
She avoids, as far as possible, any use
of the word "b0n bon ~ 'ssweetie" and
"sweetmeats" are the correct appelia-
tions for caudy-old words revived.
Fashionable men are no longer ell" or
"well" but "in form" or "out of form.
"Form," like "smart," is tremen-
dously popular word. One is no longer
criticized as being bad style or not do
ing anything well. On the contrary,
"f)rm' has taken the place of all that.
~ don't like her form, you know. "
And the same young man to whom
form" is q watchword, and London
clothes necessity, speaks of his "top
coat" and "top hat, ''his rig' and his
exit" 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
"to change when he alteration finds"