The Bessemer indicator., 1893-06-10
GLOVE ETIQUETTE.
How Customs Vary In pissrsnt Ceea-
tries.

| How Customs Vary In DiNsrsnt Coaa-
tries.
The etiquette with regard to the
wearing Of gloves varies with almost
avery country. tho ono general rule
that holds good In all. however. be-
Ing thgt men should never shake
hands without barring their right
hand. To omit doing SO, especially
when greeting or bidding adieu to .
woman. is just as bad form - re-
tanning ones cigar on the occasion
1t is somewhat hard upon men to
expect them to throw away good
cigar when stopped and addressed on
tts street or in the park BY ladies
with WHOM they are acquainted, and
it is likewise troublesome, especially
on warm day, to have to remove q
tight-fitting glove from the right
hand. But these are the penalties
Of being popular with women, and
failure to conform to these elemen-
tary rules OF courtesy indicates bad
breeding. Gloves should be worn,
not so much as an article of conven-
, tional dress as for the protection OF
the hands, and 1t Is amusing to sec
people taking far more care to pre-
serve their gloves at the expense OF
their hands than their hands at the
expense of the gloves. :
In Belgium, which may be regarded
IS the country where the finest
gloves are made, the king distin-
yuishes himself by never wearing
gloves, not even when in full uniform
turing the coolest weather Strict
on the subject OF etiquette. he. how
ever, insists that his gentlemen-in-
waiting and aid de-camp should be
irreproachably gloved. The majority
Of the members OF the Mobiles club
and other similar institutions at
Brussels follow the kings example
and go ungloyed.
In England, on the other hand, the
prince OF Wales is invariably gloved-
and extremely we'll gloved at that
He wears gloves whenever he stirs
out OF the house, and in the evening
ut tho theater or at private enter'
tainments, his hands arc always en-
veloped in well-cut, single-button.
pearl-gray kids. He retains his glove
when shaking hands, but the person
whom he thus greets is expected to
bare his hand before extending it.
Thus, Mt the levees held by the prince
on behalf of the queen at St James
palace, the ushers and other func.
tionaries OF tho lord chamberlain'e
department who arc on duty arc care
full to see that each man before enter-
ing the royal presence has his right
hand barred and his left carefully
glovcd.
In the middle ages the etiquette
with regard to gloves was far more
stringent than it is at present. For
instance. no one was permitted to
enter church wearing gloves, 1t be-
ing considered as much out OF place
us it nowadays would be to rcmain
in any sacred edifice with hat on
Nor were the great officers of the
royal and imperial courts permitted
to wear gloves while fulfilling their
official duties. 1t was forbidden in
France for the coachmen and grooms
to enter the royal stables without
previously removing the gloves FROM
their hands.
Curiously enough, gloves went out
Of fashion almost entirely during the
! latter portion Of the eighteenth CEN
tury, and only reappeared after the
great French revolution 100 years
ago. The first gloves that
were ever heard OF are those men
toned in the history of tho Roman
war against the Gauls. The latter.
we are told, had their hand enveloped
in coverings made of the skins OF
nnimals in order to preserve them
from the cold.
One of the peculiar features OF the
madness Of the ill-fated ex-Empress.
Charlotte. of Mexico, is that she re-
cuires fresh pair OF pearl-gray.
two-buttoned kid gloves on rising
every morning throughout the year.
II by any mishap there is no fresh
| pair at hand, and an attempt is made
to furnish her with gloves that are
not entirely new, her insanity as
.uInes for the moment a violent form
and continues until she is appeased
by fresh pair.