Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-11
ABOUT INTRoDUCTIONS.
slippery Ground Where Good Feeling
and Common Sense Are the BEST

From the Philadelphia Press.
Sufficient sympathy for the man who did
not save another from drowning because
he had not been introduced has never been
aroused. Quite possible he was victim OF
the etiquette books. which have stuffed his
head fun Of directions for every possible
emergency, save that OF addressing an en-
tire stranger with a view to saving his life
To some of the people who earnestly study
How" ami Don't this department of
social amenities remains an unchartei
ocean, and you need only pretend to a little,
Il very little knowledge TO he taken private
~ aside every now and then and anXiously
asked: What is the etiquette of intro
ductions:
Much mental peace and prosperity would
follow the digestion OF this one fact-that
etiquette has very little to do with H.
Imitators Of our ill-mannered stcp-rrlatives
across the sea thy the way, We Phiadel-
phianS are accused of being In this respect
like them have enGeavored To make a
harl-and-fast rule in the matter, but in
most quarters the simple old-fashiOnei idea
still prevails that en- Introduction is simply
a making known" of two people who Dug n {
to know each other. for one OF only two
reasons. either because they are mutually
CCngenial, or because they are about to be
thrown together into an extent which non
introduction would render embarrs ssng
This is in a nutshell the etiquette or ethics
whichever you please to call it. of the occa-
sion. There is only one other guide neces-
sary, and that to remember that since no
amount of custom or social rule can make
an intrinsically il-bred action anything but
ill-brei, an Introduction or non-introduction
which is likely to make any one UNICORN
Portable is to be avoided in the face of any
thing one may be told by men or angels, or
more terrible still-MrS. Grundy.
Subject to this exception, it is wisest not
to introduce people at casual meetings in
public places, street cars. stoI es, o. in the
a.
is Invariably that one person remembers the
introduction afterwa!d and the other does
not. with innumerable contingent unpleas-
antness. 1t Is bad enough for dancing &C
Guaintances to have the bother of an (al-
ways) unmutual decision as to whether fu-
tu-e recOgnitions is or is not desiTa BILE: and
when 1t comes to meeting the same problem
with people whom one has seen for one
minute on Il street corner ar IN a railway
station, it is toe much.
Aside from these instances, however
when in doubt introduce" is a very good
rule An eyer-moCted question which
everyone has her opinion, is whether or not
the hostess shall Introduce callers in her
ORA wing room. Common sense and the good
feeling would seem to indicate that il is
best to do SO. at least IN this city of stiff
ness" as We are Lnkindiy called; but she
who Ircfers the other course has the con-
ISOLATION of knowing herself upheld by a
number of our local editions of Ward Nc
AliiStCr.
ever. carry any consolation to the woman
who does that rudest of rude things-brings
a friend with her TO small gathering or
outing and introduces her to no one. At
large affair the thing Is permissible. though
a trfe snobbish; at small one, where peo-
pie are supposed to entirely mix. both the
friend and the rest of the party have a
perfect right to feel insulted. and not the
sanction of a princess could redeem the act
princess wouldn't do 1t. though, for OBJ
servation shows that the thoroughbred
have usually far less fear of introducing ac-
quaintances than those who are on the
social anxious seat; fact which calls for
Capt. Cuttle's advice. when found. make
a note Of"