The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-10-23
HANDS;IAKING IN ENGLAND.
Its Etiquette Not Easy to BE Mastered ny
Foreign Visitors,

Its E.iauotts Not Easy to BE Mastered ny
Foreign Visitors.
"On my first visit to England
says q man who is q persistent trav-
eler. ST was given letters of intro
duction to q family living in the
suburbs of Liverpool, which, on the
day following my arrival in that
city, l took occasion to present. 1
found the family, which consisted
of a mother, her two daughters and
q young lady fried, most charming
They were expecting me, their rela'
tives in America having written
them that + was coming, andl spent
a most delightful hour in their
home. At the same timo l could not
but feel that there was q certain
something in the atmosphere OF the
cali which was not quite right.
Either | had done something which
I ought not or / had loft upper
formed something which l ought to
have done.
LAS l brought my call to a close
this feeling grew stronger, and as
babe the young ladies good day and
bowed myself out Of tho drawing
room l was decidedly uncomforta-
bic. To add to my uncasiness my
hostess followed me down the entire
length of the long hall so closely
that l almost thought that, i'll spite
of tho excellent recommendations l
had brought, she feared l might
carry away with me some OF the X
ouisite bric-a-brac with which the
house was adorned. When / reached
the door end extended my hand to-
ward the knob to open it, to my ssr-
prise she grasped my o~utstretched
hand and gave it a hearty shake be-
fore letting me go out. Even then
I did not realize the situation, and
il was not until months afterward,
whom l had become very intimate in
this family, that they told mo how
strange they thought it that day
because | did not shake hands with
them all as they came into the room
and again as I went oNt.
Fortunately for me at the very
first house / visited after this a very
, bright woman, who was also staying
at the samo place, took compassion
on my American ignorance and very
delicately set mo right in this mat
ter.
; "The breakfast room was general
, " the meeting place in tho morning,
: and unless we were very early the
J hostess was there before Ms, seated
: at the head of the table. Etiquette
demanded that we shake hands with
. her first and then with such others
: of the party as were there before US.
Q Those who came later saluted US in
turn, SO that when the party was all
t assembled We had shaken hands
Y with each othor. at night, when VIC
prepared to go to bed, the process
was reversed, and tho hand of the
9 hostess was tho last we grasped be.
: fore we took our candles and wound
our way up the odd old stone stairs
!. to bed.
"Thon all through the day it al
) ways seemed to mo as If we indulg.
( ed in O dissipation of handshakine
u on every possible occasion, which
: had O tendency toward evening,
Q whom tho ncishbors were likoly tt
call, TO develop into q regular orgy,
I remember one evening in particu
lar. We wero out in tho garden en-
Q toying that hour of perfect twilight
which has nc counterpart in thi
IS country when a party of six from
s. neighboring house strolled in mere
g ly to exchange a friendly greeting
If Of course VIC shook hands all roun'
d when they came, and for some rea
i, son, I forget what now, / began t
keep count of how many times
X shook ON this occasion. / know the,
t. did not remain moro than 15 mir
utes, but / think they made on
le false start, and then at last I kno'
O.. wo walked down to the cato wit
them. Even then, however, wher
after they had gone and I reckone
y up and found that in that ono sho,
call of q quarter of an hours dur:
a. ton I had shaken hands "a times,
S, could not understand it, nor have
N ever been able to do SO since. I ca
y only think that, in the general e1
W oitement, l became confused an
H. shook hands with several of my ow
OF party OF possibly two or three time
u, with myself and did not know tt
lg difference. New York Times.