The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-28
THE DECAY OF MANNERS.
A Code of Courtesy on n Postcard.
Breeding in Austria.

Among the many peculiar devices adopt
ed by those weekly newspapers known as
society journals" for attracting popular
attention and incidentally Increasing their
circulation, l find an offer of a prize for
the most satisfactory code of good man
ncrs that can be submitted on postcard.
There is something exceedingly modern
and characteristic OF the present age In
the idea, which naturally suggests the re-
hecuon that all the manners of the day
could easily be registered on postcard
with room TO spare. our foretathers may
possibly have erred i'm eXaggeration of
puncthlo The people of the present day,
however, rush to the other extreme, cour-
tesy and poiteness being .roduced to an
almost innnitesimal point, and there can
be little difficulty in recording a code of
manners of society as now constituted ON
postcard seeing that there are hardly
any manners at all that are worthy of
the name. This is all the more strange
since tho present age As marked by an
almost inordinate craze for what is old
fashioned, and by It's ability to appreciate
in a moro extensive degree than any
previous epoch all that Is graceful and
artistic. Selflshness and haste, however,
serve to counterbalance the taste for the
aesthetic and the loveaforsAvhat Is ''vieux
regime" Their own wishes, whims and
comfort are the first and foremost of all
tine considerations OF people nowadays,
while they are so pressed for time that
they can rarely spare sufficient thereon
to permit them to accord adequate regard
for the feelings OF their neighbors.
Yet the very selhshness of thus placing
comforts and lodgings above all other con-
siderations should result In more atten-
ton than Is paid nowadays to good man
ners. me great Taileyrand was wont TO
declare that The who had not lived be-
fore 1883 knew but little of the sweetness
and charm of life" The old-fashioned
courtesy of those ante-revolution days was
based mainly on the principle that II Is
necessary to pay due regard TO the feel
ines of others il you wish them TO consider
your own, and to yield thereto rev coun-
tries have retained any vestige of these
ideas, not even France, formerly so noted
for its pre-eminence in everything per-
tria that Is best Off in this respect, and
the result rs that In no other capital Is
social intercourse so delightful, so unaf-
fected and at the same time polished as
at Vienna. Nowhere else arc women the
object of so much chivalrous Difference
which, contrary to the practice that pre-
walls In other countries, increases with
in Austria no man would ever dream of
receiving a ladys extended hand without
bowling to kiss IL, the woman of the world
reserving their right hand for the lower
classes and their left hand, that Is to say,
the hand nearest the heart, for their
equals Children even when grown up,
always kiss the hands of their parents be-
fore venturing t0&raise theipefaces for a
kiss, and 1t may be mentioned Incidentally
that Is a form of Difference which every
one of Queen Victoria's children, grand
children and great-grandchildren are ac-
customed to accord to the illustrious old
lady. Girls and young married women In
Austria, no matter how lofty their station,
do not consider Ii in any way beneath their
dignity to kiss the hand OF ladies who have
attained a certain age, and the result Is
that in the dominions of that most chiv-
alrous of monarchs, Emperor Francis J0-
seph, a greater uegree of sympathy pre-
walls between young and oid Women, less
bitterness on the part Of the latter, more
kindly regard on the part OF the former,
than anywhere else IN the world. Indeed,
of old ladies, and there, at any rate, age
does not bring in its train neglect and dis
courtesy on the part OF men, or even OF
the women.
Nor IS this polish of manner which has
its origin in a hndliness Of heart and in
a desire not merely TO avoid paning but
to give pleasure, confined to the relations
that exist between men and women, or
among the women themselves. The men
are courteous In the extreme to one an-
other, even in cases where the closest
kind of intimacy prevails. Thus a couple
OF officers may be sufficiently warm
friends to have no secrets from one an
other, and TO address one another with the
pronoun "du" or 'thou." hut this Assoc
citation is never regarded as warranting
the neglect Of those many little courteses
and manifestations of regard that are held
in Austria to be indispensable 20 social
Intercourse. 1t would not permit, for in
stance, the one to dispense with touch.
ing his cap to the other when meeting him
in public, of Offering light before apply
ing the match to his own cigar, OF hold
ing back 20 make way when entering any
thousand OF little odds and ends that con-
stltute in their tout ensemble" what are
known as good manners" In Austria
l have known two old friends, fellow-otii-
GERS in the same cavalry regiment, to hght
a sanguinary duel because the one had so
particularly jovial dinner, as 70 MI the
others wineRlass by tipping the bottle
negligently backward, instead OF taking
the trouble to incline the bottle forward.
Tft he ~ Intimacy which mad
isted between them for ten or twelve years
previously. nor yet the wine when had
been consumed at dinner, was held 70 cx-
cuse such lack of courtesy, and Il was
generally held that nothing but blood could
wipe out the insult. -
This refusal to permit familiarity 70
breed contempt far from detracting from
the charm and facility or friendly inter-
course, on the contrary, promotes them.
For IL relieves one of the necessity OF be-
ing forever on ones guard, as one is
Obliged TO be In other countries, ana es-
pecially in those where the English Ian
guage Is spoken. In order to resent rude
ness In this country. as in England, 1t Is
BY no means uncommon TO hear men OF
birth and breeding giving one another
the le If not In so many words, at any
rate by means Of a point blank denial of
a statement made. IL Is dii1cult 70 con-
ceive anything more disconcerting 10
man Of delicacy and refinement, and yet
Il Is thought quite natural and unworthy
Of being resented. Al Vienna such a
thing, however. would not be tolerated for
one minute anu u may DC 4tlL " Tue
readers OF the Tribune TO decide as TO
whether the Austrian or the Anglo-Saxon
ethics Of good manners in this respect are
most agreeable for social intercourse.
Here In the United States notable de-
crease Is to be observed In the courtesy
OF men toward one another during the last
two decades. Twenty years ago men OF
the best class in New York, Boston, Phil
adephia, Baltimore and Washington-I
mention the cities where / had most oc-
Caaion 10 study manners In 1873 and 1916
rarely met one another out OF doors with
out raising their hats from their heads.
It was "A piece Of Doliteness that was ac-
corded not only by the younger to the
elder men, but even by young clubmen TO
those OF their own age and Standing Yet
to-day the merest nod Is considered a SUI
flcent greeting, while "A full-fedgcd bow
from one man 10 another would be looked
upon IN the light OF ridiculous cxaggcra-
ton. In fact men do not even take the
trouble any longer 20 bow as formerly 10
women, and Il was but the other day that
j heard an Austrian great lady. "A warm
friend Of Princess Pauline Mettcrnlch, I'M
Qulrc IN the most ingenious and Innocent
way Of ~ man who had unconsciougly Of
Tended her sense Of proprlcty BY the char
acter Of his bow, whether he had not some