The times., 1898-10-09
PoLITENESS.
An OId-Fashioned Manual of How
to Behave.
(From the Hartford courant)

(From the Hartford Courant)
How to behave" has always been an
important question, and the little mat
ters of bearing which fix a man social
status in this world have been the sub
ject of almost as many treatises as the
more important regulations of conduct
which fix his status with those who
judge man by his character. The
Scotchman's advice to his son about TO
leave home for the great world was:
Sandy, main yer boos and baud a grip
o. the bawbee," but even he put the
injunction mind your bows" (be po-
lite) before the great life-injunction,
Hold tight to the half-penny" The in
stitution of chivalry was a social school
which laid great stress on manners. The
knight was instructed to mind his
bows and graduate them carefully in
accordance with the social quality of the
person to whom he was bowling. He was
enjoined to rescue enchanted oamsels
in a courteous and stately fashion. A
code of rules was laid down to regulate
courtship, some of which must have ne
cessitated considerable self-denial, as, for
instance, the regulation that perfect
knight must not make love 20 a new girl
till he had mourned a certain time for
the last who had rejected him. In the
more important than they are at present.
The great law-givers were the French,
and their manuals were called ''civili-
ties" Extracts from one of them given
In a late number of Literature show that
table manners were an especial object
of interest then as now. AT the same
time they illustrate the great advance
In dinner-table furniture and implements
since 1882. Plates and spoons and knives
were in use, but forks, though invented,
were so rare that even the great royal
dandy, Louis XIII, used his fingers in
eating hash.
The writer of this old manual Of po-
liteness," which contained the laws of
good breeding but little more than CEN
tury ago in the politest nation In Eu-
rope, declares that the host should not
chastise his servants at the table and re-
minds the guest that If he swallows his
wine too rapidly he may choke himself.
which is impolite and inconvenient.'
The rule to go to dinner with clean
hands was already in vogue. but appa-
rentIy every one kept his hat on at dinner
for you ara told to remove 1t when a per-
son of quality drinks your health. Appa.
rently, too, there was but one towel, fol
| the manual states that "a dry corner
/ should be left for the person who is tc
use il next. THE napkin must be unfolded
in leisurely way and not as If you were
''eager TO pounce on the viands." You
are to wipe your knife and spoon on il
| after every course, but not to use it as
handkerchief nor rub your face nor scoul
your plate with it," This shows that
knives and spoons were scarce and one OF
! each must serve for the entire meal.
The guest is warned when the meat
comes on mot to gaze at II too earnestly
not to thrust out his plate with eager
ness" and ION no account to smack his
/ lips" If he takes anything too hot into
| his mouth he is to remove it quickly
| and pass it behind him to waiter. Polite
ness requires that this be done politely
but you are not expected to commit sui.
! eide" In drinking wine it is considered
| good form to empty the glass at
/ draught and to leave no heel taps. Thi:
rule is probably a legacy from a still ear
| lier time, when there was but one glas.
! for the table. If a lady drank it was
customary for attendants TO stand or
! each side of her and hold a napkin under
| her chin, which must have been an i'm.
! pressive sight. It was at that time a:
now, mark of ill-breeding to blow ou
the cheeks in drinking, to gurgle loudly
or to set the beaker down with snort OF
satisfaction
the following rules are marked by good
| sense and are as valid now as they were
| in 1872:
Avoid putting a second morsel into the
mouth before the first is swallowed. 1t i.
! improper to make two mouthfuls of one
spoonful. Persons of good breeding never
| swallow without masticating. If the plate
| before you is not quite clean. do no
! scrape it with your fingers: ask for an.
| other. 1t is impossible to admire the
| guest who regards his neighbors with q
! sidelong glance to see If their plates are
( better filled than his. Do not try to ea
| soup with a fork. The plate should no
be scraped with the spoon or fork, as Il
the guest expected never to dine again
Make as little noise as possible in swal.
/ lowing. Do not pile up your plate till
it will hold no more. Do not on any ac
count clutch your plate with your lef
hand. as if you feared that some one
| would snatch 1T from you. Meat shoul'
not be dipped in the salt cellar or th
mustard pot; take a little salt and mus
tard on your plate. No one of good breed
ing beats a bone on the table. or shake
it. to extract the marrow: 1t is better t
leave the marrow alone"
Judging from the above and some o
the manuals of manners" of the presen
day, we should say that the author o
the old "civility'' was Still living and get
ting out new editions of his book. 1t mus
be one of his descendants who writes tn,
answers to correspondents on questions
of etiquette in the ladies journals.
Fashions change, but men remain subjec
to the new ones as they were to the old.
A Pure Fiction.
(From the London Truth.)