The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-17
SUMMER MANNERS IN TOWN.
BlsB THAT COMES TO REOPLEIWITH
TEE HOT WElTHER
C~onventionanty and Formally Take an

ConVentiOnality and Eormality Take IN
Outing with Mrs. Grundy and Allow
Those Left Behind 70 BE Comfortable.
When the cats away the mice will play. When
Mrs. Grundy and her suite have disappeared on
their summer fitting, the town seems to heavo
a sigh OF relief. II isn't exactly for JOY. Things
do seem q. bit dull and lonesome. There's no
denying that. But the whole town kind Of re-
lakes. It unfastens its collar. takes OF It's coat
unbuttons IL waistcoat, ~Rndlspreads itself out
with the evident intention OF being as comfofta-
bic as It possibly car.
There's o sort Of understanding among the
people who stay in town. II IL not q season Of
great expectations In the line Of convention
ality. There's a truce in effect which puts q
stop to the exchange Of deadly formalitles.
Traditions Of etiquette are folded away with
winter clothing. and the veneer Of good form
melts in the heat. People wink at one another's
~frailtles. and nobody tries to be correct. Exact
ing. high struck. ambitious New York Of the
season becomes a beautifully bourgeois place,
where first instincts are unashamed and un-
afraid.
All this IL true not only Of indoor manner
but Of outdoor ones as well. Street ethics arc
not the same In July as they arc In January. or
even in May. Would two well-bred young
women go street-ca riding in the month Of May
and at 1.-THE hour Of 9 I, NJ, Just for tho pleas
ure OF it3 That's what they do in July. and
far worse than that.
Summer, people in town make discoveries
which are impossible In the winter. For In
stance. that there IL no place more convenient
for tho purpose Of cherry eating than the end
seats in open street cars. 1t is cherry eat
ing reduced to the easiest form imaginable. 1t
is such o simple thing to throw the stones into
the street. It will probably be a blow to those
who have Rono out Of town to hear that
annh Nhip~ 90 arn rOfn. IN In thn oftv p,,k fhav
are; and the best OF IL is that there is q tacit
| agreement to be comfortable and plebeian. and
everybody is In the game.
The women unbend even moro than the men
do. but maybe that's because the women are
sitter about matters OF form as a general
thing. At any rate the summer girl in all her
forgery at a summer resort isn't half 30 ador-
able-ask some Of the young men In New
York-as the girl who goes to the door with her
caller here in town and stands there for FIVE
minutes moro Of q visit, Watching the lamps OF
the wheels and the cabs coming down the street
like so many great ~flreflies. while the flicker
ing light from the street lamps falls on her W
face. She seems quite a different creature from
the girl who. In winter. DOVE him out rather
formally from the centre OF the drawing room.
| Then she was one of the creatures q man calls
on; now she seems to be one Of the kind with
whom q man could get along. a phrase which,
in q young mans meditations. is fraught with
Il may seem as II above instance belonged
to indoor manners rather than to those of the
several links which. in the summer. make the
most casual passerby a part of the. romances,
Anybody can stroll along The a almost dess sEtesdi
uptown st STREETS rect, on 11I 2 warm evening nd e IND Ttft,an
Ss one %ind s1R and dS she e PG Sitting h Ss Tie X s otRe1s:
Oh. but that is not 50 far in those narrow city
hh0useSl ,on The ~ very didm nIoa !, with Il which the gas
shaded lamp somewhere back in the, room.
windows. mamma doesn't, object, and it keeps
the pants pants a IN the Window ndo Il boxes 9tt,s ' and in IN sho Sf
anything goes In this hot weather and she Is so
adorably lenient that he almost, breads Sep
stili: eyerysbodAE. isn't Of the calling or ,ea |. !,
the general summer amnesty. howeeyerP. Every cry
tSeIr c sEor PFofs T ~ #; 3 the an women aif g g % espesiaf
pair Of gloves Staf IN her egG hands ~oi Il IS a ain fi1e SIr protest
Of her, conscience and doesn't cost much. as one
last week They were walking. along q street
rival, holding hands in the excess Of their de-
light at seeing each other again. Several people
but only smiled an indulgent smile.
r, IMhafs A. NIL VII o people think z demanded the
v'ss' oS; R Re?di gn' StatfSShi nPf IN 9f RSs % sa anssS sm' W. just
live and let live"
o course there are limits to this relaxation.
People still use forks in eating. Collars and
cuffs continue to be worn-in public. The sound
Of the smacking Of soup is not even quite 80
loud as usual. because soup is less in demand.
Men do not wear their hats In the house any
more than they would in January-not so much.
There Is a pronounced increase In the num-
Der OF men who take om their hats IN elevators
act Of politeness when. there are no women
present Il is a good thing to get into a habit.
1t. is evident. therefore. that the dear de-
parted at the summer resorts need not mourn
too much over the unconventional state OF
they needn't be too full Of pity. There is com
pensation in most things, and even a summer
In the city has it's attractions. It's a case OF
"unbend. be easy. and do what comes handiest,
for tomorrow people will be coming, home with
and WOO unto the man or the woman who isn't
good, formI" When that, time comes those
By one another in tHe secret Mum viii be BE- liz