Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-02-10
UNINTENTIoNAL INSULTS.

UNIV LIN lS/lNNI tNOOI o.
Persons Must Be Very Careful When In q
Foreign Country.
A short time back a complaint
was received by the authorities
through the Chinese legation that
the gentleman representing her maj
esty in China had been guilty of
conduct unbecoming an ambassador
and a gentleman; that he had in
suited the Chinese cabinet. Investi-
cation, however, showed that the
only conduct of which he had been
guilty was humping the table. at
which he was sitting to emphasize
a remark. OF course no notice was
taken of the affair, but, all the
same, the diplomatists of China
were offended, for in that country
it is an insult to the assembled COM
pany to thump the table.
1t only shows how careful one
should be in foreign country. In
England, if friend is visiting an
other and stays to dinner. he may
ask for the loan of a hairbrush with
out giving ofense, but i'll Hungary
he may not. To attempt to borrow
that useful article is one of the
greatest insults which can be offered
to Hungarian and one which will
in most cases cause a duel.
In France there are several insults
which the unwary foreigner may
offer without knowing it. For ex-
ample, he may be visiting a friend
and may put his hat upon the bed.
This is grievous form of insult,
but why it is not known. It is a
very ancient one, and so probably
results from an old superstition.
Again, there are two ways Of
pouring out wine in France, as ev-
erywhere else. One of these is to
hold the bottle GO that while pour
ing the thumb is facing the table
cloth. The second way is to hold
the hand reversed-that is, with the
knuckles downward-and this is a
great insult to the Assem- bled guests
and the host, a far greater insult
than drinking health in water, and
that is pretty serious in France.
Germany has some curious forms
of insult. To begin with, to offer a
rose OF any other flower without
any green or leaves with it to lady
is to deeply insult her, though why
this should be SO is not known pre-
cisely.
The German students are formed
into corps, some of which are fight
ing corps and others not. Each
corps has its distinctive cap, and
when member of one meets an
other in the street it is etiquette for
each to dof his cap. Should the
other not respond a complaint is
made to his corps, and duel is
fought real duel, with sabers or
pistols, not the fencing duel which
is pastime in Germany, just as foil
ing or single stick is in England-for
the insult is nearly the worst that
can be offered.
There is one worse, and that is
splitting or Ticking beer over another
student purposely. No apology will
wipe out this offense. Nothing
will, except a duel to the death or
a duel which is continued until one
of the combatants is too badly
wounded to continue the fight. A
minor insult is to refuse to drink
with student if invited or to re-
fuse to respond with "Prosit when
he raises his glass and says, "Icth
Komme vor," but this is more a
breach of good manners than an
actual insult.
We might finish with two Span
ish examples Of curious insults in
South America. The first of these
is to refuse to smoke cigarette
which another man offers you after
he has had it in his mouth, and the
second is to refuse drink out of the
same glass that man has just
drunk from, or, worse still, to wipe
it before drinking. London Tit
Bits.