The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-28
ENGLISH MESS ETIQUETTE.
Rules Which Govern British OIL
GERS When They Dine Together.

Rules Which Govern British OIL
GERS When They Dine Together.
youngster joining his regiment is con-
fronted with, among other things. the
mess rules, copy of which is given 10
him 10 read, mark learn and nwardly
digest. These rules which in many re-
spects resemble those of club contain
full information regarding the etiquette
of the mess, but there is also a vast
amount of unwritten law to trip up the
embryo "Bobs," and while the bulk of
the rules are common 10 all regiments,
the majority of corps have one or two
special regulations of their own
AS dinner or mess" is defined in the
Queens regulations as a parade it is not
unnatural that a great deal of ceremony
and etiquette should hang round this
meal.
In the first place, every one must APP
pear properly dressed. 1t is not meant
That officers are in the habit of attending
mess clad in pajamas, but simply that ev-
cry one unless special permission has
been obtained beforehand, must appear
in mess dress, and his uniform must be
correct in every particular. Herein lies a
fruitful source of error, as the orderly
omcer dressing in a hurry may forget
V,
a careless servant may omit to put in
his masters badges or coat buttons.
In every regiment a president and vice
president of the week are appointed 40
sit al mess. They have the power to call
Offenders to order and to enforce fines
OF which more anon, but the real respon-
sibility for the good order and discipline
OF the mess is vested in the senior officers
present who, strictly speaking, should
not sit as president.
In addition, the president and the vice
have the pleasing duty of proposing the
Queens health, which is usually drunk
once a week on guest nights
As soon as the wine has been brought
in the president raps on the table. rises
and says, Mr. Vice, the Queenr' All rise
and Mr.. Vice replies, Gentlemen, the
Queen"' The band plays the national an
them, at the conclusion of which every
one says 1.-THE Queen" and drinks his
wine. In some regiments IL is customary
10 add God bless her. but in others this
is regarded as superfuous, and akin to
gliding the lilies
1t is a terrible breach of etiquette to
drink or even sip ones wine (the after
dinner wine, bien entendu) until Her Ma
jesty's health has been duly honored, and
many a new subaltern has been caught
over this point by a sportive elder. Your
health, Mr. Green" says the old stager,
raising his glass Mr.. Green, fattered and
nervous, hastily responds, and gulps his
wine down, only to find yet another ad-
ded to the long list of fines he has in ell
probability already incurred.
Formerly IL was the courtly but expen-
sive custom to at once destroy the glass
which had been raised TO the Queen, but
this, with other relics of the past, has
fallen into desuetude. The bandmaster is
invited in after "the Queen" and has a
glass Of wine and a cigar. 1t is etiquette
10 offer, and for him to refuse, a second
glass.
No one may leave the table without
permission until the wine has been
round once (on regimental guess nights
until the guest of the evening has risen,)
and up till that time shop ladies
names, religious and political topics are
strictly tabooed Talking shop" by the
way, is a regulation more often honored in
the breach than in the observance at vol
unteer dinners, which not infrequently
degenerate into mere war games.
To touch any of the regimental plate is
a heinous offense, though not so bad as
wearing a ready-made tie, as the sloven-
~ will sometimes do. Pipes, of course,
are forbidden, and at one time spirits and
beer were prohibited az the mess table.
This enactment still survives in some mill
tary regiments.
The ingenious youth who likes to per
form tricks with glasses and tumblers is
ant to find it an expensive amusement,
as he is charged skiold for all breakages
while purely accidental damage costs the
clumsy one only double the original value.
Mention has been made of the fines
which may be inflicted The customary
fine IS one two or three bottles of cur
rent-e not a, Mr.. Printer, please-wine,
which may be consumed on the spot or
debited to the offenders mess bill. For
ofrenses committed outside the mess room
the fine is drinks all round
In the ante-room etiquette is somewhat
relaxed You may mention your adored
ones name with impunity, and you may
smoke a pipe, but not a clay, in which
category even the lordly meerschaum is
placed greatly to the discontinue of the
mana bout-town from Sandhurst, who os-
tentatiously produces his YEARLY colored
foam of the-sea." and is inexpressibly
hurt when told to take that beastly clay
outsider When our victorious legions re-
turn from Pretoria IL Is not improbable
that regiments may find il necessary to
Introduce new rule forbiddng Boer to-
baCco in the mess.
Boer tobacco is cool, sweet, remarkably
cheap and you can smoke any quantity
without suffering next morning, but in a
room it stinks with a mighty stink
shop" red books and novels come I'M
der the ban but there is always a plen-
tiful supply of newspapers and periodicals
for the literary officer
Perhaps the most curious regulation Is
that which forbids any one to draw his
sword in the mess premises. As for our
officers, except in the famous Indian regi-
ment of Guides, do not sit down to dinner
armed capable, this rule applies espe-
cially to the ente-room where just before
nuzzzEhxzazzzzEzzxxnEszEzzzzzzzEwx