Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-13
MANNERS OF NATIONS
AN ENGLISHMAN SAYS FRENCH
MEN ARE RUDE.
Italians the Most Polite People in
Europe-Those Of Great
Britain Next.

we us q HaIlOH are usually the reverse VI
seif-depreciatory, but it is curious to note
that on the subject Of our manners we
generally speak most humbly, though. as a
matter Of fact, they compare very favor
ably with those of other nations. I have
lived great part of my life abroad, and
possess a sufficient duency in three foreign
languages to have acquired something more
than an ordinary outsiders knowledge of
the French, the German and the italian as
they really are. The conclusion that have
arrived at is that in Italy the truest cour-
tesy is to be found; but I cannot by any
means admit that the Englishman would
change for the better II he were to initiate
the customs prevalent among Frenchmen
or Germans either in their own countries
or abroad.
In the first place, the politeness of the
French Is one Of the many great unex-
ploded myths. 1t has been so often said
that the French is the politest nation in
the world that many people have accepted
the assertion as true without investigation.
Lewis Carroll told us In THE Hunting OF
the Shark IF 1 say 1t three times, 1t u
true" And therein the witty cleric showed
profound knowledge Of human credullty.
It Ia in virtue of the same principle that
| the French have managed to preserve a
served, but which they certainly don't de-
serve now. Let any enc who discredits this
question a plain, elderly and uninfiuential
Frenchwoman. The answer will be reve-
lation.
l saw 1t stated recently that in France a
man took off his hat on entering and on
leaving cafe. restaurant or shop. Also
that when two men who knew one another
met in the street they doffed their head
gear. And it was more than limited that
We were very uncivilized in emitting these
formahties.
French Bad Manners.
Now, 1 have lived in Paris for theh last
three years. and have had the good luck to
mix with every class Of society, and I can
confidently assert that Frenchman does
not take off his hat on these occasions; and
there Is really no good reason why he
should. The Englishman who uncovers at
every opportunity and who addresses the
walters as monsieur" "a friend Of mine
did until L told him he should say mon
seigneurD, only emphasizes the fact that
he is not Frenchman.
The old test Of the omnibus, tramway or
traan-a lady getting in and there being no
vacant seats perhaps the best criterion.
Take a bus or the Metro and watch.
The woman is young and pretty; every
one looks UP: each male eye takes the in
ventory as only French eye knows how to
do It,
And that woman can have the choice Of
all tie seats occupied by men. 1t is
| worthy Of remark that the man who yields
his seat ahghts. as often as not. at the
same time as the lady. But another wo-
man gets in. shabby and unlovely, perhaps
child in her arms. There is the same
look up. the inventory is quickly taken.
"Rien a faire!' The eye is cast down
again on M. Harduins article, and 1t is
perhaps another woman who gives up her
seat.
And here comes a parenthesis. The
FrenchWoman, who has been cruelty ma
ligned by the writers Of her country pos
sesses all the tact and real goodness Of
heart which are the basis of true polite
ness. | take my hat off before the women
of France.
German Brutishness.
And now to turn to Germany. The stua-
ton may be summed up in a few words:
German manners cannot be discussed, be-
cause they do not exist. 1t Is this absolute
lack of manners which enables a German
to interrupt his walk and stand full min
ute before a woman. staring fixedly at her.
It also explains why German will light a
cigar in railway carriage labeled mon
smoking although there are ladies in it,
without asking permission.
An anecdote by way Of illustration An
Englishwoman lately went into a German
post office to send off some telegrams She
patiently waited her turn to be attended to-;
but when 1t came German pressed in in
front of her, and the clerk amusedly re-
marked: 1T doesn't matter, It's only an
Engishwoman."
Unfortunately for the clerk the lady had
high spirit and fluent knowledge Of Ger
man. To add to the clerks discontinue,
it turned out that the lady was in attend
ance on royal parsonage closely related
to the kaiser, and one of the kilograms hap
pened to be addressed to the King of Eng
land.
The subsequent apologies were as meanly
serVlle as the previous remark had been ar
rogantly insulting. Unfortuna tely, the Ger
mans and French do not assume any bet
ter manners when out of their own coun-
tries. The latter travel but little; the Ger
mans, however. overrun Switzerland and
Italy, and would spoil those two beautiful
countries more entirely than twenty times
the number of English tourists were it pos
sible to spoil them. But, happily, nature
reigns so gloriously there that the pleasure
of him who loves her cannot be spoiled by
the triiing inconvenience of occasionally
meeting Hl-mannered Doors.
The italian Model.
italian manners cannot be praised too
highly. At home and abroad the Italian
carries with him the kindliest and most
lovable of natures. His politeness is ex-
tended to all-rich and poor, humble and
great-and is not reserved for the pretty
comes next.
The Englishman who travels Is drawn
from much wider class than the travelling
Frenchman or German, and in making any
comparison this fact must be taken into
account But the educated Englishman be-
HAYES well abroad he does at home
and far better than the average French
man or German of the same class; and
Though in making this statement I am sure
of finding many contradictory he is a bet
ter linguist
The best sign of good breeding abroad is
noncompliance with them would wound
the feelings of the citizens of the country,
and in this the Englishman sets an example
which might well be followed Last year,
when the Empress Frederick died, all the
English in a town where l happened to be
put on mourning. Hardly a German
thought that good taste demanded his doing
the same.
In France, when the "Marseillaise'' has
been played, l have seen Englishmen rise
and take off their hats, while the French
re manned glued to their seats and their
hats remained glued to their heads. If
ever disrespect is shown by the Engishman
| in France for the existing Institutions of
| the country much excuse may be made. A
| large class of Frenchmen set the example.
Plague in San Francisco.
| From American Medicine.