Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-07-13
THE "GENTEEL FEMALE"
Quaint Rules of Etiquette for Ladies'
Fifty Years Ago.


books. pushed by judlcous advcrtis
ING To brief hut glorious popularity
lts pages, once thumhod by the "gentee
iVulale' of half Il century ago. are era,
win inc dust of oblivion its pnstin,
bravery OF binding long since dminet
" tple' us yellow leaves redolput If q
forgotten day. IL occupies mt best at
obscure place on the shelves NJ an old.
laShioned library; and yet it reflects
NO less faithfully than more precautions
| chronicles, certain phases OF the life OF
a yauquished generation.
me tue, IN faint, gilt letters. ~ still
| legiblc Oh the cover: "Thc Ladies
Guide TO True Politeness and Perfect
Manners-by Miss Leslie" The book
bears The imprint of Peterson 4 Broth
ers, Philadelphia. but as the title page
aud iirst half dozen leaves are missing
| !uere rs nothing to Indicate the date OF
| gus publication save the assertion In the
! pack OF The book that Petcrson's pub
! ltatons. including Reynolds great
works aud Doves Patent % Sermons.
| are suitable for the PnrloE Library.
| sitting room, Railroad Camp steam
boat Army or Soldiers Reading. "
! THIS, | infer places the publication 81
ne volume in the early sixties.
Many of It's precepts are calculated to
| arouse astonished mirth IN the TWEEN
tlclh-conturN new woman, who
wouldn't be "Eenteel" II she could, and
VINO long ago ceased to- BE- called a
female Take, for instance the adj
uonition not to rock In rocking chairs.
The dizzy and ungraceful practise OF
rpcking IN a rocking chair says Miss
Leslie. Is NOW discontinued by all
seuteel people except when entirely
alone. lady should never be seen
10 rock IN a chair, and the rocking
of gentleman looks silly Rocking is
"hlS tit for n nurse putting Il baby TO
al. NJ
rocking chair they usually rock " over
backward. These chairs arc now Sell
dom seen IN parlor."
In the chapter ON dress we are for
hidden Ia wear black silk mlttcns to
breakfast, THE fashion OF wearing
black silk mittens to breakfast
Is now obsolete 1t is Al
ways inconvenieut and neither useful
nor ornamental" Inconvenience well
rather, Fancy buttering toast. cutting
UP chops, and breaking soft-boied eggs,
in black silk mittens! The last state OF
those mittens would have been decided
~ worse than the first. It is to be
hoped that the genteel female yielded
to superior wisdom and abandoned this
custom. as well as the equally perni-
cious habit of eating pie with a fork.
1t is an affection Of ultra fashion to
cat pie with a fork warns Miss Leslie.
Did they use knife? we are relieved
10 learn few pages further on that
napkins were not placed under the I'M
terdict, for we are told Just how TO use
one: Having unfolded your napkin
secure il to your belt with a pin. to- pre-
vent IL slipping from your lap and
falling on the floor This may be done
so that The pinning may not be percep-
tible. Bring with you a spare pin or
two for this purpose or keep always
spare pincushion IN your pocket"
continuing her diSQUiSltiOn on table
etiquette our author makes the asser-
tion; Ladies no longer eat salt fish
at a public table. The odor OF IL is
now considered extremely ungenteel.
and II Is always extremely Disagree
able to those who do not eat II. If you
breakfast alone. You can then Indulge in
It. To all this we cheerfully agree.
though it would never have occurred to
Us to pronounce the odor of fish UNI
senteel; that seems quite too genteel
= word to describe it adequately.
In the paragraph on finger glasses
the manners of foreigners are shown up
In anything hut flatteriug light
"When the finger glasses are sent
round, dip clean corner OF your nap
Kin into the W, ter and wet your lips
with 1t, but omit the disgusting foroign
fashion of taking wafer iniu your
mouth, rinsing and gurglIng it round
and then splitting 1t back into the glass
and efficient washing Upstairs" Later
on, IN speaking OF toothpicks, our gem
lie guide To true polteness again finds
occasion TO criticise the manners of
Europeans. Abstain from picking
Your teeth mt table, Notwithstanding
that custom has allowed this practise |
in Europe, even in fashionable society. |
II is still very disagreeable one. and I
To delicate spectators absolutely sick
enlng To behold"
Nothing else in the whole book seems |
lutte so singular as the paragraph on |
the pronriety of wearing caps and the
'ghastliness' OF uncovered locks for /
n this day and age white hair is 1
thought 10 give touch of distinction
TO even the plainest face, and II wouls !
le difficult to persuade the modern /
bachelor girl that she is faced before
she reaches IS, and should retire grace
ully To the shelf, there to extlngulsh |
Ter Youth underan uncompromslng cap.
quote In full: Most American ladies
beyond the age of 80 look better In
caps than without them even IL their |
ialr shows no signs OF middle age Be
ore that time tho females of our coun-
ny begin TO fade. evinclng one effect
Il torrid summers and frozen winters.
tasteful and simply elegant cap i'm
larts "a grace and softuess to n faded
ace and renders less conspicuous the
'H"huS Oh tlIHe. a decidedly old lady, |
ersisting In going with her head un-
overed is "A pltiabe object, and SCARCE
} looks respectable, Worse sim, when
he takes to an auburn wig. Gray hair
s seldom unbecoming Ia mae To
roman 1t gives a mascl.iine aspect,
specially II worn without a cap; and
there Is an attempt at long gray
)cks, or rlnglets, the effect is strange
lid, and CHASTITY II Is far more be- I
oming for an elderly lady 10 give a
ark shade 10 her temples, and the {.
PIPER part 10 her forehead. by plain. ,
nipple, and becoming dark -cOlored /
rad, not intended 10 pass as her NAT /
raj hair, but merely that the face D
iould he set OF by due proportion OF
ladow--and not be All light or light
h. II decidedly old lady prefers
caring her own gray hair, let her part
smoothly on her forehead but
axe no attempt at curls and be sure
add u cap 10 it"
Miss Leslie advocates the wearing ~
bite stockings. since all black are
-lnful and Injurious 10 the feet. the
pperas dye being poisonous" A. 10
lltc Kid gloves, one should never trav-
IN them respectable women ncv-
DO" II rs also inadmlsa1ble TO try
In 4 H. F |