The Washington times., 1907-03-30
PROPER AND GRACEFUL WAYS
TO PRESENT A STRANGER

Presenting persons to each other is
one Of the little courtesies OF daily Life
so simple that it should be done cor
rectly without effort. The rules are in.
flexible. chief among them being thai
the man is always presented TO tbs
woman; that IS 20 say, the form Is such
that the woman, during the preSenta-
ton, IS usually asked II Mr. SO and Sc
may be introduced to her The intro
ductiOn may be put In the form of 9
question, as Mrs. So and So. may
present MIR Suith(to your or, Mrs
So and So I wish 10 present Mrs
Smith TO you. The hostess never says
10 the man: 7 wish to present Mrs. SO
and So"
1t is a rule that the younger woman
IS always presented tc the older one
and an unmarried woman TO a married
one. A young. man, OF course, is always
presented TO an older one. 1t is the
one making the Introduction cannot
be too particular In mentioning names,
and they should always be given clearly,
II is exceedingly trying for two persons
not 10 know what 10 can edch OJner.
In the case Of a married woman pre-
senting a person to any Of her rela-
TiVeS, the greatest care should be taken
to call the name, but altogether toe
often one hears matrOn say. I want
to present you TO my sister, or aunt,
or mother quite failing 10 say Whai
the name OF the relative is, and the
stranger knows that II is not that OF
the married woman.
The matron should always say, MY
mother. Mrs. Smith, for example or
My aunt Mrs. jones'
If q woman Is paying call and an
other comes in whom she does not know
the first guest should not rise or make
herself at all conspicuous. 1t IS the part
of the hostess to make the two known
10 each other, but the guest already
there should not seem 10 be putting the
hostess in the position of being obliged
10 present them II for any reason she
should not wish 10. If the first guest
knows the second one she. of course.
greets her as soon as the hostess has
done so.
It is not necessary, nor indeed expect
sd, that a woman shall rise to speak
@ the newcomer, unless the latter
Should be older. Youth always rises for
age If one is courteous. The hostess
stands TO welcome a new arrival but
the others merely bow as they sIs. A
woman never rises to greet man IN
less she wishes to pay him a special
IS when the woman is very young and
the man many years her senior.
Shaking hands is a custom much fall
en- into disuse and is omitted at the
usual first meeting. If the two people
being introduced are intimate friends
of the hostess they are apt to have
heard of and have an interest in each
other ana express cordially by shaking
t4oA4Go' n man 9ilouiH AcFtL piLCl MS
hand nrSt 70 a woman, but should he
do 10 a woman should take il. To re-
fuse is more than awkward. A hostess
or host So apt 10 shake hands with the
guests of their house simply because
ii makes their greeting more hospitable,
but il is not obligatory. II IL were pos
sible 10 sum the thing fixedly one would
say that with friends one shook hands
because one wished 10, and TO acquaint-
ances merely bowed But this is not a
fixed principle of etiquet. There is much
leeway.
It is quite unnecessary to introduce a
newcomer TO the guests already assem-
bled during an afternoon call. She
should be presented to one or two near