Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-17
KISSING THE HAND
Custom Has Recently Grawn in
Favor in France.
Female WORKERS WIN
Those on Prussian State Railroad Su-
perior to Man Employees.
CHERISHED PRIZE FOR GIRL
Custom of Paying Honor to Virtu-
Gus Women in Villages Of
France Continues.

Special CableSram 10 ne SUIT
|. PARIS, September 16.-The "baise.
MAN." which has always been more or
less in favor in France. has now attained
an extraordinary vogue. 1t is not only
in the salons Of Paris that one sees men
kiss the delicate fingers of their hostess,
but at all the fashionable seaside resorts
this summer and from Trouville to st.
Juan de Luz it has been remarked that
wherever ladies and gentlemen meet, in
the hotel hall, at the races or on the
beach, the women offer their hand and
the men. with a courteous bow. raise 1t
and kiss the finger tips. 1t is a pretty Gus
tom. but many English people have been
Directing to the 'baise-main' on the
ground that it is not in keeping with the
clothes men wear in 1911 They claim that
the gentleman should wear powdered
wig. silk stockings. knee breeches and
buckled shoes, and while he CALAMITY
bends over madame's .'joliem main his
left hand should rest on the hilt of his
sword.
This is all nonsense. What could be
more modern and prOsaic, less romantic
and picturesque than Care St Lazare?
through the station hotel, l noticed an
elderly couple take leave OF each other
in a manner which showed me that the
-baise-main'' is not thing of clothes or
headed old gentleman. with STOPPING
shoulders and frock coat. The lady.
evidently a Frenchwoman. was of the
hesse-douairiere" type. dignified yet
graceful. and wearing well made Paris
gown. They walked through the hall.
chatting and smiling. and when they
reached the foot of the steps and We're
saying goodbye the courtly old gentle
man raised the lady's hand and imprinted
kiss on the finger tips. The gesture
and a patrician would perform it. and the
amiable inclination of the ''duchesse-
douairiere's s. head stamped her as to the
manner born. OF course, they were French
and that makes a lot of difference.
Americans who have been brought up
to row and jump. to play foot ball and
golf, are not SO much at home in draw
ing rooms as Frenchmen. They prefer
the open air. ! have heard men from
America make fun Of the Frenchman 5
bow. But they could not do obeisance to
a lady half as we'll Perhaps part of the
explanation is that while Frenchmen
to the fair sex. Americans do not believe
in making fuss about their womenfolk.
Woman's Superiority Established.
A victory for the female workers OF
the Prussian state railroad, just con-
firmed by ministerial decree, will be
rather a sore trial to the consistency OF
the advocates of equality of the sexes.
for it establishes the Superiority of
women, and thus destroys the principle
for which they are striving. Henceforth.
according to the decree, railroad officials
of the male sex must be courteous to
their gentle Observation-Disclosures, even
should the latter occupy inferior rank
in the hierarchy. Until a few years ago
all Prussian railroad officials were men,
and, the organization being virtually on
q purely military basis, there was no
room for doubt about every subordinate
having to salute his superior, who saw
to II in his ingrained Prussian way that
he obtained his due quota of respect.
OF recent years. however, women have
won their way into the services as clerks.
Ever since there have been constant
chickering's between the women and the
male offlcials-and they were numerous
whose vanity of rank outweighed their
"rights" as "superiors' and dismissed all
claims for courteous treatment toward
interiors of whatever sex. The women.
on the other hand demanded to be treat
ed as Ladies' first and as officials after
ward. Eventually the murmurings of
both sides reached the ear of the minister
of transportation. with the result that
he has decreed in favor of the employees,
so that in future even the higher male
officials must act as gentlemen.
Receives Rosiere Prize.
Mile. Mallory has just received the Ro-
sieres prize at Vinay, near Grenoble. A
'tRosiere" is a maiden possessed Of all
the virtues. on whom. on that account,
a dowry is bestowed either by the mayor
and corporation of her native place or by
,,-s,n