The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1913-03-11
WHAT HAS BECOME OF
SOUTHERN CHlVALRY?

CleIlan. In conversation the
other day he said that the only
disappointment he had met
with in the South was the alb
sence of the much vaunted
Southern chivalry! For in
stance, he said, he noticed that
the majority of the young men,
especially the very young men,
between sixteen and t wenty-
five, did not take off their hats
to ladies, contenting them
selves with merely touching the
rims of their hats and caps. At
first this was Indignantly de-
MED by the group of those pres
ent, but since then several have
made it a point of noticing if
this were true and have found
it to be so. The gentlemen of
the older school still remove
their hats and bow, but boys
touch their caps or hats in most
instances.
1t is small thing in way,
but signifies great deal for the
instinct of a man who respects
womankind is to lift his hat
when he sees a woman, but the
average young man of today is
not overcome with respect for
the average young woman, and
it is impossible to say where
the fault lies.
Another sign that the old
time chivalry is passing is the
fact that it is no uncommon
sight now to see lady standing
in the street car-and even an
old lady-while the men are
seated. Several times recently
in the experience of the writer
this has happened, and more
than once she has seen young
or woman give up her seat to
a very old lady while young men
did not rise-a thing unheard
of in the South a few years ago.
Southerners used to be aston
iShed, and very caustic, when
ever they went North and saw
ladies standing in the aisles of
the cars-but now, alas, it hap
pens right here. The public
was interested to read in the
papers of the past week how
the future President of the
United States, Woodrow Will
son, gave his seat to a woman
in crowded car and stood a
long time in consequence. Pres
ident Wilson belongs to the old
school and could not sit down
while a woman stood. Men in
those days respected the wo-
manhood of their mothers in all
women, and it is sad indeed that
this is no longer the case. But
it cannot be altogether the
fault of the boys.
In the first place, if their
mothers taught them the prop
er observance of the smaller
courtesies it is hard to see how
they could be forgotten by the
young men from sixteen to
twenty-siX. The mother of to-
day may not train her son as
the mother of forty years ago
did. And also, do the girls re-
quire the respect that their
mothers did? Is it possible for
,, men to respect girls who dress
as the present exaggerated
style calls for; who dance the
worst of the modern dances
who allow men to call them by
their first name, and put up
with a hundred familiarities
that would have shocked her
mother-can the girls who do
these things expect the same
respect that their mothers re-
ceived? Do they want it? Of
course, no generalization is ever
true; there are girls now who
respect themselves and demand
: and receive the respect of men
: as much as women of any day
and generatiOn-wOmen whom
no man would fail to treat with
absolute courtesy and respect
And there are young men who
have the beautiful manners of
the Old-time Southern gentle
men-men who could not be dis
courteous to any woman-but,
alas, these are not in the ma
jority, and the men and women
of the South must commence tC
rain their children differently
from the average training of
today if the South is to keep her
name for old-time chivalry.-