Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1916-04-07
STYLE CHANGES IN
POLITENESS

Many have been the changes ond
innovations of style in dress during
the decades since many of us were
boys. But perhaps in no other
custom has there been such radi-
cal change as in that of manners
or what used to be termed just or
binary politeness. We were forcibly
reminded of this fact few days ago
on being told of an experience one OF
our young men had while on a visit
to his parents home in one of the
"old-fashioned" Southern States. It
seems, according to the story, that
not long ago there came here on a
visit from his ancestors home town
a very pretty young woman who was
making her initial bow to western
society. In due course of time she
returned to her native city, doubtless
well equipped with narratives of var
ious sorts for the edificatiOn of her
friends. Recently the young man in
question met this young lady on the
streets in the little old Southern town
in which she had been bred and born.
He was in the company of two or
three young men of the town, and the
young lady was with some girl COM
panions. The parties halted as they
met, the young man nonchalantly, or
rather carelessly tipped the brim of
his hat and murmered his customary
salutation to the fair sex of Hello,
kiddo!" The other young men of the
party Ito the manner born) removed
their hats and stood with them in
their hands while talking with the
girls. Neither did they get off any
vaudevillian salutations by way of
greeting. Our young man felt rather
uncomfortable; he was embarrassed;
| it seemed to him that he had struck
an unfamiliar atmosphere; in fact,
he was out of his element. He had
come into a community where polite
ness was a refined and bred-in-the-
bone art-a quality that was inherent
and not acquired; a proud heritage of
blood from the old South: a quality
which, thank the Lord, in many sec
tions of the country is not yet on the
wane. To add to our young mans
discomfort the young lady whom he
had met when she visited in Oklaho-
ma took but little notice of his pres
ence; the other girls looked upon
him in an oddly mystified way, as il
at a loss in which category to place
his genus. In other words. the boy
was "de trop"; and he felt it.
In explaining her frigidity on the
occasion to the young man at later
meeting, the young lady said: 81
could not, with respect to myself, anC
the expectation of retaining the re
spect of my companions, acknowledge
the propriety of such a salutation a!
you made when you met me. 1t il
not the wav of this country; it is no
what girls in this State are raised Il
expect from men. / know you die
not mean any disrespect; but. oh. yol
must see now how we feel about it.
Our young man now knows hov
she felt about it; and he says he go
more training in real politeness il
that little old moss-grown befo' tn
war town in three weeks than he hat
dCQulTtu uuIAnS the pISCoulhS ycdi
of his young life. Before he left tn
home of his father and mother h
was much like the other lads of tn
= place in point of manners. He say
he feels a little out of place anon
some of the young men here at hom
since his return; but the girls seer
a to rather like the change in him.
= It is to be hoped that many of hi
5 friends will see fit to copy the bran
T of Difference and politenes that
has imported. There is as much dill
= ference between the visible display Q
n respect shown by the young towar
[ the old or the male toward the femal
[ in this country and all other wester
states and the chivalric obeisance {
! the old Southerner, as there is diffel
e ce in our other habits. Howeve
S it would seem 10 us that there shoul
s be noSchange in the style of our pC
s likeness nor a diminution in the Wis
y BILE marks of respect with which W
n greet our womenfolk or our elders.