Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-30
AS ONE WOMAN SEES 1T
Definition Of Provlneiallsm Is Also
Largely a Question Of Geography.
One Should Conform to Gus
tom for Courtesy's Sake
BY SARAH ID. LOyyRIE

| WE WE'RE discussing provinsiadslnma ., ncn,ds,,on
| W group OF us-npropoS the convention
ailties obtaining In city ana those or
small town and those of country village.
| AND one woman said provlnclnllsm was an
inability to adapt oneself to ones pres
ent environment. She held that 1t was quite
as provincial for New Yorker not to adapt
herself to country town as for a country
town visitor to overstcp the mark In New
1ork, or underStep 1t, rather.
| Another woman OF the group gave an
amusing instance OF provincialism, her own,
us matter OF Iact.
she was In Europe travelling ana was
asked by one OF her near OF KIN, VINO was
living in Italy, to stay for month with
| him. AS he lived in very beautiful and
| interesting ltailan toWn, ana III cnarmlns
! house, she accepted with great pleasure'
| thinking that she could sightsce at her ease
| and get taste OF ltalan ire on the SIDE
| from her klhsman s Wldc circle OF iriehds'
| But she tound TO her conservation tnat sue
| was Ill tor the whoe Ensilsh ana AmeLichu r
| colony ana thclr social amusemchts, nttlc
| OF real ltalian society ana mere shatch ot
Sightseeing on the sue. ,-, =
| she round her klnsmoh took MS r9ie OF
| cicerohc very SERIOUSLY aiiu 1iler e"ch 30
he took her graycly to account regarding me
| manner IN Whlcn snc hau 1eparteu lroni 'he
| prescribed rltual' VI lsenhs uhcer.nih u
| 10 her aWareuness OF wnst WIS "ha'' h'
c"relu'ls ihS'fuc'eu htr o'io''
| Nm ,,, .,. -, ,,,,,,,,,, ..-. H.,
| a ->D "ithousu ehc was d" "o'a' "no hau
| seen goou ue"! vi NV wor'u vi
NnlerlSa' sue was noI plyIPn.ea lol Mnu' @
Nrtiieu W HeI I'c nn.ipu".eu nnI sts' W.. ~
neh''onS oi ,ne SonncMn M, ses VI
rlcn nha iue anu y'IH ,e comsIsou.'t L; petSJ"S
| IN "nIch She lounu ne,se'i pc''E 're"l.u
itor hcr hlhSih"h '"ke-hNe " guest Vi
n"npr' , .,,
| CIV u'I'StSu 'c"s. nn" M"' nv oNc' , "n','n ~
lnsE P"Itiui ~ lt',h""hs % at nollI'' ' any !"
| n'! h"',oI snc ,ounu my W Ioi'ir 'i,u ~
MMltm ollcl anu orccE! iiomua -uo ~ an
i!uliuh YEA VI aiIclIiooh ol cNehins re,Cp
.ioh s.i Mas Il .Iiine ushinSt oiie noS'e'S' '"'
S"S in"cilill':lE rcIhaps "h mour. c..
ny ~ ""s !nt,i"t" " , w iui 'oun Il. tL a'n'
anu I 'nnn ny. l""Nis o".v" w. uu.i'S 10y
| l1ps Sl.S snv was up' no' W NlIo" II INV ~,
VI '',c Plh"iS npout n.i; IL, sui.e i cnSrS @ ,o ,o
:g.., onv ~, n,a i o,. u.,u aS ..,u .;.I ,n
n'trouuc'i%InS % rAerpt III very speGin' ,.i, LII
more or icSs iam'aiar h person move IN S,sn.o :
| ~ uinhcrS Wn'h Sne was reauS 10 go ',o'e
~ neu hrr Wi'n reSI,esS i,nputi'nrH ~ naos
!" M"lt uI.''i !, 'nc Dutn.Hs .,s vi i s Vi
; t"un'rsS vi n"ro'l'Sn 'na' si1ceu @ t.iu r.
| lNl'! ""H lr"uN " "oPaiI "hu So s"'c 'n'
| signal 10 the rest
| am, ,r, ,., -, ,,. ,.....
SiE hEed luhcn'ohS ana uihil'rS oe',er
t,oGm"od ir.u Wv ~ ovcrw Ind, nrcscnt R"t Tho
| aitermath OF having next dnE 10 rrhlcilpeI T
| all thelr names ana look them up ana SEM
servant around with her cards seemed nNe
looliSh trot TOT the ScrNmht "''u Il IIuIcu
lous h.ehron nLot nv nrrSen. ms tEot Mnt."p prTs Ts
not they responded bS leaVlhg thclr cardS
by another servant meant ho'nihg III ner
NE. FINALLY, whcn Shc was MAXIM: duti-
tul Iihner Sail on one OF nrr nrs"sSrS , sne
found seated IN the garocn WIN 'nc lauS an
othcr lazy calier or 9ull' elderly Sor'; 10
WhoMi shr was not lhtIouuccu, u,iu WY, oul
sued never addressed her but the first caller
was escorted to her carriage by the lady of the
house with great Suavity. for she was some-
thing or other to the queen downger
On finding herself left sitting in the gar
den quite alone while the two others walked
off. the American whnckcd hole In the
hedge with her Tnrasol and made her es-
cape to her waiting victoria by a short cut
Of her own discovery and drove back to town
and TO her kinsmNn'S reproaChfu and as
tonishcd chidings with a high color and
swapping eyes.
Whoever made the rules of this society
made SIN wrong was her verdict. 'And
after This, instead Of explaining it to me.
you can explain me to it. for | wont bother
learning the cards of game l do not intend
to play after / leave here "
lie was awfully tried with her. and lofty.
And she was tried with him and superior.
liut She confessed later that she was quite
wrong; 80,
eventually had very telling meaning for
Der. In her refusal of that particular hrist-
ling fence of cut and dried conventions she
Tad missed the flavor of an old and historic
civilization. And the cxpatriatcd Ameri-
cans whom she had dcrdCd for falling into
the customs of society not their own by
any right save that of hospitality wpre
she knew later, right in their unqucstioning
assimilation. AS guests they had to con-
form or lack that first requisite of Il guest
appreciation.
TIME conversation at the close Of her con-
i fcssion driftrd back and forth and finally
ended BY the recital by a mother of an In
stance nearer home Her daughter was a
Vassar girl. and she said that last year there
was sent to all the parents a sort of Ques-
tionnaire asking for data as to the parents
wishes regarding their daughters freedom