Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-24
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
The Wise Man insists on The honors
Due to His Position, but Does Not
let Il Go to His Head
BY SARAH d. LOWRIE

i one embarks on pubic lie, or Oy some
recede to a vanishing point, never to become
a CLOSEUP" again.
Among other bits Of knowledge convenient
to keep In ones mind Is, who comes first
and who comes last and who comes In be.
tween.
In public every one has a rightful place,
and though he may forso 1t good. naturedly
in favor Of some lesser functionary, he will
not enjoy its being taken for granted that
he can sit or stand or walk just anywhere.
Mns nine eases out 9, ten = nc dpes ahs
ground that he must not allow his office. 10
be belittled, and. therefore, he insists that
il shall be honored in fitting. manner.
And there Is a great deal Of logic IN that
stand. In republic such as ours for an
elected official or any government o6Rcial to
drop all the ceremony that belongs with bis
position and to treat himself and to allow
others to treat him just like ono Of the
crowd, one has to conclude that either he
holds his Office rs cheap and unimportant
trust from the people. or that he does not
know how to carry his honors with dignity
and good manners.
TT JUST happened that listened to two
i discussions this week hinsing on this very
subject. The first was between two officials
who had been appointed simultaneously to
very important political Offices which had
been created to meet the demands Of the
present situation. In taking Office both
jobs were new in the State. One man had
made good by the end Of year, and the
other announced somewhat bitterly that he
had been a failure. But he blamed his
failure on every one but himself. He claimed
70 have been ignored by the persons who
should have shown him Difference, but at the
same time he admitted that never once had
he insisted on that difference to the persons
from whom it was due. He had "just
noticed that he was continually ignored or
mad clear through and hurt. It Ind not oc.
CURED to him apparently that in the rough
and tumble Of public life, II one does not TAX.
ones rights for granted and live up. to them
to the last notch. one is promptly side.
tracked MS not being "wise to his job
his position was one OF authority. and IL
that authority was overlooked. he held things
up until the proper order of precedence was
re established and he was once more where
he belonged.
He was not any more thick. skinned than
the other man. nor less sensitive, but he had
n talent for publicity which the other did
not possess. lie understood how to subordi-
nate himself to his position; thnt is, he held
his position so high that he saw to 1t That
others paid it the proper honor. not because
It was his. but because It was 1t. As
listened to the two discussing what had hap
pened. realized that neither the chap who
had succeeded nor the one who had felt that
he had failed quite analysed the others
success or failure. What they had done
who was built on public lines and the one
who failed to sense his public successfully
had each followed his pattern. 1t was not
what each wanted Of the public, 1t was the
way each affected his public that made the
difference.
THE second discussion that listened to
L was about matter of precedence at a
public banquet nt which the Mayor of the
| be present. The question was. which of
| these two officials should give the address
! Of welcome to the guests.
There were some---indeed most-who held
! that the Governor being higher in rank. and
| the organization giving the banquet being a
| State. wide organization, should have the Of.
| fee of welcoming those present.
But there We're others who argued that the
banquet was held in the city of which the
Mayor was the chief official, and If there was
any welcoming to be done, 1t should be by
the official host of the city, not by visitor.
For when the Governor was out of his capital
they claimed that lie was visitor.
The matter was left for both officials to
decide at the last moment. and I observed
with great interest that when the moment
cnHle IL was the -h"sof WIN was Tue omciai
| host.
was told aftcrward by an undoubted
authority that there was precedent for what
| the Mayor did. and that he was correct in
| his decision. which being the fact removes
| his action from any suspicion of egotism and
| places the whole matter in perfectly agree
| able footing. If there was any awkward
| ness, the blame must be laid to the fact that
| very few of our Mayors have known any
better than the general public the con-
ventional and correct thing to do on occa.
sions when manners, rather than political
power had to be observed. But since there
| is a right way for doing everything and q
| wrong way. why not unite in doing the right
| thing, in our civic functions as well as in
our social ones!
| And since it is the right thing that the
part Of host should be taken by the Mayor
Of the city. and not by any visiting official.
| however great or however closely connected
with the city life. it is we'll to tuck that
| knowledge away for future use.
| OF COURSE, foreign etiquette especially
| ~ in the matter of official ceremonies, IS
| a labyrinth to most Americans, and one that
| they had best not penetrate without guide.
| Most of the american embassies have per
| sons attached to them who explain just what
| Is expected in the way of dress, procedure
and social amenities. And the easiest and
| simplest way to meet those new conditions
cept advice. Because nothing is more point
less than to fancy oneself patriotic because
one ignores the code of manners of the
place in which one finds oneself either for
pleasure or for business. 1t would be like
Visiting in some household where the pro
gram of the meal differed from ones home
arrangements and the guest took to coming
down late. or coming down very early. In
order to show that the change Of time struck
her as foolish.
saw an American do that or something
nearly like that once in European capita
where he had been sent at his urgent requcs,
as a special envoy to represent America at q
| great national function.
He was asked to present himself at courI
on n certain day to meet the King.
He chose to write to the King a note II
the effect that he would like the invitation
to include his family.