Evening star., 1925-03-08
We Studied Our Etiquette
BY NINA WILCOX PUTNAM.

them fellers which invented
n the idea of growing your own
IA mattress stutfing used often to
4 4 say, IF you don't know what
etiquette is right, make de-
tour and avoid it altogether
And l certainly come to the conclu-
sion them boys was correct after
what happened to l and George, that's
my husband, when Georges boss
asked the two of US out to the house
TO dinner.
1t all commenced when George
come home one night and he had a
book under his arm for the first time
since the only golf pants he owned
was called knickerbockers, and he
says to me whatter you know. Jennie,
he says, Mr.. Trick, our gen. mgr. has
asst us out to their place to dinner he
says.
Hot Bozo! 1 says, what are they
like?
Well, he says, in the Office Mr.. Trick
don't hardly speak to nobody. and he
is full of the ritz, l don't know how
he gets that way. l hear his father
wasn't nothing but chauffeur to an
elevator, but Mr.. Trick, great heavens,
he has got one of them table d'hote
portion mustaches, white spats on his
flats, helps the florist out with the
button hole of his coat every day, and
while he don't say nothing much,
what he does let loose sounds as i'm
ported as member of Parliament, he
says. Everybody in the office is scared
stiff when he speaks, they are afrait
it may be catching and that they will
be going home and telling dear Mann
nah to kindly hasten the bally old
suppah.
Well naturally I at once says be-
lieve you me, then they must live
with all the trimmings, and Geo. says
yeh. sure, l don't know why we should
get punished with this invitation but
couldn't say no. And so on the way
home | stopped and got this book, not
that / am in the least worried over my
manners but | thought maybe you would
like to look at 1t.
And l says. huh, 1 guess 1 know
how to say pleased to meetcha as
good as the next one, but as long as
you have went and spent the money
for the book, why you might as we'll
use little of it, to save it. I person
ally myself woldnt bother to look in
it.
Well anyways, Geo. left the bound
vol. on the living room table, along
with the almanac and the Selections
From Famous Poems, our other book,
and naturally all evening l kept it
before his mind that my mother was
y 3
l guessed with we'll known family
like that l didn't need no instructions
in any etiquette. And Geo. says, well,
l have noticed how often you order
chicken salad, but do as you pleased
= 4 x !:
PUT the next day when he and
~ all other witnesses was out the
house l thought, oh well, no harm
IN toll of
curiosity, and believe you me, l sure
got a lot of information out of that
book
To commence with. l learned
where a person should never enter
a drawing room by main force or on
roller skates. The way to do it was
on both feet, one right after the
other, and when servant entered
this room, why not alone should
their palms be well oiled, but their
shoes, SOS to prevent the squeaking
interfering with the guests conver-
sation. Nothing was mentioned
about inner tubes, only shoes.
When meeting a lady friend on the
street, 1T seemed another lady had
never ought to kiss her unless they
was enemies, and when shaking
hands with a stranger, it was con-
sidered good form to leave one or
two rings on said strangers hand.
Also, IL was considered polite to
refrain from slapping your hostess
on the back when introduced to her
for the first time, and while sleeping
in church was still done by many of
the best people. sleeping after dinner
in the house of strangers or new
acquaintances wasn't correct, al
though it seemed this rule didn't go
for banquets where there was after
dinner speeches.