Evening star., 1933-12-03
Manners in Street
BY EMILY POST.

EFT US illustrate the principal de-
tails OF manners in the street by
supposing that you. for instance, leave
your house and walk downtown. As
you pass people you know, you smile
and say, How dyou do?" or, Good
morning. Or a man perhaps says,
Good morning. how are you?" Every
one you meet says the same thing. and
that is all Asking people how they do
has no meaning other than Il greet
you!"
If you stop some one to ask. How
are things going for you?" or. L hope
sou are better" you would expect an
answer. Or if some one says to you,
I'm glad to see you back" or. I'm
so glad to see you out!' or L want to
congratulate you on your speech the
other night-it was splendid!' you an
swer, Thank you!" 1t should be un-
necessary to say, that to stop some one
in deepest mourning and ask, Why
are you wearing black?" is perhaps the
most unfeeing thing one can do. II
you want to show your sympathy, you
merely take his or her hand, give it
quick, warm pressure, and pass by
Should the person in mourning say
anything TO you, you answer, Of course,
as your heart dictates.
A typical occurrence is when you are
walking with one friend-let us call
her Maryand I are stepped ID by ar2 aRothn1 f4f
this case Mary continues to walk on
but slowly. II The second friend says
only a few words you say good-by to
is inclined to taIk indefinitely, you say.
I'm so[T{ ia Jang e. sbe cant F yong S50P MaTy M9w
SMITH is waiting for mel" Or. if you
would like to have her join you, you'd
say Mary Smith iPb and I aTe Nont Tal6ng 1aa3
If she will, you both walk quickly, over
take Mary and you introduce them,
Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Smith" and then
you three walk down the street together
You as the friend Of both, probably
walk between them, but there is no
rule except not to block the sidewalk
so that no one can pass you without
going out on the road. Which reminds
me that, if groups of young girls must
towns, they should gather close to the
building, leaving at least a path wide
enough for others to get by.
Since few questions are more often
asked than about shaking hands with
and without gloves. it may be well to
explain that gentleman takes off any
outdoor glove a street glove or sports
glove to shake hands with lady. II
for any reason his glove cannot be
pulled off in second Off it is strapped
at the wrist for example, he says, "Ex-
CuSe my glove" Never, Pardon my
glove" On the other hand, since a
lady never takes off her gloves to shake
hands, she would no more ask that her
1lnTrp no aYrlICpd than she would tnnf
her hat be excused.
rule against which I hear many
protests is that which directs that 4
gentleman walking on the street with a
lady must walk on the curb side. A
reader Of this column writes. mo gen.
tleman would enter ball room, walk
up q church aisle or go into the dining
room at formal dinner with lady on
his left arm, nor would he seat her on
his left-eXcept when sitting on the left
side Of an aisle in church or at con-
cert or the theater Since the passing
of the days of horse-drawn vehicles,
with the possibility of a runaway, there
is no more danger on the curb side than
on the inside. Why, therefore, is it not
logical to give lady her 'rightful
position?"
I must agree that taking the curb
side does seem to be half-wrong pre-
cept. l have an idea that the man who
wrote me was either a European or one
who has lived much abroad, where seat
ing a lady on the left would be consid-
cred an insult. Here in America, left
or right is very unimportant. and pro-
tecting a woman from the curb an in
born impulse. Which suggests that
man do whichever seems to him the
more polite On the other hand. real
tabu of taste is the typical American
mans impulse to shove woman along
by holding her arm or gripping her
elbow. This is excused only by traf-
flc jam or dense crowd. But even so,
it would be better that he go first and
shat she hold his arm instead.
A man walking on the street, sand
wiched between two girls. is a rule of
small Importance. especially as he may
sit between them under innumerable
circumstances. At theater he always
sits on the aisle This is a more i'm
portant rule than walking on the curb
side.
The maneuver that a gentleman is
obliged to execute when stopping on a
city street to greet lady is still as
exaSting as that of military drill. He