Evening star., 1937-08-07

In Europe
And Here
Visitor Complains of
American Girls
Attitude.
BY EMILY POST.

DEAR MRS. POST: I am not an
American, but am visiting rela-
| tives who are. I find the American
girls lovely, but some Of their Gus
toms, indeed, strange in contrast to
| those which are practiced by the girls
know in Continental Europe. I am
little puzzled as to whether some
Of these customs are really American
They are perhaps trivial in them
selves, but l do not consider them
| very dattering to gentleman. The
/ first OF these is the habit American
girls have of making themselves ap-
pear helpless. when actually they are
| the most vital and self sufficient of
any have ever known. For example
when a girl and man are together
| leaving building the girl will not
even make a move of opening the
| door for herself. In a motor car
being driven by the man at her side
she will wait until he walks around
to her side and opens the door. In
other words, their attitudes are not
| flattering to their men friends, who
! are not given the choice of following
what their good breeding will induce
| them to do, but are compelled to per-
| form q courtesy in the same light as
| one paid to give such service. To my
way of thinking they might at least
| attempt TO open a door and to get
out of car. And then there is the
| custom girls have here of obviously
| expecting man to carry coats, UNI
brellas, books. packages and anything
| else she might collect while they are
| out together. 1t is mainly the ar
| ticles Of feminine apparel that I OBJ
lect to having to carry, but I never
saw so many bundle-carrying girls in
| my life, outside Of the peasants, as
| I have since I've been here. It is
| difficult for me to understand how
the American girls can impose this
way upon their American men, who
are always considered to be such he
men. Since you are the authority on
American behavior, wish you would
explain all this.
| Answer must say that I cannot
quite understand how any European
could md 1t surprising TO be ex-
! pected to show the courtesies which
every gentleman shows to every lady
| and particularly on the Continent,
| Personally l have never known a Eu-
ropean tand I have known a great
many) who did not spring to do things
| you seem to think ladies should hurry
| TO do for themselves. 1t is true that
my knowledge of Europeans is limited
| to decentralization of government
DAYS and later to those who have been
brought up to follow the manners OF
the old regime. AS for your picture
OF American girls and bundles, that
! also is TO me completely unfamiliar
one. But at least I do agree that a
man snoulo not be expected to be
substitute for either a clothes hanger
! or an express cart.
DEAR MRS. POST: Could YOU
drive one effective protest pub
hcly against the chattering habits OF
women who go together to see mov-
ing pictures? Women a. plays seldom
chatter. Women at concerts behave
almost too decorously. But womer
VIII enter a movie at its touching O,
most gripping climax. push blandl,
INTO their seats with words like these
ohe doesn't take advantage of thu
opportunities she has" (The hero i,
struggling through underbrusb ,
"ounoed heroine in his arms, and m,
heart and your heart are in on,
throatsD She throws her mono,
away. Why, that yellow hat cost he,
II collars and half. I know" !
poiiee 'Sn-h" has absolutely no effec
on these people. They stare at va,
cruelty as though you were a chean
cheeky masher. and continue, He
maid told me that :" Please won
you write something before I stant
up screaming in the center OF a the
aeer ana lecture these women on tn
beauty OF silence with the ringing cry
Shut upl"
answer don't think I can max
more effective protest than by print
ing this young mans letter, But
can add my own complaint aRains
the stick-up trimmings on women,
mats, which not only cut pieces OH
! OF the picture. but keep constantl
dartlng about and causing quite actua
!. eye torture to the one behind AM
= unable TO move into another seat. A
the movies. happily, moving else
> Where often is possible. But in ttS
theater women who wear vtey-ob
structing hats ought TO be taxed
heavily
YEAR MRS. POST: I know rha
woman Is not supposed To hav
1 TO feel self-conscious about having q,
street glove when meeting some on
with whom she shakes hands, b,I
, what Is the rule when she knows sh
; lA 10 go down receiving line shak
. ing hands with several people,
, Answer A woman never takes of
her street or her evening gloves er
ccpt before eating For that matter
I gentleman does not take m HI
] evening gloyss nor do~s he apoIogin
for shaking hsnda in thsm.
tc~~vr.si 1857