Frost's Laws and By-Laws of American Society: A condensed but thorough treatise on etiquette and its usages in America, containing plain and reliable directions for deportment in every situation in life.Frost, S. Annie (Sarah Annie)
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Frost's Laws and By-Laws of American Society: A condensed but thorough treatise on etiquette and its usages in America, containing plain and reliable directions for deportment in every situation in life.
Frost, S. Annie (Sarah Annie)
Etiquette -- United States
Gentlemen at pic-nics must consent to become waiters, guides,
servants to the ladies; must "scale mountains," climb trees,
perform any feats desired by the fair tyrants, if they fancy "that
lovely flower," or "exquisite bunch of sea-weed," in impossible-
to-get-at places. If on a fishing party, it is the gentlemen's
place to bait the hooks for the fair anglers, to assist them in
landing their prey, to find them shady nooks for seats, and in
every way to assist them. If nutting or berrying are the objects
of the party, the gentlemen must climb the nut-trees, seek out the
berry-bushes, carry double allowances of baskets and kettles, and
be ready for any assistance required in climbing fences or
scrambling over rocks. By the way, the etiquette for climbing a
fence is for the gentleman to go over as gracefully as possible,
turn his back upon the lady, and not look round until she claims
his hand to spring from the topmost bar. She will not thank him if
he insists upon shoving her over first, or watches her while she
climbs up.
Boisterous deportment is not in good taste. Even the most romping
games may be conducted as becomes ladies and gentlemen, not as
clowns. Couples should avoid straying too long or too far from
their companions.
Even if the luncheon or dinner is spread on the grass, or eaten
out of a basket, gentlemen will see to the comfort of the ladies
before eating themselves, and, need I say, the freedom from the
restraints of the table affords no excuse for gluttony or rudeness
of any description.
On returning from a pic-nic, the thanks of the party are due to
the originators of it, and should be paid by each one before the
company disperses.
Singing a comic song is a dangerous experiment, as you may be
personal without intending it. An English lady of rank, speaking
of an evening party, says: "At an evening party, given expressly
in honor of a distinguished lady of color, we heard a thoughtless
amateur dash into the broadly comic, but terribly inappropriate'
nigger' song of' 'Sally, Come Up.' Before he had got through the
first verse, he had perceived his mistake, and was so overwhelmed
with shame that he could scarcely preserve sufficient presence of
mind to carry him through to the end."
A modern writer of talent says: "Your pleasure at any party will
depend far more upon what you take with you into the room than
upon what you find there. Ambition, vanity, pride, will all go
with anxiety, and you will probably carry them all home again,
with the additional burden of disappointment. Even if they are all
gratified, you will know that others are disliking you, even if
envious of you. To go with a sincere desire to please others by
amiability, good-nature and sympathy will probably result in your
own popularity, and if you entirely forget yourself, you will be
astonished to find how much others insist upon remembering you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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