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
In return for the membership which is accorded to him in the
lady's family, the engaged man should show all possible deference
towards the of members it, especially to the parents. Towards the
sisters of his lady love, he should be kind; and generally
attentive, and frank, and cordial in his intercourse with her
brothers. If there are young children in the family, nothing will
make him more popular with the older members than an occasional
gift of toys or confectionery, or an excursion during the holidays
with the schoolboys, who will readily swear allegiance, after such
a trip, to "the man Emily is going to marry," or (vulgar little
wretches that they are) to "Amelia's _beau_."
It is not according to the strict laws of etiquette for the
brothers and sisters to call the new member at first by his
Christian name. Much will depend on his age and his disposition.
There are some people whom one can never address otherwise than
formally, while with others it seems perfect nonsense to call them
otherwise than by the most familiar term.
If not a positive requirement of etiquette, it is, at least, a
politic thing to pay considerable attention to the future mother-
in-law. To occupy a good place in her esteem and affection is to
smooth many a furrow, which otherwise might trip one up in his
walk over the tender ground that leads to matrimony.
An engaged man should never forget the exceedingly abnormal
position he occupies with reference to the lady's family; the
inconvenience his presence may occasion, and the amount of
forbearance necessary on their parts to insure even a friendly
status for him in the household. He should endeavor to repay this
by a careful attention to the general rules of the family, and
even to the particular fancies of the members; he should rigidly
observe their hours for meals, and be careful not to stay later in
the evening than the usual hour for the household to retire.
There should be the most perfect candor, on the gentleman's part,
concerning the state of his financial affairs, and he should
respectfully consider the worldly position of the family he is to
enter, never doing anything to hurt their feelings, either by word
or act, should their status be below his own, and never professing
scorn or contempt for wealth or power, should their status be
higher than his own.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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