Good Form and Christian EtiquetteHenry, S. M. I. (Sarepta Myrenda Irish)
Religion
Good Form and Christian Etiquette
Henry, S. M. I. (Sarepta Myrenda Irish)
Etiquette
“If a man friend happens to call when the husband is absent and the
wife alone, should she invite him into the parlor and visit with him?”
Such a friend should so time his visits as to make reasonably sure that
the man of the house would be at home, but if he fails to do so, it is
the better way to inform him when the husband will return, and invite
him to call again, provided this would be agreeable to both husband and
wife. It is, however, bad form to say, “Come again,” when you mean,
“Stay away;” _very_ bad form for the wife to invite any one to call who
would necessarily be disagreeable to the man of the house. In these days
of moral contamination and prevalent gossip, good form is a conservator
of good morals. Even as regards the wife’s relation to her pastor, if
the husband is not a Christian, and, as often happens, dislikes
ministers as a class, and makes a call anything but pleasant, common
politeness requires that all pastoral visits shall include the husband.
“Where several are invited to a dinner, is it necessary for the men to
escort the ladies to the table? or is it better for each to walk out
independently?”
In relation to dinner manners, the hostess is expected to decide all
forms for her company. If she wishes to make it very formal, she
arranges just what man shall take out a certain woman. The couples will
be so seated that a man and a woman will occupy alternate places. Every
woman is expected to entertain first her own escort, and then to assist
in entertaining the one who sits next her on the other side, and also
occasionally to exchange a word with the one who sits opposite. It is
not, however, expected that one will talk all over the table, nor that
any one voice will command general attention until the table is cleared,
and the after-dinner program is called.
“If two gentlemen with their wives should be riding in one carriage,
would it be proper for the husband and wife to be separated, and each
gentleman sit with the other man’s wife?”
If married couples are riding together the most graceful thing is for
the host and hostess to take a guest to entertain; either for the two
men and the two women to sit together, or for the couples to exchange
companions. It would be an exceedingly ungracious act for the host and
hostess to sit together during the ride, thus leaving their guests to
each other alone. In any country good form requires that husbands and
wives should appreciate each other enough to consider that they are
conferring a favor by giving others an opportunity to enjoy their
society; and that they should at least _seem_ to trust each other to be
friendly to other men and women, even if they quarrel about it when they
are alone. The appearance of suspicion is the most foul of all bad
forms; it is, in fact, the very stench from the body of moral death.
“Is it proper for a woman to call in company with her husband upon a
man who lives alone?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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