Our Deportment: Or the Manners, Conduct and Dress of the Most Refined Society — John Shaqi
Our Deportment: Or the Manners, Conduct and Dress of the Most Refined SocietyYoung, John H.
General
Our Deportment: Or the Manners, Conduct and Dress of the Most Refined Society
Young, John H.
Etiquette
On the other hand, the visitor should try to conform as much as possible
to the habits of the house which temporarily shelters him. He should
never object to the hours at which meals are served, nor should he ever
allow the family to be kept waiting on his account.
It is a good rule for a visitor to retire to his own apartment in the
morning, or at least seek out some occupation or amusement of his own,
without seeming to need the assistance or attention of host or hostess;
for it is undeniable that these have certain duties which must be
attended to at this portion of the day, in order to leave the balance of
the time free for the entertainment of their guests.
If any family matters of a private or unpleasant nature come to the
knowledge of the guest during his stay, he must seem both blind and
deaf, and never refer to them unless the parties interested speak of
them first.
The rule on which a host and hostess should act is to make their guests
as much at ease as possible; that on which a visitor should act is to
interfere as little as possible with the ordinary routine of the house.
It is not required that a hostess should spend her whole time in the
entertainment of her guests. The latter may prefer to be left to their
own devices for a portion of the day. On the other hand, it shows the
worst of breeding for a visitor to seclude himself from the family and
seek his own amusements and occupations regardless of their desire to
join in them or entertain him.
You should try to hold yourself at the disposal of those whom you are
visiting. If they propose to you to ride, to drive or walk, you should
acquiesce as far as your strength will permit, and do your best to seem
pleased at the efforts made to entertain you.
You should not accept invitations without consulting your host. You
should not call upon the servants to do errands for you, or to wait upon
you too much, nor keep the family up after hours of retiring.
If you have observed anything to the disadvantage of your friends, while
partaking of their hospitality, it should never be mentioned, either
while you are under their roof or afterwards. Speak only of what
redounds to their praise and credit. This feeling ought to be mutual
between host and guest. Whatever good is observed in either may be
commented upon, but the curtain of silence must be drawn over their
faults.
Give as little trouble as possible when a guest, but at the same time
never think of apologizing for any little additional trouble which your
visit may occasion. It would imply that you thought your friends
incapable of entertaining you without some inconvenience to themselves.
Keep your room as neat as possible, and leave no articles of dress or
toilet around to give trouble to servants.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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