HABITS
Section 1. Smoking should be confined entirely to a studio, smoking-room, drawing-room, or library, when ladies are, or intend to be, in the vicinity later, and should never be indulged in, even in the places mentioned above, if the ladies are present, without their unanimous consent thereto.
Smoking in the street is also objected to, exception being made when on the front platforms of cars, when a gentleman should make it his duty to see that the smoke does not prove disagreeable to ladies in the car.
2. Drinking to excess is not the habit of a gentleman. Drink should be taken only in moderation, especially at dinner parties when ladies are present. Do not boast of your fondness for the beverage. If you chance to be at all under the influence of liquor, or even if you have merely a strong odor of it on the breath, do not attend a reception or dance, as such an odor is not perfume to the partners with whom you may dance or converse.
3. Chewing tobacco or other stuff manufactured for the same purpose should never be indulged in by a gentleman, no matter where he is. Spitting must not be practised in the presence of ladies, and should be done away with entirely unless alone and out of sight of others. Clearing the throat should not be done in ladies’ company, and be careful not to allow indications of indigestion to rise noisily in the throat. And lastly, do not hiss through the teeth or hum to yourself in company.
4. Do not, no matter how cramped you may be, stretch in the presence of ladies, and not at all at the table, even if alone. Yawning should be confined to your own presence strictly, or, if it is irrepressible, place the fingers before the mouth.
