The man of culture and refinement, while always considerate to those beneath him in station, never, under any circumstances, loses control of his emotions for an instant. Though the gentleman-rider in the picture may be touchingly fond of his steeplechase horse, it is unpardonably bad form for him to make an exhibition of his affection while going over the brush in plain view of numbers of total strangers. In doing so he simply is making a “guy” of himself, and it is no more than he deserves if those in the gallery raise their eyebrows at each other and smile knowingly.
The Romans had a proverb, “Litera scripta manet,” which means “The written letter remains.” The subtle wisdom of these words was no doubt well known to the men of the later Paleolithic Age before them, but evidently the gentleman in the engraving never heard of it. If he had kept this simple little rule of social correspondence in mind he would have avoided the painful experience of hearing his obsolete emotions exposed to the eager ears of twelve perfect strangers. It is customary nowadays for unmarried elder sons of our most aristocratic families to express their appreciation of the qualities of fascinating bachelor girls over the sensible, though plebeian, telephone.
CHAPTER THREE:
THE ETIQUETTE OF TRAVEL
The etiquette of travel, like that of courtship and marriage, has undergone several important changes with the advent of “democracy” and the “mechanical age.” Time was when travel was indulged in only by the better classes of society and the rules of travellers’ etiquette were well defined and acknowledged by all. But Yankee ingenuity has indeed brought the “mountain to Mahomet”; the “iron horse” and the “Pullman coach” have, I believe, come to stay, bringing with them many new customs and manners for the well-bred gentleman or lady who would travel correctly. Truly, the “old order changeth” and it is, perhaps, only proper that one should keep (if you will pardon the use of the word), “abreast” of the times.
HINTS FOR THE CORRECT PEDESTRIAN
Let us suppose, for example, that you are a young gentleman of established social position in one of the many cities of our great middle west, and it is your desire to travel from your home to New York City for the purpose of viewing the many attractions of that metropolis of which I need perhaps only mention the Aquarium or Grant’s Tomb or the Eden Musee. Now there are many ways of getting to New York, such as (a) on foot, (b) via “rail”; it should be your first duty to select one of these methods of transportation. Walking to New York (“a” above) is often rejected because of the time and effort involved and it is undoubtedly true that if one attempted to journey afoot from the middle west one would probably be quite fatigued at the end of one’s journey. The etiquette of walking, however, is the same for short as for long distances, and I shall at this point give a few of the many rules for correct behavior among pedestrians.
In the first place, it is always customary in a city for a young lady, either accompanied or unaccompanied, to walk on the sidewalk. A young “miss” who persists in walking in the gutters is more apt to lose than to make friends among the socially “worth while.”
Gentlemen, either with or without ladies, are never seen walking after dark in the sewers or along the elevated, tracks.
It is not au fait for gentlemen or ladies wearing evening dress to “catch on behind” passing ice wagons, trucks, etc.; the time and energy saved are doubtfully repaid should one happen to be driven thus past other members of one’s particular social “set.”