Remember the words of the prophet, "He who respects himself will earn the respect of all the world."
CHAPTER III
ENGAGEMENTS
OF SPECIAL IMPORTANCE
There is perhaps no time when the rules of etiquette need to be so strictly observed as during the period of courtship. All the world loves a lover—but this does not keep the world from watching closely and criticizing severely any breach of good manners, especially on the part of the young lady.
Any public display of affection anywhere at any time is grossly unrefined. Love is sacred, and it should not be thrown open to the rude comments of strangers. The young couple should conduct themselves with quiet dignity and reserve, neither indulging in terms of endearment or caresses, nor purposely ignoring each other so as to create the impression that they are not, after all, so very much in love. There is no reason why their conduct in public after they are engaged should be any more demonstrative than it was before.
At parties, dinners, and other entertainments it is their privilege to be with each other more than they are with anyone else, but this does not mean that they should neglect the other guests. If the occasion has been planned especially for them they are in part responsible for each one present finding it an enjoyable one. And each one should be very cordial to the friends of the other.
Many an engagement that held promise of golden happiness to come was abruptly broken because one or the other was not sufficiently circumspect in conduct. A young lady must remember that while she is not exactly expected to give up indiscriminately all her friends of the opposite sex, she must not receive them as guests, or go to the theater or ball with them, without the knowledge and consent of her fiancé. He is, of course, expected to be equally considerate of her with regard to his own relations with other women.
The engaged couple of to-day enjoys much greater freedom than the engaged couple of our grandmothers' time. The chaperon has been almost entirely dispensed with, except in a few individual cases. Although it is still considered rather poor form to attend the theater or opera together, without other friends in the party, it is often done without any very serious consequence to the young people. Perhaps it is because the young men and women of this country have that instinctive grace and dignity of manner that the severe laws of conduct practiced abroad have been deemed unnecessary.