HE street, boulevard and park have their observances and etiquette, which must be understood and practiced by all who esteem themselves, and desire to be honored as denizens in the world of fashion, and we shall therefore systematize and submit to our readers a code of things to be done, and to be avoided

in that vast realm of wisdom and wealth. The age of chivalry, which was mourned as passed away by one of the most eloquent writers of the last century, Edmund Burke1, is truly yet in its young prime, with no prospect of declension, as the rule of the gentler sex is felt and acknowledged by all ranks and conditions of men, wherever Western civilization holds sway, and the dominion of that power widens with every year. A lady  in the street,  boulevard or park

may not be saluted by a gentleman, unless he has received a slight bow from the lady; he may then raise his hat with the hand farthest

to insist modestly on carrying any article she may have in her hand, except the parasol when that is necessary as a sun shade; that article must not under such circumstances be borne by the gentleman, unless because of sickness or old age the lady requires peculiar assistance.

Gentlemen walking with a lady, or with a gentleman venerable for years, attainments, or office, will give the inner path to the person escorted, unless the outer portion of the walk is more safe. The concession will be made wi1hout remark, and the lady will assume whenever the gentleman changes his position that there is a sufficient reason for moving from one side to the other.

When gentlemen pause to speak to each other on the street, they will, as a matter of course, shake hands and bow, lifting the hat with the left hand at the moment of their clasping the right.

Should a lady accost a gentleman on the street when he is smoking he will at once extinguish his cigar, and decline politely but firmly to resume it, even though the lady should urge him to continue.

Gentlemen will never smoke when walking with a lady, as although there is no intentional disrespect in smoking, the act under such circumstances conveys the idea of slight regard for the lady, to other persons.

Gentlemen walking together may use any pace not actually

from the lady, bow respectfully and pass on, not under any consideration pausing to speak, unless the lady pauses in her promenade.

When gentlemen unaccompanied by ladies meet, each will raise his hat very slightly, if they are on such terms as to warrant recognition, but they need not bow unless the person saluted is entitled to special marks of respect, by reason of advanced years, social rank, or attainments, or having taken holy orders. Clergymen should always be so honored. In every such case a gentleman will raise the hat with the hand farthest from the person saluted, but the head need not be decidedly uncovered, as when a lady has given recognition.

violent or ungraceful; but when accompanying ladies, aged persons, or the weak, they will accommodate themselves to their friends.

Gentlemen will not swing their arms, nor sway their bodles in an ungainly manner when walking; ladies are never guilty of any such ungraceful action, and need no counsel in that respect.

Ladies sometimes, though very rarely, walk too quickly on the street; that should be avoided; a message by telephone will generally obviate the necessity for speed at the expense of grace.

Ladies walking on the street are not expected to recognize gentlemen or friends on the other side of the road; to

When a gentleman is escorting a lady, his wife, mother, sister, friend,; or relative  on the street,  or in any public place, it is his duty

do so would necessitate habits of observation inconsistent with ladylike repose.

Gentlemen spoken to by ladies on the street, or by strangers asking information, or seeking direction themselves, will raise their hats, and when a lady speaks, remain uncovered.

Loud talk on the street, or in a public conveyance, or whispering and boisterous merriment, are unmistakable signs of bad training; conversations should be decorous and in moderate tones.

Ladies or gentlemen staring about them in the street as though they were villagers dazed by the splendor of a city, suggests unacquaintance with the habits of polite society.

Looking back after a person you have passed in the street is a breach of etiquette of which no lady will be guilty; should it be absolutely necessary, to see the person again, turn and walk in the same direction.

Loud ejaculatory remarks when you are passing your friends in the street should be avoided, and calling to a person on the other side of the street is not permissible.

Eating on the street is a bad habit, apt to breed dyspeptic conditions, and militant against grace and ladylike deportment, which demands intellectual repose of manner.

Should you when on a promenade see a friend in a store, you will give no sign of recognition, nor under such circumstances will you expect any; if you must see your friend enter the store.

Pausing to examine the contents of a store window evinces bad taste; you can visit the store at any time and see the whole of the stock whenever you desire to make purchases, or see sights.

Discussions of questions likely to induce contention should be avoided on the street, and in any public place, except a town meeting. Religion and politics are taboo on the promenade.

If a carriage is passing when you wish to cross the road, wait until the way is clear, and you avoid danger as well as an ungracious display.

A gentleman who has been spoken to in the street by a lady, will remain until the lady has intimated by a slight bow that the interview is at an end, when he will politely take his leave.

Should a lady speak to a gentleman who is walking with a friend the group will pause, and the stranger, who is required to pause with his friend, must be introduced. It is wrong for any member of the party to move on before the lady has given the accustomed token of dismissal. Gentlemen on such occasions raise their hats and retain them in their hands.

If there is a throng in the streets through which you wish to pass with a lady, do not attempt force, but courteously ask the crowd  to  make  way.   There is  more power  in  courtesy  than in

muscular strength.

Do not advance your hand to salute a gentleman until you are quite near, as a display of impulsiveness in the street is very undesirable. If your friend has another gentleman with him and you have some confidential communication to make, apologize to the other gentleman and let your private interview be brief.

Personal matters should never be mentioned when third persons are present, unless you know that the third person is conversant with the facts, and has no objection to be included in the conversation. In any case you will avoid discussion of such affairs in a public company, whether of friends or strangers. When friends must be mentioned give their names respectfully in a subdued tone.

When a lady is caught in a rain storm, any gentleman may offer his umbrella, but the lady will decline the politeness, firmly yet kindly, unless the gentleman is known to her. If she is acquainted with the gentleman and he appears to be going her way, the lady will accept the gentleman as her escort. Sometimes, when the gentleman has business to detain him, the loan of the umbrella may be accepted, but the lady will send a messenger to return it immediately she reaches home. Common politeness demands the nicest attention to such details in societary life.

A gentleman occupying a seat in an omnibus when a lady is standing, may rise and offer the seat to the lady. Gentlemen will of course pass the fare of a lady and deposit it in the box; and if a lady unaccompanied by a gentleman is leaving the omnibus, the gentleman nearest the door may alight, assist the stranger to descend, and resume his place.

When a lady accepts the seat which a gentleman has surrendered she should thank him for his courtesy, and the gentleman must bow his acknowledgments.

In any strait or difficulty, where a lady or an elderly person, or an invalid requires assistance, a gentleman, though a stranger, may give help, and the obligation ends as soon as the service rendered has been acknowledged. In ordinary circumstances the lady is allowed to precede the gentleman, when the two cannot advance side by side, but when danger, or the possibility of inconvenience suggest a change, the gentleman will determine with promptitude what course is best, and act accordingly.

The gentleman who renders any service to a strange lady will respectfully take his leave as soon as his good deed has been accomplished, and it is optional with the lady to recognize the gentleman the next time they meet, or not. Customarily, ladies are not unmindful of a service.

  1. Burke (1729-1797), remembering the “splendor” of Marie Antoinette in Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790), wrote, “I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards to avenge even a look that threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone. That of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded; and the glory of Europe is extinguished forever. Never, never more shall we behold that generous loyalty to rank and sex, that proud submission, that dignified obedience, that subordination of the heart which kept alive, even in servitude itself, the spirit of an exalted freedom.” Yet Gaskell, writing 90 years later, thought he saw the “dominion” of chivalry “widen with every year”! Hmmm...