In the mid 1800′s, lots of folks were trying to “move up” in society, and etiquette was big business. If you knew what the rules were and how not break them, there was a chance you could enter into high society.
Here are my Top 5 Etiquette tips from the deep past. See if any of these still ring true for you:
5. Never gesticulate in every day conversation, unless you wish to be mistaken for a fifth rate comedian.
4. Don’t use meaningless exclamations, such as “Oh, my!” or “Oh, cracky!”, etc.
3. Don’t respond to remarks to you with mere monosyllables. (Like “yo”..or ‘Sup?” maybe?) This is chilling, if not fairly insulting. Have something to say, and say it.
2. Don’t talk aloud in a railway carriage, and thus prevent your fellow passengers from reading their book or newspaper. (This is a tip we could STILL use on airplanes.)
and my favorite ancient etiquette tip of all:
1. Never ask a lady a question about anything whatsoever.
(Back then, women were not considered good conversational partners.)
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