PRACTICAL ETIQUETTE
BY N. C.
TWENTIETH THOUSAND
Entirely Re-written and
Enlarged
CHICAGO
A. FLANAGAN.
Copyright,
1899,
By A. FLANAGAN
PREFACE.
The very extensive sale of PracticalEtiquette, a sale that has required the issuanceof a large number of editions of thelittle manual, has been very gratifying toits author, as was also the commission of itspublisher to re-write and enlarge the work.This commission, however, brought with ita keen sense of responsibility, for the authorfeels that a new work on etiquette can finda raison d’être only in a fairly successfulattempt at answering practically every questionthat can arise concerning social relations,at least in ordinary social life. Butto speak with authority on all matters of“good form” is to speak dogmatically, andso to speak is in itself not good form.Nevertheless, and in spite of this dilemma,the author has attempted herein todecide, when compelled to do so, betweenconflicting opinions in mere matters ofsocial custom, and has given as authoritythe opinion that seemed to her to conformmost nearly to common sense, embodying[2]such opinion in an unqualified statementwithout citing authority. Fortunately,social customs are now so nearly uniform inall parts of the country, that one familiarwith the ways of good society in the Westor in the North, is at home in good societyin the East or in the South.
The author is under obligation to somany persons for suggestions and advice,as well as to many authors, that it does notseem best to give a list of the same, especiallyas such list could be only a partial one, formany of her friends would not desire mentionof their names.
N. C.
Dec. 1, 1899.