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BEADLE'SDIME
BOOK OF PRACTICAL
ETIQUETTE
FOR
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
GENTILITY AND GOOD-BREEDING,
AND A COMPLETE DIRECTORY TO THE
USAGES AND OBSERVANCES OF SOCIETY.
INCLUDING
Etiquette of the Ball Room, of theEvening Party, the Dinner-Party, the Card and Chess Table,of Business, of the Home Circle, &c., &c.
PREPARED EXPRESSLY FOR THE "DIME SERIES"
BY A COMMITTEE OF THREE.
NEW YORK:
IRWIN P. BEADLE, & CO.,
NO. 137 WILLIAM STREET.
By IRWIN P. BEADLE,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for
the Southern district of New York.
INTRODUCTION.
"That man is a gentleman!" How the heart opensto let him in, without any further commendation! Hemay be wise, and rich, and remarked for his genius; butif he be not a true gentleman, his gifts will not availto make him a favorite and a desirable companion.
"That woman is a lady!" What matter, then, if sheis not clad in silks, or is not beautiful of form or feature?She has the key which unlocks all hearts for her,for to be a lady, implies high qualities and gracious giftsof soul.
Why, then, are not all persons gentlemen and ladies?We can not tell, except it be that some, and a largeclass of, persons look upon politeness as something effeminate,or as fit only for fops; and therefore make boors ofthemselves, because it is so manly to be coarse and to dojust as one pleases. Some are actually ignorant of whatconstitutes true politeness, and err not from willfulness,but from want of knowledge. But such persons are readilyforgivable, for, if their disposition is to be polite, theywill find the way very easy into the confidence of all,and will learn, ere long, what custom and usage has sanctionedas fit and proper regulations for the intercourseof men with men, women with women, and all with oneanother.
It is to such persons as those last-named, that we especiallyaddress this little manual. To learn the usages ofsociety is easy, if one only will learn; for, after all, theseusages are not complicated and burdensome, but groundedupon simplicity itself: the great law which underliesall, is the blessed Golden Rule:
We propose to give such sugge