Monday, April 5, 2010

McCall's Book of Everyday Etiquette

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My friend inherited McCall's Book of Everyday Etiquette from her grandmother. Her grandmother had so many books on etiquette that all nine grandchildren each received one. Published in 1960, this "Guide to Modern Manners" covers all the bases - from bed making to dating etiquette.

Here is an excerpt from the 'Especially for Men' section:

Who Pays?

-When you have done the inviting, you pay all of the costs except for a ladies' room tip or a telephone call she makes
-If she invites you to an occasion requiring tickets, she pays for the tickets, but you pay the other expenses.
-If you happen to meet a woman at a lunch counter or waiting for a bus, it is not a social occasion even if you sit beside each other, so she pays her own expenses.
-Splitting the cost, when it is arranged in advance, is perfectly correct and is done very often by young people with limited funds and by old friends who see each other frequently.

-When you take her home, you take her all the way home. If she lives in a house, take her to the door and wait until she is inside. The point is that someone should see her into her home. If she invites you in for a while, accept, if you like. Don't stay until the wee hours of the morning if she asks you in for "a" nightcap. And don't ask to be invited.

1 comment:

Jenniferr said...

Oh that's just so darling and quaint.