In my continuing effort to declutter, I came across a book entitled Etiquette: The Complete Modern Guide for Day-To-Day Living the Correct Way by Frances Benton published in 1956. The book has chapters on children’s manners, manners in specific places like churches and synagogues and the theater, and how to greet people and how to say goodby. There are chapters on setting tables, dinner parties, and women’s political, civic, and service clubs.
My first reaction was how silly all this was. Do we really need to worry about table settings? I am also aware that the Fifties were a time when the girls in my high school class basically had three vocational choices–nurse, teacher, or secretary. Racial segregation was still legal and homosexual acts still illegal.
On the other hand, there were certain rules to follow. We did not have a boor in the White House. We did not have “road rage.” A riot at the Capitol egged on by a former president would have been unthinkable. The idea that a man who talked about “grabbing pussy” could get elected president–twice–unthinkable. Television anchors were trusted and trustworthy. Most people knew some standards on how to behave politely.
It is common for old people to think that life in their youth was better. In some ways it was.
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