Etiquette and Punctuality

Taking care of the morning marketing (1894)

A Great Unwritten Law–

Promptness at meals is a virtue of which absence has caused deep anguish of spirit to countless long suffering housewives. The tardiness at breakfast from indulgence in a last nap, or at luncheon from a too protracted shopping expedition, or at dinner from an over extended round of calls, may seem a trivial to the delinquent, but Harper's Bazaar reminds sinners in this respect that to the housekeeper it means injury to the food and disturbance of her own peace of mind. 

The habit of always being ready when a meal is announced should be especially binding upon a guest. For one who is receiving the hospitality of a home, to ignore it by disregarding its customs, is the extreme of ill breeding. 

Conformity to the rules of the house in this respect, and in the particular of not presenting one's self in the drawing room at an uncanny hour in the morning, should be observed by all visitors, while the duty of always being ready on time when invited to go for a drive or to go to some entertainment would seem too obvious to be mentioned were it not that one sees this unwritten law so constantly violated. –From Harper's Bazaar, May of 1891

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