Rebutting an Etiquette Editorial

A lady of leisure, squandering time, in the early 1900’s? — Part of a Saturday Evening Post editorial suggesting that “etiquette is an invention of leisurely people for the deliberate purpose of squandering time.” But, we know better!

Good Manners Define Etiquette 

“Etiquette was, and still is, invented by people obsolved from the necessity of working for a living; and its only purpose is to afford a constant, indubitable sign that its inventors can afford to waste their time in learning nice ceremonies and pretty conventions.” This is part of the Saturday Evening Post’s editorial printed recently to make out that etiquette is an invention of leisurely people for the deliberate purpose of squandering time. 

Such a position is so inherently wrong that its rebuttal is contained in the commonly observed fact that some of the most impoverished and hardworking people are the most inherently polite, and on the contrary, some of the most impolite people to be found in a careful search will be found to be those who have the most leisure, and the most time. The worst dawdlers are generally the most impolite, and they are impolite for the reason that, having no heed for time, they take no heed of manners. Manners, politeness, etiquette are all inspired out of consideration for others.—Wichita Eagle, 1914

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia