Gilded Age Manners of Americans

Stereoscopic view of the White House State Dinner tables set for the 1902 dinner hosted by Teddy Roosevelt, in honor of Prince Heinrich of Germany.

Morals and Manners of a Nation

The real test of the manners and morals of a nation is not by comparison with other nations, but with itself. It must be judged by the historical, not by the topographical standard. Does it develop? and how? Manners, like morals, are an affair of evolution, and must often be a native product, a wholly indigenous thing. This is the case, for instance, with the habitual American courtesy to women in traveling — a thing unparalleled in any European country, and of which, even in this country, Howells finds his best type in the Californian. What takes the place of it among the Latin races is the courtesy of the high bred gentleman toward the lady who is his social equal — which is a wholly different thing. 

A similar point of evolution in this country is the decorum of a public assembly. It is known that at the early town meetings in New England men sat with their hats on, as in England. Unconsciously, by a simple evolution of good manners, the habit lias been outgrown in America, but parliament still retains it. Many good results may have followed imperceptibly from this same tendency to decorum. Thus Mr. Bryce points out that the forcible interruption of a public meeting by the opposite party, although very common in England, is very rare in America. 

In general, with us, usages are more flexible, more adaptive; in public meetings, for instance, we get rid of a great many things that are unutterably tedious, as the English practice of moving, seconding and debating the prescribed vote of thanks to the presiding officer at the end of the most insignificant gathering. It is very likely that even our incessant self criticism contributes toward this gradual amelioration of habits. In that case the wonder is that our English cousins, who criticise themselves quite as incessantly, move so slowly.—Harper's Bazar, 1891

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