A “Modern Manners” Quiz

   

You meet a comely blonde who was a brunette only the week before. Should you: a) tell her she looks enchanting, but don't mention her hair, b) tell her she's equally lovely as a blonde or brunette, c) tell her frankly how you like the change? 

How modern are your manners?

From 1958, the streamlined manners of the Space Age

Today's social behavior embraces far more than merely knowing which spoon to use for the apricot mousse. Modern etiquette involves everything from highways to self-service elevators, from trousered ladies to TV. This quiz tests how up-to-date you are on the streamlined manners of the space age. 

QUESTIONS 

1.  You're going 55 mph (the legal limit) in the lefthand lane, passing a long line of slow-moving cars in the right-hand lane of a parkway. The car behind blinks its lights. Modern highway manners dictate that you: a) pull over as soon as you find a gap in the right lane, and let him pass, b) stay put, on the ground that you're going at the top legal speed, and the man has no right to pass, c) stay where you are until you've gotten beyond the slower-moving cars, then pull over. 
2. You meet a comely blonde who was a brunette only the week before. Should you: a) tell her she looks enchanting, but don't mention her hair, b) tell her she's equally lovely as a blonde or brunette, c) tell her frankly how you like the change? 
3. At a dinner party your host serves you a delicacy of fried African ants in sauce, flown in for the occasion from Tangier. Modern savoir faire requires you to: a) eat them bravely and praise their flavor, b) give a good excuse such as being allergic to ants in general if you don't like them, c) tell him the truth. 
4. You and your neighbor board the self-service elevator in your apartment house at the same time. He wants to go to the roof, you to the basement. Your first destination should be: a) up, b) down, c) whichever is closer. 
5. It is acceptable for a woman in a downtown city street to do only one of these things: a) wear slacks, b) go without stockings, c) comb her hair. 
6. A famous TV personality walks toward you on the street. He's in your home so often via the living-room screen you think of him almost as a personal friend. Should you: a) rush up and shake his hand, b) pass him by without intruding on his privacy, c) merely nod a greeting? 
7. A female business executive takes a male client to lunch at a plush restaurant. Is it proper for her to: a) let the man pay, b) give him the money to pay, c) pay the check herself? 
8. You're sitting in a public place where there are several large “No Smoking” signs. A young lady asks you to light her cigarette. Proper behavior for you is to: a) point out the signs, b) hand her the matches and let her take her own chances, c) give her the light and politely refrain from comment. 
9. By chance, you bump into a friend coming out of a pawnshop; you know that he's been in financial difficulty of late. Your most mannerly course is to: a) pretend you don't see him at all; b) greet him warmly, but act as though you don't know where he's just come from, c) offer to help him out of his predicament. 
10. At a party, you're chattering with an obviously important guest, but you haven't the foggiest idea who he is. When a friend of yours joins the conversation and introductions are in order, you should: a) frankly tell the VIP you don't know who he is, b) ask the two of them to introduce themselves, c) go on talking without introductions. 

It is acceptable for a woman in a downtown city street to do only one of these things: a) wear slacks, b) go without stockings, c) comb her hair...

ANSWERS 

1. a) Pull over at the earliest possible moment. Blinking lights are a standard passing signal on parkways at night and the proper motorist honors them even when the passer is exceeding the legal speed. 
2. a) is the best manners. The fact that the lady has changed her hair-color indicates that she's dissatisfied with her earlier shade, hence doesn't want to be reminded of it. If she wants to discuss the change, that's her choice, not yours. 
3. The proper answer is b). In today's air age, we get to taste many rare treats imported from far away. We don't have to like all of them. But we still must be polite even if it means a small “white lie.” 
4. c). Other things being equal, it's logical to go to the nearer destination first. 
5. b). Public hair-combing is always in poor taste, and slacks generally are still considered bad form. 
6. The correct course is c). Celebrities like to be recognized, but they also like people to respect the fact that when an entertainer is offstage, he has rights of privacy. 
7. c). The lady should pay the check. Many woman executives bypass the problem by establishing charge accounts at restaurants. 
8. You should follow procedure a). Contemporary manners are based on being kind. It's not kindness to help somebody violate rules and endanger life and property. 
9. b) is right. If you pretend not to notice him at all, he'll probably suspect that you actually did see him; on the other hand, an unsolicited offer of a loan might be most offensive, however well-meant. 
10. The best-mannered move is a). Unless he's a prize stuffed shirt, he'll take your admission in good humor. Of course, you'll always meet some people who are living, etiquette-wise, in the last century. 

SCORING: Eight out of ten correct answers mean your manners are completely up-to-the-minute; five to seven correct answers mean your etiquette needs a bit of brushing-up; less than five correct indicate your social behavior is riding way behind the times. 

— By Alex Addison, 1958

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

Courtesy on the Roads

Seldom does one meet a driver on the open highway who will give an inch to the other fellow and surrender his right-of-way to convenience other cars.

Boors All!

A reasoning being can usually find answers to his own questions, but there is one that stumps all. Why it is that motorists forget all etiquette and the rudiments of courtesy when they get behind a steering wheel? It is not polite to swear at the dining table if the butter isn’t passed the instant it is asked for. And almost everybody employs the polite “Pardon me” in pedestrian jams and crowded elevators. 

But get the same persons in the driver’s seat and there is loud honking and a cuss word or two, if the car ahead stops too suddenly or fails to start soon enough. Seldom does one meet a driver on the open highway who will give an inch to the other fellow and surrender his right-of-way to convenience other cars. It is everybody for himself and curses upon the other fellow even though his faults and transgressions are your own. – San Pedro News Pilot, 1932

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

Emily Post’s 1940s Motoring Manners

“A courteous lady will not ‘scold’ others with a horn any more than she would act like a ‘fishwife’ at a party... An honorable man would no more cheat a red light or stop sign than he would cheat at games or sports.”

Tips on Touring

I enjoyed Emily Post’s book on “Motor Manners” so much, that I dropped around to see her the other day and came away with these etiquette tips. 

For men: “The horn should never be used to announce arrival or to call someone to the car. A gentleman will not tune the radio or light the cigarette of a lady beside him as it distracts his attention from the road. An honorable man would no more cheat a red light or stop sign than he would cheat at games or sports.”

For women: “Shorts are permissible attire when driving, with a skirt to be whisked on when propriety demands. A courteous lady will not ‘scold’ others with a horn any more than she would act like a ‘fishwife’ at a party. Heavily veiled hats or obtrusive scarves obstruct vision, are as out of place in motoring as boots in a ballroom.” 

For everyone: ‘‘Obeyance of traffic rules is the best definition of motoring courtesy. Bad manners on the road all too often result in murder. The motorist’s continual application of the Golden Rule will make the use of streets and highways safer and more enjoyable.” – 

By Carol Lane, Women’s Travel Authority, 1949

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

Etiquette and Polite Drivers

While gallantry is expected of all gentlemen, on the highway women drivers lose the identity of their sex and simply become “another driver.” Courteous drivers show full consideration for the safety and convenience of all “other drivers.” In fact, split second decisions do not allow sufficient time to make a distinction nor does safety justify it.

Gentlemen Of The Highway 

A gentleman of the highway can be anyone. The kind of vehicle a person drives is not important, whether new or old, high priced or low priced, commercial or private. How a person drives is the important factor. Emily Post's Motor Manners, the blue-booklet of traffic etiquette published by the National Highway Users Conference, Inc., states that while gallantry is expected of all gentlemen, on the highway women drivers lose the identity of their sex and simply become “another driver.” Courteous drivers show full consideration for the safety and convenience of all “other drivers.” In fact, split second decisions do not allow sufficient time to make a distinction nor does safety justify it. Only a pseudo-gentleman will make a show of chivalry to women drivers and then tangle bumpers in a bluffing match with a man driver. 

The realm of gentlemen of the highway also includes the pedestrian. Responsible drivers realize that since they control the power to inflict injury, special precautions must be taken by them to avoid a casualty. Drivers with experience know that non-driving pedestrians do not realize how difficult it is to spot a pedestrian, to stop a car immediately or to dodge suddenly in traffic. In addition, not all pedestrians a driver encounters can command the full capacity of their faculties. Considerate drivers know that the person on foot may be, for example, bewildered, sick, crippled, deaf, blind or intoxicated. 

Experienced drivers know that children cannot always be held responsible for their actions. Lack of consideration for children in the street can result in manslaughter. All careful and polite motorists keep on the lookout for pre-school age youngsters who may dart into the street. Mannerly drivers will always slow down and proceed with caution in school zones. Every civil motorist will co-operate with school boy patrolmen as they go about their serious business of protecting their schoolmates. It should shame many grown-ups that school children frequently are their peers in pedestrian courtesy and manners. - Santa Cruz Sentinel, 1951

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

Automobile Etiquette

“Traffic laws are simply rules of etiquette for streets and highways,” according to the Commissioner, “guides that make it easier for us to move about in the car without mishap." 

Courtesy Is Stressed

“Barging through traffic in an automobile probably means not obeying traffic laws, and disregarding the rules for safe driving,” according to Clifford E. Peterson, Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol. “On the sidewalk, a person is usually courteous enough to allow room for another person to pass by, but the pedestrian- become-driver feels that he must ‘elbow’ his way through traffic,” he said. “And sooner or later, ‘elbowing’ lands him either in the repair shop—hospital—or both. 

“Traffic laws are simply rules of etiquette for streets and highways,” continued the Commissioner, “guides that make it easier for us to move about in the car without mishap." 

He listed the following safe driving rules as especially worth remembering: 

1. On a right turn, move over to the right-hand side of the roadway as far as possible. 
2. Get into the proper lane for the turning movement long before you reach the intersection — a full block ahead is not too far. 
3. Move into the center lane of traffic for the left turn, but in making the turn, don’t cut too sharply. 
4. Traffic laws will help you only if you obey them. – Sausalito News, 1950

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

Quaint Customs and Etiquette

To "take one's dust" was a common expression or contempt. The custom was not without its uses in its day. But will it be believed that at the close of the nineteenth century this etiquette of the road is rigidly maintained, and that among well-bred people each equipage has to take the gait of the slowest?

Old-Time Virginia
Regions Yet Untouched 

by Nineteenth Century Innovations

The genuine, untouched Virginian of today has often been declared to be the most complete survival of eighteenth century England now in existence. There are certain eighteenth century customs and manners in common use here that have not been heard of in a hundred years in England. One of the quaintest is a custom of the road which died out in England when the post road and the traveling chariot went out of vogue. In those days, it was considered almost an affront for one traveler in a carriage to drive past another going the same way.

The traveling class was made up generally of the rich and leisurely, and as they bowled along in their coaches to have another coach dash by and give back its dust, and perhaps incite the coachman to a race, was considered highly indecorous. To "take one's dust" was a common expression or contempt. The custom was not without its uses in its day. But will it be believed that at the close of the nineteenth century this etiquette of the road is rigidly maintained, and that among well-bred people each equipage has to take the gait of the slowest?

True it is, some iconoclasts and outsiders drive past their fellow travelers without compunction, but they, therefore, prove their claim to be called iconoclasts and outsiders. When it is a very pressing case, an apology is called out such as "Pray excuse me, but my horse is restless," or "I am in haste to catch the boat," or something of the kind. But to drive ruthlessly ahead without a word of apology is considered the acme of ill breeding. –
Boston Evening Transcript, 1893

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

Driving Etiquette Affects Accident Stats

On the road, "stripped of the varnish of modern culture, the primal instincts reveal themselves." accccording to car dealer.

Road Courtesy is Asked by Chandler Manager — Says Real Instinct Reveals Man Behind Wheel

"The courtesy of the road” — that's where the true gentleman reveals himself." So declares Ron Smith, sales manager of the Earl V. Armstrong, Inc., local distributer for the Chandler car. "Nowhere does the exemplification of the Golden Rule count for more than on the highways,” he contends. 

"Here, stripped of the varnish of modern culture, the primal instincts reveal themselves. "If every man who drove would treat fellow motorists as he does guests in the home or office, we would see the frightful toll of auto accidents cut in half."

Accident Analysis

"Analysis of the majority of accidents shows that some one disregarded traffic rules and courtesies, some one wanted to ’beat the other fellow,' or worse still, some one was a 'road hog' and tried to monopolize the whole landscape. It is indeed a real and rare treat to meet one of the altogether too few genial, courteous drivers. I got to a busy street intersection the other day just as a kind-faced, elderly gentleman reached it from the otherside. He really had the right of way, but instead of jamming on power and glowering at me, he smiled genially and with a wave of his hand, signaled me to go on."

Kindly Act

“It was a little thing, of course, but do you know that kindly act and that smile started the day right for me, and left me thinking human folks weren’t so bad after all. The strangest part of the whole thing, is that the worst tyrants of the wheel are often business men of superior education, who practice extreme courtesy in their daily pursuits and wouldn't think of committing a breach of etiquette in the social world. The same simple rules apply in the motor world as In business or social life. Simply think of the other fellow first, and accord him every consideration possible. Try it and you'll find it pays big in motor satisfaction." – Los Angeles Herald, 1917

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

Etiquette for the Road

Every man in this country who drives a car knows that he has to look out for two cars—his own and the other fellow’s.

Motor Car Etiquette

A Georgia editor claims to he able to judge a man's character by the way he drives a motor car—or words to that effect. He says that when he sees a gentleman coming toward him in a motor car, he gives him half of the road; when he sees a fool coming he gives him all of it. And when he sees a darn fool coming, he takes to the woods or climbs a telephone pole.

Every man in this country who drives a car knows that he has to look out for two cars—his own and the other fellow’s. He is not afraid of an accident from his own driving; that is. He is not afraid of his own. It is the other fellow’s car that causes him the most anxiety. And here, as in Georgia, it is the fool and the darn fool that is most to be feared.—Columbus Dispatch, 1919

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the

Site Moderator and Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia