Tuesday, March 09, 2010

"For The Lady Well Comported"


I picked up this book last summer while on vacation in Colorado. It’s a compilation of advice from 19th and early 20th century etiquette, homemaking and recipe books. Amongst the advice given, I found these as a rather interesting peek into the past:


(Oh, and for the record, some of this advice I consider to pretty ridiculous--namely the stuff at the bottom. It's included for humor's sake. Just so you know.)


Not-so-common sense:


“Limit your observations. A quiet person is seldom disliked, while a noisy one sets the nerves all in motion and at war with each other and causes one to feel, in parlance popular, ‘like flying.’ Noise, the disturber, deranges the mental faculties and incapacitates the mind for clear and deliberate thought. ….Many times we have seen an inoffensive husband tucked completely out of sight by the superabundant volubility proceeding from his wife…”

“Treat enemies kindly. If you have an enemy and an opportunity occurs to benefit the person in matters great or small, do good service without hesitation. If you would know what it is to feel noble and strong within yourself, do this secretly and keep it secret. A person who can act thus will soon feel at ease anywhere. If enemies meet at a friend’s house, lay aside all appearance of animosity while there and meet on courteous terms.”

“Kiss sparingly. Many times a contagious disease has been conveyed in a kiss. The kiss is the seal of pure and earnest love and should never be exchanged save between nearest and dearest friends and relatives. Indeed, public sentiment and good taste decree that even among lovers it should not be so often indulged in as to cause any regret on the part of the lady should an engagement chance to be broken off. Let promiscuous kissing, then, be consigned to the tomb of oblivion.”

“Stray from spoiled men. A woman should avoid marrying a man who is the favorite of many sisters who constantly dance about in attendance on him. That man is spoiled for matrimony. He will require his wife to bestow on him all the attention he received from his sisters.”


On hygiene:


“Wash without shampoo. The head should be washed at least once a week, but shampooing is a great detriment to the beauty of the hair. Soap fades the hair, often turning it yellow. Brushing is the only safe method of removing dust from the head, with the occasional use of the whites of eggs when washing.”

I tried that once, but the hot shower water cooked the egg to my head.

“To clean the teeth. Rub them with the ashes of burnt bread. The juice of the strawberry is a natural dentifrice.”


On suitable exercise:


“Running. To strengthen abdominal muscles, run, lifting your feet high, like a spirited horse.

Skipping. There is some prejudice against this form of exercise from the fact that it can be overdone, and also from the popular idea that it is injurious to girls to jump. If they are properly dressed, and their muscles are gradually developed, and they use good common sense…there are practically no dangers in skipping.”


Glad to hear it.


From Keeping Hearth & Home in Old Colorado, compiled and edited by Carol Padgett, Ph.D.