Victorian Ettiquette

Forum for Etherscope, our new RPG of cyberpunk Victoriana.

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The Third Man
Far-Sighted Wanderer
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Victorian Ettiquette

Post by The Third Man »

From Hints on Etiquette (1834):

1. In all cases, the observances of the Metropolis (as the seat of refinement) should be received as the standard of good breeding.
2. Never make acquaintances in coffee houses or other public places. As no person who respects himself does so, you may reasonably suspect any advances made to you.
3. Well-bred people arrive as nearly at the appointed dinner hour as they can. It is a very vulgar assumption of importance purposely to arrive half an hour behind time.
4. It is considered vulgar to take fish or soup twice.
5. Do not ask any lady to take wine, until you see she has finished her fish or soup.
6. Never use your knife to convey food to your mouth, under any circumstances; it is unnecessary, and glaringly vulgar. Feed yourself with a fork or spoon, nothing else, a knife is only to be used for cutting.
7. Eat peas with a dessert spoon; and curry also.
8. Making a noise in chewing or breathing hard in eating are both unseemly habits, and ought to be eschewed. Many people make a disgusting noise with their lips, by inhaling their breath strongly whilst taking soup – a habit which should be carefully avoided.
9. Do not pick your teeth much at table, as, however satisfactory a practice to yourself, to witness it is not a pleasant thing.
10. Ladies should never dine with their gloves on – unless their hands are not fit to be seen.
11. Finger glasses, filled with warm water, come on with dessert. Wet a corner of your napkin, wipe your mouth, then rinse your fingers, but do not practice the filthy habit of gargling your mouth at table.
12. If you are so unfortunate as to have contracted the low habit of smoking, be careful to practice it under certain restrictions; at least, so long as you are desirous of being considered fit for civilized society.
13. Smoking in the streets, or in a theatre, is only practiced by shop-boys, psuedo-fashionables and the ‘swell mob’.
14. Men often think when they wear a fashionably cut coat, an embroidered waistcoat, with a profusion of chains and other trinkets, that they are well dressed, entirely overlooking the less obvious, but more certain, marks of a refined taste. The grand points are – well-made shoes, clean gloves, a white pocket handkerchief, and, above all, an easy and graceful deportment.
15. Dance quietly, do not kick and caper about, nor sway your body to and fro: dance only from the hips downwards.
tadk
Deft-Handed Cutpurse
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Words to live by

Post by tadk »

Words to live by even in this supposedly enlightened age we dwell in.

Thank you for the posting, this is utterly relevant.
Over 30 years spent gaming, all sorts of systems, feel free to ask me anything, no guarantees I will have an answer.
Malladin_Nigel
Wild-Eyed Zealot
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Post by Malladin_Nigel »

I Like :)
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