THE BOW AND SMILE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 169, 10 April 1908, Page 3

THE BOW AND SMILE.

tnquiries 'aro often \ made on the subject of bowing to • acquaintances, which,' at first ' sight, (says a writer in the "Argus''), seems o simple and.obvious; affair. :ln ; foreign countries a lady waits'for a man to bow, but - . with us the action seems almost simultaneous,, although it,is tho-j rule 'generally accepted that it' is left to the woman to make tho first move towards recognition. Women in these,days ,seom to have, lost the art of bowing,'and merely-give; a'sharp .little nod and very often an uplifting of the eyebrows passes for a salutation. This is all very well when , the acknowledgment is made bv ono girl' to ,'another, but older peoplo should be treated with more dignity. A really gracerul/doW' is most effective, and.should Be made with a slow but decided-bend of tho : neck, accompanied by. a smile! It mav ; Bound a trifling matter, but these lost graces are becoming of more consequence, and do- ' portment-.in all its branches is being studied " aguiii. Shaking hands ;is - another vexed question, and ono for-.which no hard and fast rule can be made. • So much depends, upon • circiimstanccs, _ and. the fitness of tliincs / should be considered rather than any fixed custom. Alen as a rule are more awkward over handshaking, 011 h«rg introduced, than ww.en, for it often happens they are undecided as to the proper thing to do, so it re- , sains; for. the women to make the best of the i wtiufciciv for it is always bad manners to U' & te stranger feel-he has made! a mistake. V/ojrwn never shake hands on-being intro- , ducwl to either men or other women - but of .course, there aro exceptional 'cases''to bo considered: A gracious married woman will ' shake hands with a 'girl or: with another married woman, whose place in. the world is not,so important as hers; A hostess greets til her guests with' a hand-shake, and an cn- ■ gagod girl should do th'e same with the relations of her future husband when she is introduced to them.