HANDSHAKING IN ENGLAND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5409, 9 November 1895, Page 3

HANDSHAKING IN ENGLAND.

. An American travelling through England thus describes his impressions of English etiquette as regards handshaking :— •

On my first visit to England, he says, I was given letters of introduction to a family living in the suburbs of Liverpool, which, on the day following my arrival in that city, I took occasion to present. I found the family, which consisted of a mother, her two daughters, and a young lady friend, must charming. They ware expecting me, their relatives in Amerioa having written them that I was coming, and I spent a most delightful hour in their home. At the same time I could not but. feel that there was a certain something in the atmosphere of the call which was not quite right. Either I had done something which I ought not, or I had left unperformed something which I ought to have done.

Ac I brought my call to a close this feeling grew stronger, and as I bade the young ladies good day and bowed myself out of the drawing room I was decidedly uncomfortablo. To add to my uneasiness my hoateaa followed me down the entire length of tha long hall so closely that I almost thought that, in spite of the excellent recommendations I had brought, she feared I might carry away with me some of the exquisite bric-a-brac with which the house was adorned. When I reached, the door and extended my hand toward the knob to open it, to my surprise she grasped my outstretched hand and gave it a hearty shake, before letting me go out. Even then I did not realize the situation, and it waa riot until months afterward when 1 had become very intimate in this family, that they told me 'how strange' they' thought it that day because I did not shako hands with them all as they came into the room and again as I went out.

Fortunately for me, at the very first house I visited after this a very bright woman, who waa also staying at tho same place, took compassion on my American ignorance, and very delicately set me right in this matter.

The breakfast room was generally the meeting place in the morning, and unless we were very early the hostess was there before us, seated at the head of the table. Etiquette demanded that we shake hands with her first, and then with such others of the party as were there before us. Those who came later saluted us in turn, co that when the party was all assembled we had shaken hands with each other. At night, when we prepared to go to bed, the prccess was reversed, and the hand of the hostess was the laßt we graaped before we took our candles and wound our way up the odd, old stone stairs to bed.

Then all through the day it alwayß seemed to me as if we indulged in a dissipation of handshaking on every possible occasion, which had a tendency toward evening, when the neighbours were likely to call, to develop into a regular orgy. I remember one evening in particular. We were out in the garden enjoying that hour oE perfect twilight which has no counterpart in this country, when a party of six from a neighbouring house strolled in, merely to exchange a friendly greeting. Of course we shook hands all round when they came, and for some reason, I forget what now, I began to keep 'count of how many times I shook on this occasion. I know they did not remain more than fifteen minutes, but I think they made one faloe Btaxt,. and then at last, I know we walked down to the gate with them. Even then, however, when, after they had gone, and I reckoned up and found that, in that one short call of a quarter of an honr'a duration I had Bhaken hands twenty -f our times, I could not undertand it nor have I ever been able to do so since. I can only think that, in the general excitement, I became confused and shook hands with several of my own party, or possibly two or three times with myself, and did not know the difference.

But, putting aside any joking in regard to it, it is a good, hearty custom, which I learned to respect and like, and I wish we followed it more generally in this country. Ido not believe that any man who meets you with a hearty grasp of the hand will turn away to slander you, or that he can easily bring himself to do yon an injury.