le who are inhabitants of the same
town; it is to be supposed that they could have known one another had
they cared so to do. Still, it is well to exercise judgment in this
one particular, since what could be done unquestioned in a city parlor
cannot always be accomplished without exciting comment and ill-feeling
in a country town.

Do not introduce gentlemen to ladies without first being sure that the
acquaintance will be agreeable to the lady, since it is much more
difficult for a lady to shake off an undesirable acquaintance than it
is for a gentleman. In the case of foreigners it is always well to be
careful before introducing them to young ladies at their own request,
since it often happens that foreign titles, found upon this side the
water, are extremely dubious. Hence one is clearly justified in
referring them to her parents or guardians for the required favor.

A Custom Out of Date.

Introductions at evening parties are, fortunately, very much out of
date, except it is for partners in dancing, or unless there should be
so many strangers present as to threaten overwhelming the entire party
in speechless gloom. Occasionally in the country some old-fashioned
hosts persist in handing each newcomer around the room like
refreshments for an introduction to each one present. This custom puts
the later arrivals in the position, as some one says, "of making a
semi-circular bow like a concert singer before an audience," and this,
to non-professionals, is not a little embarrassing.

Timid people, and people unaccustomed to the rules of social
etiquette, always feel a certain dread in going through the slight
formality of an introduction. Nothing, however, if one remembers a few
timely hints, can be simpler than this little ceremony so necessary
for each of us to perform many times in our intercourse with others.
Recollect always to introduce the gentleman to the lady, never the
lady to the gentleman, except in the case of very exalted rank,
extreme age or the possession of great eminence in intellectual or
artistic life; otherwise, the rule is inflexible save in introducing a
youthful "rosebud" formally to an elderly gentleman, in which case you
would present her to him. The chivalry of etiquette assumes that a man
is always honored by presentation to a lady.

In introducing ladies, present the younger to the elder, unless in
case of some marked exception such as those given above.

The simplest form in presenting