Some days ago I received a precious envelope from the USA. There were three used books that I absolutely appreciated: one of them Behave Yourself
Published by J.B. Lippincott Company (no sure if it still exists but surfing the web I couldn't find it) this book was released in 1937 so 83 years ago. It was read with education, great respect and love by a lot of people; I can feel it; at first remained at long at the Stanley School before to ending in the hands of my new correspondent.
It is a magical book. The one presented and introduced to all of us in this book is the etiquette that the generation of the 1930s so young people born in 1920s had to follow for being respected and appreciated in the society.
I thought at that generation, absolutely my favorite one: they are precious people, educated, socials, in grade of appreciating the real values of life; friendship, love, community; they have sense of humor, they are strong workers; they were born in a moment of great difficulty for and in the world; the first world war was just over when a pandemic flu devastated countries and people and another world war more destructive than the previous one was imminent.
These young people loved to be beauty, but not just in the common sense of the word: to be beauty inside.
This book is a mirror of the times. Good behavior, after all, represented in this book is not so difficult to be followed; it represents good sense, good manners and that touch of elegance that shouldn't never abandon us.
Authors tried their best for giving the proper answers to all that teen-agers in search of answers: they could be boys or girls, in this book they would have discovered the best answers to all their questions.
What to do when invited at a lunch or dinner, when out for a date, or at church or for teas? How writing letters properly and when writing them in special occasions? Formality and Informality; jobs, travels, special occasions; there is a chapter all dedicated to the respect for the American flag but I simply remained shocked by something that we repeat everyday that found in the chapter To Whom it May Concern a chapter dedicated to all that nasty things that should be avoided in public. Some examples? Gossiping, cheating, asking personal questions, putting your fingers in your mouth....But one of them is story of these months:
"Coughing or sneezing without covering your mouth and turning your head. More than a rule of etiquette, this is an unforgivable sin against rules of health."
Anna Maria Polidori
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