Tuesday, March 18, 2014

How to Walk With Ladies, 1891

"Always keep to the right of the sidewalk, and never pass in front of a lady coming at right angles at a street corner, unless a distance of six feet intervene between said lady and the crossing-point when you reach it... When walking with a lady keep either a military step, or if her step is too short for your comfort, then take a Newport drag pace, taking care that the body does not rise much, thus preventing a see-saw appearance... A distance of half a foot should be kept between the lady and yourself at all times when the walk is not crowded; this is necessary always in the daytime, and also in the evening unless the acquaintance is such as permits taking arms. Never lock arms in the daytime." 
Mortimer Delano de Lannoy, Simplex Munditiis. Gentlemen (1891) 
Walking: perhaps you think you have mastered this art. You are wrong. Until you can perform instinctive calculus operations on street corners and execute a smooth Newport drag pace, you should not walk in public.

2 comments:

  1. I looked up Newport Drag and found this: http://library.albany.edu/preservation/brittle_bks/McAllister_Society/Chpt15.pdf
    It's a fun read. I am still not sure though, but it seems like a Newport drag was a type of horse drawn carriage or cart. Must have been very slow if a man is expected to walk at that pace!

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