The set of manners we think of as etiquette today are things such as, saying please and thank you. Taking our hat off when at the table. Not reading other people's mail. Helping to clear the table. Remembering to introduce our friends. Etiquette, or manners, guide us through all of our activities. Each one is like a tool to help us get along. And just as with all tools, we need to learn how to use them. It takes lots of practice.
Do you want to know the history behind the word etiquette? I did some research about 7 years ago when I was asked to speak at a luncheon for the Connecticut Daughter's of the American Revolution. I did all sorts of research I will share later, but this is a interesting tid bit.
Back in eighteenth-century France, King Louis XIV used to invite people to his palace for parties and festivals. However, he became really upset when people walked all over the lawns and gardens, squishing the grass and stomping on flowers. So before the next party, he called in his gardener to talk about this problem. They decided to put up little signs everywhere saying: Please don't walk on the flowers! Stay on the path. Be careful of the roses. The signs guided the guest so they would know where it was okay to walk and where it wasn't. The word in French for the little signs was "etiquette." Over time the word "etiquette" came to mean all the little signs that help us know what to do in new and different situations. And, in even more time, etiquette came to mean all the things we do to help us get along better with those we meet in out daily lives.
My new website and materials are for you. They will tell you the manners you need to know and how to use them. I will let you know when these are available.
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