"In calling on a new acquaintance, the lady making the call will give the servant two cards—that of her husband as well as her own. In the event the lady upon whom the call is made answers the bell and ushers the one calling into her home, the two cards are left unobtrusively on a table or some other piece of furniture where they are likely to be easily found..."
to read more:
advice to young women, gifts, driving
dreams and their meaning
beauty secrets
every day omens
The Key to Culture, the Customs, Manners and Niceties of Society, a book on popular culture and etiquette published in 1921, was developed from Paul T. Gilbert's regular newspaper columns for the Chicago Evening Post. In addition to the usual (or often unusual) information about introductions, calling cards, dinner invitations, table manners, weddings and receptions, balls and dances, dress, conversation and beauty secrets—the book includes superstitions and omens, lucky and unlucky days, dreams and their meaning, spells and charms, telling fortunes, and even how to read character by the shape of the head. Also there are suggestions on courtship and how to write love letters, with some frightening examples given.
This 253-page book was republished a few years ago and is available new from amazon.com and the original book is often available from online sources as well. An excerpt follows, and there are more in the links, from "this volume of cheerful counsel."
Dinner Partners
Relatives or husbands and wives are not seated together if it can be avoided. The selection of proper dinner partners is a problem and the hostess must very carefully work out her seating arrangement if her dinner is to be a success
Where the affair is formal the customary way of notifying the man the lady who he is expected to take in to dinner, is to place the name of the lady written on a card in an envelope, which in turn is addressed to him. These envelopes are found by the men in the dressing room. The thoughtful hostess will see that the man, immediately upon entering the drawing room, is presented to his dinner partner. Should he know her, after having spoken to his hostess, he will seek out his dinner partner and make himself unusually attentive, so that at the table there will be no strained feeling.
to read more, follow these links:
advice to young women, gifts, driving
dreams and their meaning
beauty secrets
every day omens