Return to Social Graces

The Benevolence of Manners: Recently I had the privilege of reading this book and found it enlightening. It gives a view of where we were at one time in the area of social graces and how we have given it up for what we see today. It's disheartening to see were we were at one time when men went out of their way to be courteous to women as a rule, whether it was tipping their hats to us in passing, opening the doors for us, pulling out our chairs , ... today we can easily find men racing for a seat on the a train or bus ahead of a female. It is so bad now that when a few doors are open for us, we get a heady feeling, and some men knows this which is why they do it, for a while anyways!! But wait a minute, it's not just the men. Ladies we have reduced ourselves to no more than prostitutes and kept women, we should not be putting ourselves in these positions but the sad fact is that at least prostitutes and kept women are getting paid for their time, most of us are with men for kind words and empty promises. We are crying being closed doors, wishing that men would see us in a different light when we ourselves are lowering our standards to be accommodating. Let's take me for example, I am looking to the day when I will be the wife of a special man and yet the men who I am letting into my life are men who are still not sure what they want, and if they do, it is not me, they are interested in dating other people, or do not find me enchanting enough to romance me into marriage. I find myself being accommodating, making excuses thinking that they will come around with time, of course this has not worked so far because I am still single. The Benevolence of Manners: Linda S. Lichter. Hope you get an opportunity to read this book.