THE ETIQUETTE OF SALUTATION. [To THE EDITOR OF THE "
SPECTILTOPL.1
Sin,—I hope we have not all forgotten, in this matter, the example of "Joseph Pelee, of Bread Street Hill, merchant, and one of the directors of the South Sea Company, who, though bred a Presbyterian, and brought up a merchant, was the finest gentleman of his time." It is Elm who writes of him, and who goes on to say : "He had not one system of attention to females in the drawing-room and another in the shop or at the stall. I do not mean that he made no dis- tinction, but he never lost sight of sex, or overlooked it in the casualties of a disadvantageous situation. I have seen him stand bare-headed,—smile, if you please,—to a poor servant- girl, while she has been inquiring of him the way to some street,—in such a posture of enforced civility, as neither to embarrass her in the acceptance, nor himself in the offer of it. He was no dangler, in the common acceptation of the word, after women ; but he reverenced and upheld, in every form in.
which it came before him, womanhood PP But one might go on quoting the whole essay on "Modern Gallantry,"—it is all to the r oint. I must content myself, however, with recalling the fact that Joseph Pelee learnt his lesson of reverence for womanhood from the fair Susan Win- stanley, to whom he was affianced, but whom he never married; and with recording Elia's wish that "the whole female world would entertain the same notion of these things that Miss Winstanley showed ; for then we should see something of the spirit of consistent gallantry, and no longer witness the anomaly of the same man the idolater of the female mistress of his affections, the disparager and despiser of his no less female aunt, or unfortunate (still female) maiden cousin."
We do not need slavishly to copy Mr. Joseph Paice's actions. It would be quite possible to do that without having anything of his spirit, and only make ourselves ridiculous or worse. We • may possibly remember Bolingbroke's behaviour "to the com- mon people," how-
" He did seem to dive into their hearts
With humble and familiar courtesy; Would woo poor craftsmen with the craft of smiles, Pluck off his bonnet to an oyster wench," &c., &c.
How like in act to Mr. Paice, how diverse in spirit. But we do need something of Joseph Paice's inspiration.—I am, Trowell Rectory, Nottingham, August 1st.
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