Ⅰ.Origin of Etiquette

Etiquette’s origins can be traced back to the early time of human beings.

The essence of etiquette is the way of dealing with the relationship of human being’s intercommunication.In the beginning,prehistoric people learned to behave in ways that made life easier and more pleasant for one another.Gradually, they developed the rules for proper social conduct.A mass of historical research proves that etiquette,as an element of culture,was generated along with the human interactions and intercourses.The habitual language,posture and action,shared among the members in an identical tribe during the process of their daily gathering,hunting and everyday life,sprouted the primitive etiquette.For example,they would summon to look after mutually,when they escaped from the forest fire or the attack of the prey beast,For the necessity of the social communication,on the one hand, the primitive people began to pay attention to their appearance,enclosing fig leaves,putting on the sloppy skirts,adding on decorations and beautified stuff on the clothing and so on.On the other hand,they also started to take correct behavior to please the other people,keeping a suitable distance from each other in a collective hunting,talking rumors about the games to prevent their partners from feeling frustrated even if the action had gained nothing.

For the people from different tribes,they likely adopted some generally-accepted language,expression or posture in order to obtain trust,forgiveness and cooperation from the opposite party.And all this deportment would be considered as the initial forms of etiquette.The handshake probably originated when early man started to extend his right hand—the weapon hand—as a sign of friendliness and peace.A person presented forward his right empty hand to show he wasn’t holding a weapon; in return,the other man extending his own empty hand to show that he also was unarmed.Therefore,a handshake meant they were going to talk instead of fight.

The salute has similar origins.In early times,a knight in a full suit of armor,he can hardly talk with a friend while wearing a helmet,so if he wanted to talk,he had to remove the barrier.The visor on a knight’s helmet was much like a visor on a motorcycle helmet: it lifted up.And when a knight raised his visor,his hand ended up at his forehead,parallel to the ground.A salute indicated raising the helmet visor,so that the knight could talk instead of fight.

Making a toast,strangely,is a tradition that originates from the other side of the coin.When making a toast,the glasses clinked,the drinks in the glasses sloshed together on impact.This indicated that whatever was in one drink (poison or drugs),had now been passed into both glasses.If you were going to poison your friend,you got some as well.This made it in your best interest to not let your friend drink a poisonous drink.

Almost every convention of practice began from the necessity of each herd member’s learning a certain amount of sufferance and self-control on pain of being driven out or stamped down by the herd.And the laws which govern society are valued because most persons in the community have seen the benefit of fair and gentle dealing among all persons in the community.Fair and gentle dealing creates good manners; and etiquette is,after all,only the ceremonious application of good manners,whether at home or abroad.

While the best manners in the world root in kind-heartedness and a sense of justice,both of which induce consideration for others.The first impolite indications of such consideration might be shown by not snatching food from a weaker brother; more sophisticatedly,by not leaning in an easy chair while the aged were standing; nor telling a disagreeable story at the expense of a shy friend; nor showing off fine clothes in the front of the shabbily dressed.It is this which teaches us to reply an invitation quickly that our hostess may know whether or not she is to count upon our coming; and keeps us from breaking our appointment at the last moment unless for absolutely sufficient reasons,because it would be disappointing to her arrangements.

The good manners which rises from fundamental fineness of soul is insisted upon and makes us feel that to be impolite is,perhaps,the most unforgivable of faults because it has so little to excuse it.In civilized life,people should be polite even when they are angry,and they need never be ungrateful when others try to please them nor careless as to how much trouble they give.

The word “tender” is defined as “careful not to hurt” in the dictionary,and this is the basis of being cultivated; that is,we should be cautious to respect the rights and privileges of others and not to harm their feelings,tastes,or prejudices; not even the comfortable little vanities which make them what they are; that is,unless their actual welfare is threatened by our withholding testimony.The etiquette accorded to other points of view is no bad test of a person’s education and refinement.If we are to exist easily in social surroundings,we had better give others the tolerance we expect from them.