Tea in 1820
A little cup of inspiration from those gone before us–
I once read a rather interesting remark. The curtsy, a practice performed amongst those of the “olden day” generation, has become a thing of the past. It is most unfortunate, but it is true. Most people see the act as pointless, bizarre and so outdated that one should never be caught even attempting such a thing. I then realized that it is not only the curtsy that has died a meaningless death; everything that is proper, respectful and chivalrous has become a thing of the past. But whom do we blame for such an occurrence? Is it the men of today and their indefatigable egos’? Or have woman become too hard headed and independent, simply out of the innate fear of losing their status in society?
When I first moved to London, it astounded me that even some of the simplest homes and churches, built over a hundred years ago, all display the most intricate, expressive detail I have ever seen. It soon dawned on me. Two hundred years ago, people never thought it a problem to put endless hours of careful thought and effort into something, when they knew it would pay off.
Indeed, women of 1800 were a little too overdressed (but then at least the corsets meant they didnt need to worry about stupid things like vaser liposuction) and the men had sideburns, some a little longer than you’d like. But when I look at today’s rushed, technology driven society, there is a great deal that we could learn from them. A man always bowed when greeting a woman, no matter how ugly she was or how many missing teeth she had. Men weren’t afraid to read poncy poetry to ladies, in desperate effort to gain their admiration. Ladies weren’t embarrassed by frills or bonnets, or about the fact that they never had any money and had to rely on men for eternity. Respect was always displayed in public, together with proper manners. Indeed, certain men treated woman like animals, like some do today. But generally, if a man displayed the good, respectful behavior as was expected, he was always referred to as “highly honorable.” And that is exactly what most men today fight for – honor and respect.
A man’s fight for honor and a woman’s fight for her place are prevalent in today’s society. No man would ever express the fact out loud, nor would you find women burning their bras’ in protest. But if you notice how marriages are ending in divorce, or that marriage itself is a dying tradition, you will see that it is all around us. Both sexes are failing to get what they need from relationships.
I think that we should both change our perspectives’ a little. Guys, don’t mock the men of the day for appearing weak, just because they were chivalrous. Maybe there is something to be learned in it; getting the honor you deserve might be easier if you took more time to show you care. Ladies, I’m not saying forget your career, move to a farm, have twelve kids and a large herd of sheep. Simply step back, stop struggling and let him lead the way. Let’s abstain from the “all men are–” scenario and give them the benefit of the doubt. They’ll be less uptight and egotistical, the chances of us being killed by them will be greatly reduced and the war will soon be over!