Saturday, January 28, 2012

Mark Twain: Rescue Etiquette

In assisting at a fire in a boarding house, the true gentleman will always save the young ladies first—making no distinction in favor of personal attractions, or social eminence, or pecuniary predominance—but taking them as they come, and firing them out with as much celerity as shall be consistent with decorum. There are exceptions, of course, to all rules; the exceptions to this one are:

Partiality, in the matter of rescue, to be shown to:

1. Fiancées.
2. Persons toward whom the operator feels a tender sentiment, but has not yet declared himself.
3. Sisters.
4. Stepsisters.
5. Nieces.
6. First cousins.
7. Cripples.
8. Second cousins.
9. Invalids.
10. Young-lady relations by marriage.
11. Third cousins, and young-lady friends of the family.
12. The Unclassified.

Other material in boarding house is to be rescued in the following order:

13. Babies.
14. Children under 10 years of age.
15. Young widows.
16. Young married females.
17. Elderly married ditto.
18. Elderly widows.
19. Clergymen.
20. Boarders in general.
21. Female domestics.
22. Male ditto.
23. Landlady.
24. Landlord.
25. Firemen.
26. Furniture.
27. Mothers-in-law

(Source: kateoplis)

Posted at 11:42 AM 145 notes Reblogged from kateoplis

Notes

  1. taoofbill reblogged this from kateoplis
  2. misskaten reblogged this from kateoplis and added:
    Mark twain was a hoot
  3. inkyeagle reblogged this from kateoplis
  4. adhrpr reblogged this from kateoplis and added:
    2. Persons toward whom the operator feels a tender sentiment, but has not yet declared himself.
  5. lizd13 reblogged this from kateoplis
  6. wonderingpiece reblogged this from kateoplis
  7. writtenswordss reblogged this from kateoplis
  8. eightcastles reblogged this from kateoplis
  9. seewg reblogged this from kateoplis
  10. bartydogsgd reblogged this from kateoplis
  11. brentmcolley reblogged this from kateoplis
  12. occidoxy reblogged this from kateoplis and added:
    BTW, I love my mother-in-law
  13. tallulalaine reblogged this from kateoplis
  14. iamthewayfarer reblogged this from kateoplis
  15. sushivintage reblogged this from kateoplis
  16. jmzlemonsize97 reblogged this from kateoplis
  17. raddicalviews reblogged this from kateoplis