The newest generation gap may involve carrying a handkerchief.
Jean Bradley writes: "I was always bothered by the drop of moisture that appeared on President Nixon's top lip. It made me wish he would wipe it away. And during the O.J. trial, I observed Mr. Cochran repeatedly wipe his nose with his fingers. Is he too poor (in manners) to know about the discreet use of a handkerchief?"Roman senators used them to dab sweat from their brows. Medieval knights carried them as the vaunted symbol of a lady's favor. Today, handkerchiefs remain popular with older folks, but the younger set seems to prefer tissues.
For Judith Martin - also known as Miss Manners - the fashion of handkerchiefs will never fade, however. And, as usual, her defense has a practical edge: "I'm puzzled," she says, "as to why handkerchiefs have gone out of style, when sneezing hasn't." Furthermore, "It does make you a little alarmed to shake hands with someone who doesn't have one."
Handkerchiefs have social utility, too. "It was a great flirtation device: A lady would drop her handkerchief, a gentleman would pick it up, they would immediately fall in love" - a good scenario for Miss Manners, whose newest book is "Miss Manners on Painfully Proper Weddings."
Also, it was "a gentlemanly gesture," she says, for a man to offer a weeping woman a handkerchief, "though it was usually he who made the lady cry."
For those in need who want the real thing - for their nose or social life - Barneys in New York has top-notch white cotton versions with blue or tan borders for $15. At J.C. Penney, 13 permapress cotton hankies are just $10.
- Abraham T. McLaughlin