Page:Book of Etiquette, Volume 1, by Lilian Eichler.djvu/142

 with anyone they choose, without trespassing any laws of good conduct.

If a lady passes two gentlemen, one of whom she knows, both raise their hats and greet her, but no introductions are made. If he stops for a moment—and it must be only for a very brief moment—he does not present his companion. Street introductions are bad form unless the little group joins forces and walks on together.

In the business world, introductions are made whenever a mutual acquaintance or friend is present. Business introductions are governed very largely by diplomacy, although the gentleman will make sure that his business introduction is just as courteous and graceful as his social introduction.

Granting that all your friends and acquaintances are of the very best society, it is quite safe to say that you may introduce two people to each other, or a group of people to one another, whenever you chance to be a mutual friend. Whether or not the acquaintanceship continues depends entirely upon the people who have been introduced. It is certainly better form to introduce two people, even though you are in doubt as to their similarity of character and personality, than to have one of your friends—or several of them—feel slighted. There are few things more unkind and discourteous than to neglect introducing strangers to each other.

An awkward or haphazard introduction can not be effective. A common fault seems to be to mumble hurriedly over names—a very bad fault, indeed, as it leaves the strangers in ignorance as to each other's identity. Names