{"id":1619,"date":"2011-05-23T12:19:54","date_gmt":"2011-05-23T17:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardcity.wordpress.com\/?p=1619"},"modified":"2025-12-02T03:33:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T09:33:38","slug":"what-george-washington-didnt-know-about-21st-century-civility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/what-george-washington-didnt-know-about-21st-century-civility\/","title":{"rendered":"What George Washington Didn&#8217;t Know About 21st Century Civility"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"1024\" width=\"768\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/pexels-photo-7252350.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Current image: portrait of a man etched on paper\" style=\"width:301px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">George Washington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">George Washington.\u00a0\u00a0The founder of our country,\u00a0first president, and\u00a0man whom we admire even today for his bravery and courage was also a stickler for polite manners.\u00a0 In his <em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rules_of_Civility_and_Decent_Behaviour_In_Company_and_Conversation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation<\/a><\/em>, he instructed readers not to sleep while someone is talking to you, touch yourself in public, or blow your nose at the dinner table.\u00a0 All good rules of civility\u00a0that still apply today.\u00a0 Some of George&#8217;s ideas about behaviors to avoid are thankfully out of date, though.\u00a0 Here are just a few:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>George wrote: &#8220;Spit not in the Fire, nor Stoop low before it neither Put your Hands into the Flames to warm them, nor Set your Feet upon the Fire especially if there be meat before it.&#8221;\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I agree that spitting in the fire is gross, and&nbsp;you shouldn&#8217;t prop your feet up near a fire where people&#8217;s food is cooking, but thank goodness he&#8217;s wrong about putting your hands near the flames to warm them.&nbsp; What else would one do on a cool evening when gathered with friends or family around the <a title=\"Outdoor Fireplaces and Fire Pits\" href=\"http:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/outdoor-fireplaces\/\">Outdoor Fireplace<\/a>?&nbsp; When hands are cold, and there is a deliciously warm fire nearby, the natural instinct is to put the two together.&nbsp; Warm your hands, George!&nbsp; No one will think less of you for doing so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>George wrote: &#8220;When you Sit down, Keep your Feet firm and Even, without putting one on the other or Crossing them.&#8221;\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Clearly, George did not own an ottoman or a lounge chair of any kind on which he could prop up his feet after a busy day running the country.&nbsp; In fact, keeping one&#8217;s feet firm and even doesn&#8217;t even sound comfortable.&nbsp; Perhaps a rule of this sort still survives in fancy living rooms and sitting rooms.&nbsp;&nbsp;In&nbsp;outdoor living areas, though, kicking back and lounging around on comfortable <a title=\"Outdoor Patio Furniture\" href=\"http:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Patio-Furniture-Discount-Outdoor.htm\">Patio&nbsp;Furniture<\/a>&nbsp;is the only&nbsp;acceptable behavior, even in company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>George wrote: &#8220;Make no Shew of taking great Delight in your Victuals.&#8221;\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Sorry, George.&nbsp; Food is one of the greatest pleasures we have, which is why cooking shows and food channels are so popular.&nbsp; To not delight in one&#8217;s food, especially when that food has been carefully and lovingly prepared by friends or family, would be rude.&nbsp;&nbsp; When we can&nbsp;enjoy our meals cooked outdoors on a&nbsp;<a title=\"Awesome Outdoor Grills\" href=\"http:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Gas-Grill.htm\">Gas or Charcoal Grill<\/a>, the delicious food combined with the fresh air makes for an even more pleasurable eating experience.&nbsp; If he could experience it himself, even George would agree that&nbsp;a few&nbsp;oohs, ahhs, and yums would be acceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, times change, and so do ideas about appropriate behavior.&nbsp; It&#8217;s fun to read George&#8217;s long list of 17th century&nbsp;manners and discover what is still relevant.&nbsp; Not surprisingly, much of what he has to say about personal comfort and how to behave with friends has changed dramatically.&nbsp; Perhaps he&#8217;d be appalled if he could see us today.&nbsp; Or, perhaps he would feel a renewed sense of freedom.&nbsp; Go ahead, George, kick back, enjoy your meal, and be sure to warm your tootsies by the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Images\/WTL\/02679-small.jpg?w=800\" alt=\"Outdoor Fireplace \/ Firehouse\" style=\"width:363px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Images\/OAL\/OAL226-Small.jpg?w=800\" alt=\"Cosabella 3 pc. Club Chair Chat Group\" style=\"width:364px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Images\/DNA\/Power-Chef-Grill-Small.jpg?w=800\" alt=\"Electric Grills and Smokers\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>George Washington.\u00a0\u00a0The founder of our country,\u00a0first president, and\u00a0man whom we admire even today for his bravery and courage was also a stickler for polite manners.\u00a0 In his Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation, he instructed readers not to sleep while someone is talking to you, touch yourself in public, or blow your nose at the dinner table.\u00a0 All good rules of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/what-george-washington-didnt-know-about-21st-century-civility\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">What George Washington Didn&#8217;t Know About 21st Century Civility<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&raquo;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,14,16],"tags":[84,208,320,328,359],"class_list":["post-1619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-backyard-fun","category-entertaining","category-outdoor-living-spaces-2","tag-charcoal-grills","tag-gas-grills","tag-outdoor-fireplaces","tag-outdoor-grills","tag-patio-furniture"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/pexels-photo-7252350.jpeg?fit=975%2C1300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Nnyf-q7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2333,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/grilling-never-goes-out-of-style\/","url_meta":{"origin":1619,"position":0},"title":"Grilling Never Goes Out Of Style","author":"Trey Collier","date":"May 11, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Grilling has been around almost as long as fire, even if it wasn't always called that. In modern history, grilling was mostly confined to camping and hiking until after World War II. After the war, grilling as a backyard recreation caught on and the trend has never slowed. Outdoor cooking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2684,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/portable-grills-for-tailgating-camping-and-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":1619,"position":1},"title":"Portable Grills Are a Hot Item for Tailgating and Home","author":"BYC Temp Admin","date":"December 18, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"What do you get when you mix fresh air and freshly grilled food? Arguably, you get the tastiest meal available. But what if it's mealtime while you're on the road, on vacation, or simply out and about? Lugging around the full-size gas grill or charcoal grill is certainly not a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Grills and Accessories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Grills and Accessories","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/grills-and-accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Images\/WTL\/60450-large.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":516,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/one-tailgating-essential\/","url_meta":{"origin":1619,"position":2},"title":"One Tailgating\u00a0Essential","author":"Trey Collier","date":"October 5, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"It's the last great American neighborhood\u00a0 - the tailgating neighborhood.\u00a0 Where no one locks their doors, everyone is happy to see you and all are together sharing fun, food and football! And nothing smells better than the mouth-watering aroma of burgers, chicken, or vegetables sizzling and roasting on a grill.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Safari-Tailgate","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/safari-tailgate.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":501,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/portable-grills-go-everywhere-even-your-own-back-yard\/","url_meta":{"origin":1619,"position":3},"title":"Portable Grills Go Everywhere \u2014 Even Your Own Back\u00a0Yard","author":"Sara May","date":"September 18, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Fall is on our doorstep, so it's time to hit the road for some serious tailgating.\u00a0 What is a football game, college or pro,\u00a0without a parking lot party beforehand?\u00a0\u00a0Juicy burgers and monster bratwurst are on the menu,\u00a0along with grilled veggies and some ice cold beverages.\u00a0 No tailgating party can be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Outdoor Entertaining&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Outdoor Entertaining","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/entertaining\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Picnic With a Portable Grill","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/safari-picnic.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1604,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/celebrate-bbq-month-with-grill-tips-and-a-delish-recipe\/","url_meta":{"origin":1619,"position":4},"title":"Celebrate BBQ Month with Grill Tips and a Delish Recipe","author":"Sara May","date":"May 16, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Did you know that May is National Barbecue Month?\u00a0 What better way to celebrate it than by cooking dinner out on the back patio or deck?\u00a0 Thanks to\u00a0the generally pleasant\u00a0weather experienced by much of\u00a0the country in May,\u00a0you can celebrate National Barbecue Month just about every night. What type of Outdoor\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Outdoor Grill","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Images\/MGC\/Person-and-Grill.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2022,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/comfortable-camping-means-family-fun\/","url_meta":{"origin":1619,"position":5},"title":"Comfortable Camping Means Family Fun","author":"Trey Collier","date":"March 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Camping is a great way to get your family out of the house for some fresh air, relaxation, and bonding. Whether you are in a tent or Airstream, staying in the great outdoors will provide a rejuvenation to mind your body. It's a great way to get in touch with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Outdoor Entertaining&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Outdoor Entertaining","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/entertaining\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1619"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3357,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1619\/revisions\/3357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}