[ . . . ]
At the time, educational institutes were not yet known in our parts under this name; a place where children were sent to take classes was simply called school, but the Swedish princess’s former governess shuddered at the plebeian word. A school! Quelle horreur! quelle platitude! What she received five times a week in the afternoons at her house was a societé des jeunes dames. She was the most good-natured soul, but she would not have forgiven either in life or death any unlucky person who had the audacity to associate her name with that degrading term.
[ . . . ]
Naturally, our conduct also had to be transformed in keeping with these surroundings; she would not let us get away with even the tiniest offence against conventional decency and social manners without immediate reprimand. Awkward behavior, a clumsy gait, slamming doors, any kind of unnecessary noise, resulted in lengthy lectures, which seemed like a very harsh punishment to us, because they caused us the most horrible boredom. We were also not allowed to omit the curtsey at the door, still common at the time upon entering the room; anyone forgetting it had to make up for it on the spot; anyone carrying it out negligently in haste had to practice it again until one succeeded in performing it more gracefully.
Looked at somewhat superficially, all of this may certainly look terribly ridiculous; it will appear less so, however, if one is able to transport oneself back some 60 years; though the saying goes, “other times, other manners,” only the form changes, whereas the reason remains the same. Early habituation to that which good manners and societal propriety demand of us is of great benefit now as it was in those days when entering the freshly blossoming rosy times in the springtime of life. In that way, we feel neither chained nor embarrassed by it, neither fall silent out of awkward bashfulness nor fall into that overly warm trustfulness that is initially admired as priceless naiveté, and then ridiculed as all too clumsy audacity. Even in subsequent times, adroit sureness of conduct both in domestic and social relations puts the more earnest housewife in good stead, helping her spread over her own life and that of dear ones an air of calmness and grace which can be felt though not analyzed.
[ . . . ]
Translating in written or oral form from French into German or the other way around, memorizing reading exercises, and reciting the materials learned took up the first few hours; until it was her turn, each one of us occupied herself quietly with the task assigned to her, and this alternation of our work always kept us in busy attentiveness. We were never assigned any homework. Exercises in handwriting and, if there was any time left, a bit of geography brought on teatime at around five o’clock, and as if by magic spell we were transformed from pupils into a real societé des jeunes dames.
print version
return to list
previous document