Why did men walk on the outside of the sidewalk?

Before our drainage systems, a man stood on the outside of the sidewalk in a long coat to protect her from the dust and sewage that could splash up as horse carriages passed by. Today, a gentleman might stand in the way of puddles splashing up from buses, or in the event a car veers onto the sidewalk.

Why does the man walk curbside?

This left his right arm free (the sword arm) in the event of danger. In the event that you and he are walking down a sidewalk or street, the man should be between the woman and traffic so as to protect her from dirt or splashes from traffic.

What side should a gentleman walk on?

Walk on the curb side. A gentleman should always walk on the curb side when walking down the sidewalk–unless there appears to be more danger on the inside. The idea behind this is for the gentleman to protect the lady; or in the case of inclement weather to keep her from getting splashed by cars on the street side.

How do you become a old fashioned gentleman?

9 Signs You’re An Old-Fashioned Gentleman In A Modern World

1. You wear what you want to wear, but you keep it classy.
2. You treat women with respect, but you know better than to be a “nice guy.”
3. You don’t need to swear because you have an extensive vocabulary.
4. You respect yourself – body and mind.

What side does the girl walk on?

A woman should walk on the left side, “the side of the heart”. A woman should always walk on the “protected side”, it being left or right, if she is exposed to some unpleasantness. For example if the road is filled with water ponds she might get splashed from passing by cars.

Why do some men walk on the right side of women?

For some reason, it persists among (some) men that to be chivalrous, they need to walk on a particular side of a woman when walking down the street. Historical reasons cited for this include: When knights existed, their right arm was their sword arm and thus is needed to be available to defend the lady.

Do you offer your left arm when you walk a woman?

Not entirely true about offering your left arm. It very much depends on the side of the road you walk on. If it’s left, in England or Japan, you walk your lady on the far left side to keep her from being pushed by people going the other way. Vise versa in right-sided countries.

Should the man take the curbside position?

Granted, most old etiquette books (right up through Emily Post) do instruct the man to take the curbside position (or the married lady should take it if walking with a single lady), but they all also say that a gentleman should always defer to a lady’s preference.

Why do we drive on the left side of the road?

The sword thing is basically true but it is more the reason for which side of the road we pass, as in which side we drive. In medieval times we would always pass on the left, to keep the sword free , in case of attack.