日前，英国出现了第一家男士家政学校。学校在教会男士掌握垂钓和捕猎技巧的同时，还将教授他们如何摆放餐具等基本的餐桌礼仪。

    据路透社10月18日报道，这座名为“精修学院”的男士家政学校设在一座苏格兰的古老城堡里。它的创办者戴安娜·马瑟曾是一名演员和英国广播公司的主持人。马瑟表示，她一直信奉英国谚语——礼貌养成绅士。她说：“礼貌是不分年龄和身份的。而英国的传统礼仪堪称全世界的典范，我们所要教授给男士们的就是怎样的言行举止才像一个上流社会的绅士。”

    学校开设的男士家政课程速成班为期3天，共收费650英镑。据马瑟介绍，第一堂课是教授餐桌礼仪，主要内容包括“什么杯子装什么酒，什么刀配什么叉子”等。接下来是形体课上，学员们将学习如何保持优雅的站姿、坐姿和步态等。他们被要求让放在头上的书本不掉下来，以此来练习身体的平衡性。此外，学员们除了学习具有男人气质的钓鱼、打猎等技能时，还要求掌握基本的缝纫和熨烫技术，以及学会“健康有趣的”的苏格兰舞等。

    报道说，这些想做绅士的男人们前来学习的动机各有不同。他们有的是为了找到更好的工作主动求学；有的是在母亲或女友的“逼迫”下勉强而来。

    马瑟介绍说，这是目前世界上第一所专门为男士开办的男士家政学校，并吸引了来自世界各地的男士。他们中有的甚至来自遥远的加拿大、巴基斯坦或日本。在第一批申请者中，有一名津巴布韦的农民，他表示想学习一些商业礼仪。马瑟说：“我们已经在全世界打开了礼仪之门。”

    马瑟补充道：“如今，良好的礼仪仅在学校或家中是不能学到的，孩子们也缺乏良好的餐桌礼仪和与外人交谈的能力。而没有礼貌、举止不雅的孩子对他们的未来将很不利。在过去，男士会给女士开门或让座，现在倡导男女平等主义的人或许会忽视这些优良传统，但大部分女士还是希望自己被人尊敬地对待，仍希望梦中情人是风度翩翩的绅士。”

    报道说，家政学校在英国历史悠久。在过去，它主要是教授上流社会的女孩子保持良好的言行举止，成为气质优雅、心灵手巧的淑女，如怎样优雅地下车，怎样在社交场合与人交谈，怎样做一道拿手的法国甜点等。后来，随着时代的发展，家政学校的课程变得更加丰富，包括社交公关、行为举止、礼节礼仪、花卉修剪、电脑软件等有关妇女社交场合中必备的常识和技能。

    At what is being billed as the world's first finishing school for gentlemen, learning how to set the cutlery can be just as tricky as the fly fishing.

    But after three days in a Scottish castle, the students emerge from a minefield of etiquette knowing everything from how much to tip the gamekeeper to how to walk with a book balanced on their heads.

    "We have opened the floodgates of politeness around the world," said Diana Mather whose Finishing Academy has now attracted would-be candidates from as far afield as Canada, Pakistan and Japan.

    "We are teaching British manners, which are the gold standard and the benchmark for the world," said Mather, a former actress and BBC presenter who truly believes the old adage "Manners Makyth Man."

    "Good manners are ageless, priceless and classless," said Mather who charges 650 pounds for a three-day course.

    "We think it is the world's first finishing school for men," she said of the academy whose first candidates ranged from a former Zimbabwean farmer out to hone his business manner to a ski instructor determined to polish his social skills.

    The would-be gentlemen -- eager to boost their job prospects or just sent along by despairing mothers and girlfriends -- are given a crash course on how to cut the mustard in High Society.

    Table manners and cutlery terrified the nine pathfinders on the first course. "What glasses for which wine, which knife and fork -- that was what frightened them the most," Mather said.

    In deportment, they learned with the help of a book balanced on their heads "how to stand, sit and walk with stylishness and poise."

    To the relief of their nearest and dearest, they were even taught basic sewing and ironing skills as well as such manly pursuits as fly fishing and clay pigeon shooting.

    Scottish reels were danced "for fun and fitness" and the networking class even taught how to offer a power handshake.

    "That is very important. The weak, horrible, wet fish handshake is a problem. That gives a lot away," Mather said.

    The British fear their once famously polite nation is now more renowned for binge drinking and loud-mouthed, loutish behavior than for the popular image of the rolled umbrella and the stiff upper lip.

    "Good manners are not taught in schools or most homes. Children with no discipline are insecure," Mather complained.

    "Families don't eat together, children are not learning table manners or the art of conversation."

    Feminism and political correctness, she argues, may have to shoulder some of the blame in an age of equality.

    "These days do you open a door for a woman or give up your seat? Rabid feminists may not think so but most women like to be treated like a lady. A lot of women still want a knight in shining armor," she said.