COMPARATIVE COURTESY: Mark Twain coined the phrase “the Gilded
Age” to describe the late 19th century. By this he meant that
the period was glittering on the surface but leaden underneath.
Millions of Irish, Italian, German, Polish, Hungarian, Russian
Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Jews flooded into New York
City following the Civil War. The Fifth Avenue elite took the
lead in forging Americans out of what they considered
barbarians. Central to this mission to Americanize and
“civilize,” was the proper way to interact with friends and
strangers. Join Dr. Ronald Brown for the first in a series of
four lectures. 3 p.m.