Bonnets on or off?

[Irish Jack O'Brian]

A gentleman knows that the way he behaves at home is not necessarily the way he should behave in public.

So...

Hats Off:
Indoors, when a gentleman sits down, he always removes his hat.
When the national anthem is played a gentleman always removes his hat. (Veterans may leave their hats on and render a hand salute if they so choose.)
A gentleman always removes his hat when entering a house of worship, unless it would be considered discourteous to do so.

Hats On:
He may leave his hat on when seated in a public waiting area (ie: airport terminal, etc.);
He may leave it on when seated outdoors;
He may leave his hat on at McDonald's while waiting for his "to go" order...

Yes, 58 posts! Though it is fascinating sociology and has caused me to think about my own actions.

Well, I'll add a little more if I might:

Mister MacMillan
I think yours is a good partial list of does and don’ts; however, I again argue for “almost always” in certain instances.

For example, I have a young friend who lost all of his hair a few years ago due to an illness. He is embarrassed by his baldness and always keeps his fedora on even in indoor social situations. Once at a party, the hostess, who did not know him, asked if she could take his hat, and he said No, that he would prefer to keep it on. Not another word was said. I do not consider him less a gentleman for this, but I do consider that the hostess was a real lady.

Also, for myself, I sometimes find myself in indoor situations that do not lend themselves to the ”always take it off” dictum. Crowded bars, certain work situations, and Cowboy functions are all times when I feel most comfortable keeping my chapeau on indoors. I do not feel ungentlemanly.

There are a few hat courtesies that I would add:
ALWAYS take your hat off when meeting a woman for the first time, hold it at your chest until introductions are over, then you may put it back on. I usually ‘tip’ my hat after the initial meeting (although if the woman is older I take it off every time we meet.)
NEVER try on another man’s hat without permission
Also, I generally tip my hat when passing another man; when wearing a bonnet or ball cap, I give a ‘knuckle’ in the old fashion. (This may just be a West Texanism.)

In these days, I think that an awareness of oneself and the people around the situation should dictate the proper hat etiquette, rather than falling back on hidebound patrician judgmentalism.