The one rule every modern gentleman should remember when carrying an umbrella

Umbrellas are simple creatures. You open them and they protect you from the rain.

Minus a few tricky maneuvers you must make on a busy sidewalk, there's really not a whole lot to think about.

When you close them, however, the story completely changes. The unmenacing open umbrella quickly forms a point. Often, a relatively sharp point.

Many men forget this fact and are careless with this sharp point. Many men carelessly tuck their umbrella under their arm, pointing forward. Or they carelessly swing it around.

This is poor etiquette, according to Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick of of The Etiquette School of New York.

It's imperative you don't get sloppy with the point on a closed umbrella. As with a sword or a gun - seriously - an umbrella should be kept pointed down. Anything else is potentially dangerous.