Smyrna times., 1870-09-07
CiVilit.y.

he TACT that" clyillty costs nothing" is proba
Dly the secret of its unfaShiOnableness A
| thlng that every one can have, few think worth
having
Men of industry, of integrity, of respectable
intellectual gifts, are met at every turn: but
your purely civil man is a rdr0 dciS We are
not speaking OF people in their social relations
put !C III their intercourse with the outside world
many men who are everything that is geniaI
anu courteous IN the home circle, become cold
orusque, or irritable the moment they ento,
their counting-roomS, offices. or place Of bne;.
ness whatever 1t may be The playful. induI.
gent PGtelJdmilidS Of half an hour before sud
1ehIy changes into surly ogre, who snaps mr.
MS llttle pale-taced clerk as if he would make
supplementary breakfast of him TTndey
such master 1t Is no wonder that the clprl, in
turn hnds 1t impossible to be civil to anv stran,
ger whom the chance of business NAV throw
in his way. -' 'lio"
As a general thing, clerks in mercantile
houses DO not stand in need of ungracious eY-
aIhpleS' Much dealing with complicated ac-
counts seems to sour the disposition. Frac-
tlous beget tractiousness. If Won desire . fno
healthy specimen ofirritablity. take an anciant
book keeper at the time he is MAKING ont his
Dalance-sheet, and ask him the Slightest ones
tloh not connected with his calculations Rnt
lor an Peop.9 engaged in strictly sedentary oc-
cuPatloIS one should make generous allowance
as class, the clerks in retail stores are re-
haikaDiy courteous, considering the tests to
Wnlch their patience is constantly subiocf ii
"e'"iSh IL were not III our way to say if. but
women make the very worst retail clerks in tbn
"oEIu. In most Gases they seem unable TO sen.
arate their sex from the business in hand f
Inelr customer Is man, they like or dislike
timn tiIn, a. gnce' and are proportonately atten
i'e u lIhulnerent: hen dealing with women
anu tnlS IS wise woman S testimony-they
are apt to be curt, impatient, and disoblipinG
Ii woman tastctully or absurdly dressed en-
terS the store, business receives furtive stroll
ol paralysis the newcomer is instantly invan-
IoIlGd' dlSSected, and-sO to speak-s,.t upon
Vy Ihe female coroners Of the shop, whose YER
ulcIS are delivered to each other across the
counters by system of eye-telegraphv not nm.
derstood by man. None of these neculiarit;ns
attach themselves to the masculine clerk H;S
faults are OF different order He is rarely
ooWh-rlght rude; he is more often overwhplm-
lHg2 poilte ana kllllng-a very bad form OF in
Men who hold positions which bring them
'h'o i contact with the public and place the pub
lic 10 certain extent at their mercy have M
right TO snub you because YOU do not Lan,,nn
to know on which track your train is d.
conductor has no righ. to regard YOU with
look OF disdain mingled with commiseration
when you ask him the name of the next STA
tlon. You were not born on the road. and If
your interrogation conyinces him that Won are
a natural idiot, he ought to respect vour mis-
fortune and not betray it to the other passen-
gers, The hackman who goomily awaits Won
at the terminus OF the journey has no right to
hustle you as it you were a part of your own
baggage. The hotel-clerk the natural bumili.
ty OF whose disposition lies buried under that
monumental diamond pin, has no right to treat
you as an inferior. Yet who that has travelled
has not met all these forms of inciviity? !? This
to be sure, is only one side Of the story. The
traveller Is almost as likely to be exasperatinG
as the employee of the road, or the clerk Of
the hotel. But then the traveller is not maid
Tor being civil and the other gentlemen are.
1t costs so lltt@and is worth SO much A
young clerk witITciyiity already has stock of
goods OF his own. Regarded as mere policy. if
is the next best thing to honesty, and, like
honesty, 1t is good for its own sweet self An
unclvll man Is necessarily discontented man,
discomfort to himself. We beg leave to add
new sentiment to the copy-book of the
period: BE Civil and You will be happy i
EreIy Saturday.