The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1871-10-12
Good Manners.

This is a grace Of which [ think
American women are becoming very
careless. They are 80 beautiful rs
race, so accustomed to conquest, that
perhaps they are getting to believe
that Pope's lines, .r ..:
"Look in her face and you forget them
ALL"
applies to manners; but beautiful
woman without good manners is q
flower without fragrance. She is
worse-sho becomes a positive nui-
sapce. prcsuming on her beauty and
abusing one of Gods great gifts. You
must look at her, but you look to re-
gret, to disapprove. instead of being
chained for life to "sweet looks mar
ricd to graceful action you grow to
dcspise and hate her.
In country like ours we must ex-
pect to find frequent coupling of ig-
norance with wealth, Of official station
with awkwardness, of high social po-
s;tion with bad manncrs-combina-
tions moro rarely remarked in the
older and more settle states Of the
world. Kings and queens must be de-
Gently well bred and well educated.
They cannot help knowing the proper
way to eat a dinner, they cannot help
observing the proprieties of dress and
etiquette, and the people Immediately
above them must follow their exam
pie. No such necessity exists here.
We may have governor or mayor
who is entirely untrammelcd by the
laws of grammar and of spelling, who
uses his own sweet will in regard to
his knife and fork, and who is still
the proper person to receive the rep
resentalivcs of foreign power. In
our cities, how sickening it is to see
the potcntiality Of some vulgar rich
man who can "buy the crowd" in
more senses than one. How mourn
ful to note the absence Of good man.
ners in some of our prominent literary
and religious celcbrities-men whom
you hesitate to ask to your house,
though their talents are exercising so
much influence ON the world, and their
names are on evcrybody's lips.
The trouble lies in a deficiency of
respect, u lack Of training, an absence
of something to look up to. The best
bred men in America are the officers
Of the army and navy. They have
been taught to look up, to reverence
authority, and TO he respectful. 1t
never leaves them ; they become the
most dignified and the most simple
men in the community.
When women reach o large grasp
of the subject, and observe this great
rule, that "the possession Of power is
better than tho show of it," they will
have advanced far beyond their pres
ent status. The end and aim of the
weak and the uncertain is to appear
strong and well posed at whatever
cost. 1t has apparently struck some
women in the society of our new
country, which must be on a shifting
scale, that they appear to stand well
by being disagreeube-that an air of
hauteur and rudencss is becoming aris-
tocratic.. Itis the mistake of ignor-
ancc, and would soon be cured hy a
careful study of the best models in
Europe.-Lippincons Mogazine. -..
GOOD CoUNsEL.-No young man
can hope to rise in society, or perform
worthily his part in life, without a
fair moral character: The basis of
such q character IS o yirtuous, fixed
sense Of moral obligation, sustained
and invigorated by the fear and love
Of God. The youth who possesses
such character can be trusted H.
tegrity, justice, benevolence, truth.
are not with him words without
meaning; he feels and knows their
sacred import and aims in the tenor
of his life, 10 exemplify the virtues
they express. Such man has decis.
ion Of character; he knows what is
right and firm in pursuing it; he
thinks and acts for himself, and is not
to be made the tool Of unprincipled
and time-serving politicians to do the
dirty work of party. Such a man
has the true worth of character; his
life is blessing to himself, to his fam.
lily, to society and to the world; and
. he is pointed out to future generations