Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1872-02-16
Table Manners.

0fuape hotuiuS hudths lnoiO uisbihCt-
| lY the difference between the civilized
men and the savage than the manner of
eating; we cannot say demeanor at table
because the table of the savage is but
metaphorical. And if he have no knife
or fork, and but a rude apology for a
spoon, he cannot be expected to be so
particular in the use Of his fork.
He eats with his knife, this an
swers one Of the test questions of civiliz-
alton. To be sure, opinions vary. A
man, who was by no means particular
himself was very much scandalized to
see his neighbor at the table take up his
plate and drink his soup when it became
rather low for the spoon. You know
some people are particular about it, and
objecE to eating with a knife" said a
man to me, in the most confidential
tone.
But we think people seldom come up
to their own standard, in the question Of
table manners" We have heard the
most severe criticisms on the subject
from those whose ways were really afro
cious. We couldn't but think of the
old hackneyed quotation,
To see ourselves as others us.
As people we eat too fast; and 1t re-
quires much schooling to reduce the eat.
ing pace to moderation. Children often
have sort of passion for crowding into
their mouths the largest possible pieces;
and, even with good training, will do it
ION the sly" and seem to take real pleas
ure in eluding vigilance and doing what
they have been forbid And some grown
up children have not. forgotten these
ways. Nor the common fault of eating
with the mouth open and smacking the
lips, so that if they were alone the effect
would be most striking. Quite as COM
mon is the taking soap or any other liz
uor from the spoon with a loud sup-ping
sound-as if the word soup, WITH an in
spiration, came from the sound made
eating it.
Drinking water or other liquors with
loud "gulp" is another most common
breach of good manners, more common
than would be imagined, even among
those who pretend to refinement. In the
clatter and stir of meal, these sounds
may be drowned but in pause they
come out in full force.
In that excellent novel, "Quits," one
of the sharpest touches is the story of
Nora's uncle, who is thorough gour-
mand, and eats his dinner with loud
and soup.ing sound, more like an animal
than a humane being. Indeed, any one
who has ever watched pig at a trough
is irresistably reminded of that same!
So, He eats with his knife isn't the
worst thing that can be said. There are
ways of holding the knife that are awk-
ward to degree. In spite of the fact
of handle, some take hold of the blade.
A child was once cured of the habit by
being served with knife which had lost
its handle.
Why write all this at does no good"
People seldom think of or observe their
own table manners, and those are the
only ones they have power to correct.
We have heard faults criticised by those
who were guilty of graver faults,-but
all unconsciously. The only hope is in
the training of children. Most of them
are naturally "little pigs" and it is only
line upon line and precept upon precept
that will reduce them to order. We
might draw Darwinian argument for
an animal origin and descent Cor ascenD
from this persistent tendency in children.
And yet, good habits are worth cultiva-
ting, if we care anything about good
breeding. Good manners, like good
life, are made up of attention to little
things.