The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1873-07-16
POLITE CHILDREN.

her Il paper he was requested to
bring.
Thank you, Bridget said the
little fellow i few hours after, rs
he received ! glass Of water from
his nurse.
'WciI, Mrs. Brown. You have
the best hammered children | ever
saw said 4 ncighbor. i should be
thankful If mine were as polite to
me us yours are tc The servants.
Iou never spend talf as much
time onyour childrcn's clothes as
| do, and yet every one notices
them, they are so wcll-bchavcd.'
We always try to treat our
children politely was the quiet
reply.
This wasthe whole secret. When
l hear people grumbling about
the i'll manners Of their children
I always wish to ask, Have you
always treated them with polite
ncss?' I once knew man, consid-
cred quite gentleman in society.
who would speak to his children
in a manner that well-instructcd
dog would resent. He would Or
der them with q growl to bring
him his slippers, or perform some
other little service; and yet COM
planned Of the rudeness and dis
obedience Of bis children.
Many parents who are polite
and polished in their manners TO-
ward the world at large, are per-
feet Doors inside the home circle.
What wonder if the children are
the same? If they should acci.
dentally brush against another in
the streets, an apology would be
sure to follow; but who ever thinks
Of offering an excuse to the little
people, whose rights arc constant
Iy being violated by their careless
elders? If q stranger offers the
slightest service lie is gratefully
thanked, but who ever remembers
thus to reward the little tireless feet
that arc travelling all day long up
stairs and down, or countless err
rands for somebody? 1t would be
policy for parents to treat their
children politely for the sake OF
obtaining more cheerful obedience,
if for no other reason. The cost
less use fan Ifyou please and i
thank you, now and then, will go
far to Tighten an otherwise bur
densome task. Say to your son,
John shut that door,, and with a
scowl, he will move slowly toward
it, and shut it with a bang. The
next time say, John, will you shut
the door, please?' and he will hast
en- with pleasant smile to do
your bidding.
Many children as they grow Old
er, are obliged to learn the rules Of
politeness as they would 4 lesson.
The consequence is when they ap-
pear in society they are awkward
and blundering. On the other
hand, children who have been &C
customed to politeness at home,
arc at their ease IN the most po.
lished circles, and are saved that
confusion and bitter selfcondcm-
nation which are sure to follow
any breach Of the rules of Ell.
quette.
Some children, learning from
their parents, seem to consider
politeness at home affectation
Brothers who would jump up with
alacrity to give an easy chair to
some dashing miss of their &C.
quaintance, will appropriate it to
themselves when at home, without
the slightest apparent conscious
ness Of the presence of q sister or
perhaps mother.
My brother is as polite to me as
any one else, when I 60 out with
him. said girl proudly to q com
panion. What . reflection on his
manners at home! A sister will
perhaps accidentally knock over
some Of the tools with which her
brother is busy. An apology in
voluntarily arises to her lips, but
she stiles it on considering that it
is only Jack; and all the satisfac.
ton he is offered for disordercd
plans is a blunt, oh" Angry re-
proaches are sure to follow. You
are real ugly, Jack, to talk so about
such a thing; you know I didn't
mean to- is the equally angry re-
joinder. Why did she not say so?
Two words would have saved all
the trouble. Want of politenass
is the cause of more quarreliug
among brothers and sisters than
anything else. In their plays
children are constantly meeting
with little accidents, for which
they should be taught to apologize.
| havo seen the cheeks of . child
flush with anger, his eyes flash:
and little hand raised to strike
tao unfortunate breaker of toy,
when, as if by magic, the blow
was arrested by these words, 'Ex-
cuse, | did not mean to-
Polish is not everything. 1t is
however something. 1t is better
to have ! black kettle that is sound,
than a bright one with a hole in
| H. g