Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-05-20
THE MINISTRY OF POLITE.
NESS.

tears began to come In her gray eyes.
81 mean the ministry of politeness."
"And pray what is that, Miss Woman's
RightsY demanded Harry, with another
laugh, louder and more disagreeable
than the first. while he threw q handful
of grass he had pulled to give the pony,
standing at the door, over Kitty's hat
and curls.
"No wonder you ask, Harry" said
his mother. who had come out on the
porch in time to hear the last few re-
marks; ''for it is very evident that you
don't know. Even Bob, waiting pa
tiently for us to get into the pheton,
knows more of it than you do. He never
would have thrown the grass over
Kitty's hair when she was Just going to
ride. II you really wish to know what
it is. III tell you. Part of it is Kits
patiently taking the grass out of her
hat, and shaking it from her hair, with
out calling you a horrid old thing, and
asking me to make you behave. That's
right, Kit" she said, turning to her
daughter ''silence is the next best
thing to the soft answer If We learn
not to say disagreeable things, it is
easier to say agreeable ones. And now
who is going with me down to the cars
to meet papa?"
lam, Harry answered, Immediately.
Kitty was only human, and for q mo-
ment the new profession was forgotten,
as she said, hastily =
"You went yesterday, and mamma
said I might go to-day. think it is
real" then she remembered, and sud-
denly stopped.
Her mother noticed it, and, always
quick to help her children in any tri-
umph over self, said at once -
''Ill take you too, Kit, this evening,
for promised. Harry can go because
he was so patient in not speaking first. 4"
Harry drew his brows together, for
he often confded to Kitty 'he would
rather take whipping than have mamma
chaff him. The ''chafing" did some
good, however, for he helped his mother
in the phaton, then absolutely waited
till Kitty got in before he took q seat
in the rumble. He met his reward in a
bright smile Of appreciation from his
mother, smile he valued in proportion
to its scarcity for harem-scarem Harry
was always in some mischief.
After they had been driven for a few
moments down the pretty avenue of
trees that led to the gate, Mrs. Frank
lin looked down at her little daughter,
sitting on the seat by her, and said =
"What makes you think of the min
istry of politeness, Kitty dear?"
Il was reading something about it
the other day in that little book you
gave me, and thought l would try to
be polite"
"The Bible doesn't say anything
about being polite" broke IN Harry, in
his usual abrupt style. "And if it isn't
in the Bible we needn't do it.
"But it is in the Bible, Harry his
mother answered him. "What else
does this mean BE kindly affectionate
honor preferring one another p? What
else does the Golden Rule mean? Why,
I could go on for half an hour repeating
verses that mean that we must be polite
to each other"
"But people need not be polite to
their family" Harry said.
'tAh, my boy, you never made a
greater mistake than that. There is no
place where politeness is more needed
than in ones own family. We are much
more apt to be courteous to strangers
whom we do not feel intimate with than
we are to our home people and it is a
mistake, for we are less thrown with
them, and so less likely to be made un-
comfortable.
"How does it make you uncomfort-
able, mamma ?"
Suppose you were to ask me, Can't
I drive Bob now, mamma ? and 1 was
to answer you, No, you shen't! wouldn't
that make you feel badly? ?"
"Yes'm it would would think it
was speaking to Kitty" Harry an
swered, with sudden burst of thought
fulness, that made Mrs. Franklin and
Kitty both laugh.
"But if l said, 4 am afraid to have
you drive now, Harry, for Bob is very
tricky, and we are going down hill, You
would not feel bad, though you would
not be allowed to drive any more than
if had answered you roughly. Do you
see ?"
"Why, yes. So it does make differ
ence," Harry said. 81 never thought
of that before"
zone reason that families don't get
on smoothly and happily together is,
that they are not particular enough
about these little acts of courtesy and
kindness that make life go SO much
more smoothly. You and Kitty would
be much happier together if you spoke
to each other as you speak to papa and
me-"
"How do you mean. mammay Kitty
asked.
"Why, if you said, Please, Harry,
don't touch that, it will break, instead
of You mustn't touch my things /!
Mamma, please make Harry behave 7"
Kitty looked conscious, for she re-
membered having used those very
words early in the morning. and used
them in q very cross tone, also.
"You wouldn't speak that way to me"
her mother continued. "YOu would
have spoken pleasantly and amiably,
and 1 would have been a great deal
reader to listen and do as you asked.
"And you, too, Harry" Mrs. Franklin
said. "Who was it heard yesterday
saying, "Go away, and leave me alone
don't want to be bothered by girl
what can a girl know about making q
kite?' and five minutes after, when l
passed, the same person said to me in
pleasant manner, Please, mamma, help
me hold this paper till I paste it. Kitty
could have held it better than could,
for her fingers are smaller, and would
20 in places where mine would not go,
and she would have been interested,
and stayed to help you, while l had to
20 away in q few moments.
"But it is different, somehow,
mamma"
"Not very different, Harry; the prin-
ciple is the same. What would you
think if I were to say this evening,
when your papa asks me for another
cup of coffee, II can't give you any
more I'm tired of pouring out coffee
for YOU, you are such a bother
| The children both laughed at the idea