Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-03-02
Courtesy as a Business Investment.

The merchant Oh Inc oiu s.e..SsSs - -. as.'.
disappearing, ard with the advent OF tle
new school new type OF manners y
growing up in business circles In wnich
i there are many things which deserve 10
be pointed out 10 the younger part % me
community as worthy 70 be avoided, TO
/ Iiteness is but benevoleDce in little mat
/ teis and part of the minor morals o. iiie.
There was something attractive In the
formal courtesy Of the old school when
/ they began their letters. = Gentlemen---
/ Your esteemed favor OF the lst instant is
! dnly received The new school writes !:
/ !, Gents Yours list inst. reed - more brief,
perhaps but raw, bald, and implying less
/ consideration toward the writers. Raw
! lads when first entering on business life
are apt to cultivate a brnsaueness, abrupt
ness. and even Tudeness, which they mis-
| take for energy and decision. The really
allie man Of affairs IL self poised, unruffied
4 by trifies, and q man of power always
4 works easily and sometimes deliberately,
/ inst a. a great ocean SIT amer piows calm
I ly along, while an insignificant tug-boat
/ seems 10 be continually pulling and strain
/ ing
/ In social circles most youngsters are
i sure 20 have mother, sister or some kind
I friend who does not fail to give them a
/ hint as to behavior, and happy are they II
such sincere kindness is Their lot; but In
4 the store or c0nnting-room every one IL
too busy or too indifferent to drop hint.
I In fact, the two sections Of existence are
| too much separated. If man h a Chris
| tran and a gentlemen at all ne ought 10
| be 80 equally on Washington or Frank
| lin street as in his parlorg on the Back
4 Bay or in Beacon street. In a business
/ establishment the cue is generally taken
| from the heads Of the house in regard 10
manners, and, apart entirely from the duty
and the desfrableness of courtesy, II has
! a business value which perhaps may with
| some prove the strongest argument. Some
/ Of our retail stores are sought out by the
| public purely because they are pleasantly
| treated in them, and others are avoided by
many for their deficiency in attention.
/ We find, for instance, salesman who re-
! ceives you with the freezing indifference
| Of a New York hotel-clerk, views you
| with suspicion as perhaps q kieptonanlac,
] 4 hard of hearing and, after with Diff
! Guilty making him understand your wants,
! If his goods do not suit you hes thrusts
/ them back with an indignant air, as II he
were decply-injured man. Another
| salesman receives you with a pleasant
| manner, perhaps recollects your name, or
seems Do remember y0u. lie IL Teady-to an :
/ ticipate your idea, explains eserythingand
| Is willing to exhibit his merchandise with
| out insisting, BY his manner, that you
| shall commit yourself 10 purchase IN
| advance. He makes sales every time, and
| ladies especially make a note OF That
Young man and come again and buy OF
! him. Still a third salesman has got the
! tin peddlcr style He pounces, like a
| hawk, on the customer, talks necessarily,
knows infinitely better what you want
than you do yourself, disapproves OF your
| taste and has just the thing for you, is re-
solved TO make you buy 1t, and has hfty
other things that he knows you need. lie
! oycrdoes IL, hurries you and is irksome.
| The majority of customers have Just SO
| much money to spend, know pretty well
| what they want, anda ludicious and pleas
| ant alacrity in suiting them, without in
| difference or OVERRIDING IL, is the right
! treatment.
! In most places of business there is al
! WAYS q good deal of inquiry for informa-
| ton. and transient contact with the public
| apart from actual transactions. The
| humblest individual has self-love, and in
| difference or contempt Is never forgotten,
while pleasant and genial manner at
| tracts strangers, and some new connection
is formed every day which often ripens
! into important business. Instances on
record are innumerablc where a young
man has dated his first steps To fortune
! from the pleasant impression he made on
accidental acquaintance. We are treat.
ing this subject purely In a business light,
because many are under the conviction
| that business and manners are nothing IN
| the marts Of commerce.
! Everybody in active life has people who
are bores to him, yet even in the treat
ment OF bores anything like insult or
| ofiensc argues an intellectual rawness and
want of talent and tact. IL does not do
| for anyone TO be too severe on bores, be-
cause, although h may be bore TO you,
you may be yourself a bore to q. Every
body can learn good manners, but they
| are something that are not learned from
books, being a part of that unconscious
education gained by keeping good com.
pany. Good company tones down that
| loudness, rawness and prominence of self
very common in lads OF real ability.
| There are many mothers who have un-
| consciously educated their sons in
courtesy, and many homes where it is the
habitual atmosphere, and these are the
| best schools.
There Is very excellent field for prac
| ticing courtesy In the writing of letters.
The leaving of any civil communication
unanswered while postalcards are one cent
each is positive insult to the writer,
which deserves to be condemned in the
scverest manner, and is simply unpar-
donable rudeness. The late Henry vii.
son while in public life was daily over
| whelmed by correspondence, but invaria-
| bly, returned q courteous answer 10 the
| humblest or most troublesome CORE.
spondent Who can read the letters OF
| Washington, written while struggling with
thousand difficulties, without being pro-
foundly impressed by that noble courtesy
| which stepped aside for moment from
the affairs OF the nation to answer the let.
tiers of his humber friends with untailing
| punctualityy The writing of anonymous
letters Is too common In many country
villages, and is proceeding SO vile, COW
| ardly and contemplate that il Is hardly
necessary TO condemn IL, but many peo-
| pie will put into letter words that they
dare not say to a mans face. Don't write
| If you don't dare 10 say il, but write the
word coward and see how il looks.