The Red Cloud chief., 1881-06-09
Good Manners

Good manners. That is q homely,
o!d-fashioned term. We rarely ever
hear It now. Young people are taught
1t le, address. how 10 bow elegantly
and enter n drawipg-room gracefully,
often TO the neglect Of their
From infancy they are allowed TO be
on such familiar terms with their pa
rents AMI superio.s generally that they
grow up with a sal lack Of reverence.
The distinctions of years, wisdom and
position are not perceived by them,
and they VIII carelessly or rude!y ac-
cost a famous Judge or a learned pro-
fessor, as if he were = playmate. The
yenrration for are, so prevalent In
some eastern nations and frequently
i~nculcated in the Bible, is, in this age
and country, almost unknown.
Atmcals, Won will often find that the
children are helped first; then the
older members of the family. and at
length the aged father or mother, who
has waited all this time in a silent
meekness and submission pitiful 10 be-
hold. Thus these little one are taught
that they arc of the greatest impor,
lance. They become impatient n
clam1rous. S~eltishness, irreyerence.
boldness and a disregard for the
opinions. feelings and rights OF others
are cultivated.
Ii YOU call upon q friend, her little
boy or girl will perhaps rush into the
parlor and. needless of your presence.
interrupt the conversation with a child
ish query or complaint, while the moth
er turns from you TO satisfy or console
her darling, even though she breaks off
your sentence in the midst. l have
seen a girl of fourteen 60 before an
elderly lady into q street car and take
the only vacant seat. l have been
mortified To see boys and girls possess
themselves of every easy chair IN q
room, leaving their elders tooccupy the
more hard and unpleasant ones. They
were not so much to be blamed for this
as p.tied. Their parents had neglected
TO train them to feelings and habits Of
reverence and respect.
Not long since l saw a party of four
seated i'm a street ear. They were an
elderly lady, two young ladies' and a
young gentleman. 1t was evidently a
mother, son. daughter and her female
friend. When. they left the car the
Young man assisted his sister and her
friend to alight and walked away with
them. chatting and laughing. while the
mother WAS allowed to get herself
out and hobble along behind as best she
could.
If instances like these were rare i
would not mention them; but they oc-
cur frequently and in small towns as
well as large nes IL is probably a
result of the reaction that has taken
place from the strict discipline and
severity of the past. A sad and bitter
memory of the privations and punish
mentS with which their own early days
were darkened induces many parents of
to-day to indulge their children to III
extreme and unwise degree; to put
upon them no restran mt not absolutely
necessary.
| have seen 4 mother. who in child
hood was forbidden sugar in any form.
place the sugar-bowl before her little
one of three years, saying: There,
darling, eat all that you want" An
other, whose little plate was supplied
with food utterly unpalatable to her,
and which, in obedience to the COM
mand of 4 stern father. she was COM
PEELED to swallow. though she ran ont
and elected it Immediately after. al
ways consulted her children, even in
infancy, respecting their diet. "What
would You like to eat. my dear? Will
you have srallOped oysters, or a piece
of cake or mince pie?" The poor little
thing. of course, could not decide judi
ciously. and, instead of being fed and
strengthened with plain, simple food
like oatmeal, milk, beef and fruit. its
appetite was perverted and digestion
impaired by improper delicacies. This
is only one way in which a lack OF judi
cious training and restraint is illustrat-
ed. The bows and girls of fifty years
ago used, at least in the little towns
and villages of New England, to bow
and curtSy to every one they met in
the street. Now they not seldom pass
their elders with Il bold stare and loud,
Halo! old boy"
We are sometimes told TO be patient:
that as they grow older they will gradu-
ally lay aside their rude and disrespcct-
full ways. Probably; or at least they
will acquire more or less Of tact and dis
cernmcnt TO perceive that polite man
ners and kind attentions to all are more
polite. But these will be so superficial
rs to be easily penetrated by an acute
observer. Gentleness, kindness. a
thoughtful con Sideration for others and
respect and reverence for Superiors,
should be cultivated in the child. else
we NAV look in vain for their presence
in the adult, except a they are assum-
cd for effect-to gain some specific or
selfish end. Some of the time now
spent i'm our schools would be more
probably employed in training pupils.
not only in industrial acts. but in good
morals and good manners.-E. Il.
hingSbury, IN The No mans journal.