New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-09
MANNERS And SERVICE.
From The BOSTON Adrertiser.

From The Boston Advertiser,
Many Of the small annOyauces that spoil tcmpers
and make life disagrreable might be avoided by
calling things by their right names For instance,
a great amount of bad manners aud insolence passes
current in all classes of society as independence,
personal pride or social superiority 1t Is difficult
to define real independence OF characters To tell just
what the combinati n Of selt-reSp CT, good Judg-
ment and mental strength is which makes it but il
is easy enough to tell what IL Is not. When cook
bos the mutton she was told To roast she Is DISC
bedient. not independent. When writer revenges
his personal sights IN newspaper, or gTates dis
like of his ncIghbOr by false nnputaton of motives
he plays the part of a coward and has no courage in
HIM. When Il passenger stretches his legs across
hOTse-caT sits sideways with his feet in his he gh
boris way, and looks like . thuuder-clOud at any
one who stunbeS him, lie is simply nuisance
and intensely dlsagreeable.
The fa a. notion that work for an employer is IN
compatible with Independence and service lncom-
patlble with pride, have made unreasonable mis-
chief in the world 1t il evident that the Old-fash-
toned doctrines Of humility and self-sacrifce are of
little account among men, excepting rs caSant
theories to be preached from the pulpit and moral
lied about IN conference meetings In honor pre-,
of being minlscTed unto, are not the
ordinary rules OF life. Yet everybody is bound
to some kind OF service; every body is depen-
dent upon his fellows; the vereSt recluse must have
food, clothes, aud n shelter and II he can make
these himself hc is still dependent upon the courtesy
OF ms neighbour let him acne Ii is impossible 10 be
wholly independent. and tue attempt might as well
bc abandoned. But It is possible To he reasonable
that is within the reach of every one. Snecures and
pCTQuIslttS are sweet 10 the Ialtlu IS ana lazy OF
both and all classes, FROM politicians aud the
hangcrs-On - parties all along the line TO lgnor-
ant cooks and over dress walters-thoy are all alike
uudeservIug the OF servant, public or private,
and they should be called. as they are, shirks aud
spOngcs.
Here one is inclined TO pause and ask at what
point in the social Gale does the word servant be-
come OBJECTIONABLE puOllc servant Is proud OF
the utlr: and when q man calls himself q servant
OF the people he ASSUMES tit that is finer to the
common ear than that OF a servant of God. To he
of ha IL Df
and learned men; 10 serve at the altar means some
thing better than 10 Oiiciate there. The measure
of professional and scientific reputation Is the ser
vice doLe. Tho EXPRESSION OF the most graceful
courtesy Is, " Command mellow can serve your
The phrase of formal respect Is your Obedent ser
want" And yet, unaccOuntably, I very service
that friends do for each other that the members of
a family give III common II they happen TO he poor
in money, is abSuruly considered dSgracetul, per-
dishonor cannot come in with the pay, for the
President is paid, and so are legislators.
honorable and dishononable. Ministers are
paid, and doctors aud scientists The tact
Is that heads are so full of nonsense
about these things that il is hard to get at the sound
reason winch would set them right Everybody
for the exceptions few that 1t is safe TO say
everybody-must have relations with other human
beings his equals his interiors and his superors; II
he lives ue must do something, and what ne does
must serve or harm himself and other people. 10
bc absolutely Independent and free from service. We
repeat is granted To no one and even the choice of
service and of tellow-wo .c.s is very much limited,
TO talk of freedom III great part sheer boastlng
We are born i'll harness ana the best we can DO Is
to keep the harness from chatting, and to make 1t
help
Having tried to find ont what they can do and
what they want others to do for them, let people
give The tai,huncsS they require, and let US stop
calling insolencc spirit, rudencss independence,
noisy sell assertion manliness conceit PRIDE. and
bOorshncss dignity. Give credit Tor 20 q work,
whether 1t is culogy or pudding, and confess that
success is dong well that which undertakes.
Duties rs well as rights to be considered and 1t
can do no harm uSe common everyday sense
lust a Httlo of that humility, just a tribe of
that confession of weakness and laundering,
which is made so Internationally and on
50 largo q scale IN Sundays. There would
be smoother days and less careworn faces in
return for It, All this has nothing to do with social
equality, or equal division OF property; both are
as impossible as individual independence is. But
decent manners ought to make all intercourse agree
able and decent manners will never prevail while
bad baptized i'll all classes by false and mis-
leading names.