Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-01-12
Politeness of French Children.


ter of education as well as nature. The
French child is taught that lesson from
the beginning of its existence, and it is
made part of its life. 1t is the one
thing that is never forgotten and lack
of it is never forgiven. The ship
wrecked Frenchman who could not get
into boat, as he was disappearing un-
der the waves raised his hat, and with
such bow rs he could make under the
circumstances, said, "Adieu, Mesdames;
adieu, Messieurs." and went to the fish
es. doubt not that it really occurred,
for 1 have seen ladies splashed by a cab
on rainy day, smile politely at the
driver. A race that has women of that
degree of politeness can never be any
thing but polite. When such exaspera-
ton as splashed skirts and stockings
will not ruffie them nothing will.
The children are delight in this
particular. French children do not 60
about clamoring for the best places.
and sulking if they do not get them,
and talking in a rude, boisterous way.
They do not take favors and attentions
as q matter of course and unacknowl-
edged. The slightest attention shown
them is acknowledged by the sweetest
kind of bow-not the dancing masters
bow, but genuine one-and the in
variable, "Nerci M0nSieurv' or Mad
anne, or Mademoiselle, as the case may
be.
was in q compartment with little
French boy of u. the precise age at
which American children, as a rule,
deserve killing for their rudeness and
general dis greeableness. He was
dressed faultlesSly, but his clothes were
not the chief charm. Isat between him
and the open window, and lie was eat
ing pears. Now. an American boy of
that age would either have dropped the
cores upon the floor. or tossed them out
of the window without q word to any
body. But this small gentleman every
time. with q permit me, Monsieur"
said in the most pleasant way, rose and
came to the window and dropped them
out, and then, "Merci, MoNSieu1." as
he quietly took his seat. 1t was q de-
light. l am sorry to say that such
small boys do not travel ON American
railroads to any alarming extent.
Would they were more frequent.
And when in his seat, if an elderly
person or any one else came in, he was
the very first to rise and offer his place
if it were in the slightest degree more
comfortable than the one vacant, and
the good nature with which he insisted
upon the newcomer taking it was
something "altogether too sweet for
anything" as the faro bankeress would
say.
And this boy was no exception. He
was not a show-boy out posing before
the great American Republic, or such
of it as happened to be in France at the
time; but he was sample, type of
the regulation French child. l have
seen just as much politeness in the rag
ged waits in the Faubourg St. Antoine,
where the child never saw the blue sky
more than the little patches that could
be seen over the tops of seven-storied
houses, as ever did in the Champs
Elvsee. One Sunday, at St. Cloud,
where the ragged children of poverty
are taken by their mothers 1or air and
light, it was delight to fill the pockets
with sweets to give them. They had no
money to buy, and the little human
rats looked longingly at the riches Of
the candy stands, and a sous worth
made the difference between perfect
happiness and half pleasure. You gave
them the sous worth. and what glad
smile came to the lips, and accompa-
MED with it was the delicious half-bow
anil half-courtesy, and invariably "Mer-
ca MonSteMr." One little tot, who could
not speak, filled her tiny mouth with
the unheard.of delicacies she had re-
ceived, and too young to say "merci,"
put up her lips to be kissed.-NasbyS
Letters abroad, IN Toledo Blade.