River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-08-09
Morals and Manners.
By MARY PosTLETHwArTE.
(Concluded)

Consult Webster again for Manners.
You see it follows moral training-springs
from it's a natural fruit of 50 sturdy a
plant. Emerson says, "The aristocracy
of Great Britain have ruled that Empire
solely by the magic of good manners"
You know the stTictest military officers
are the most courteous. Do you not see
il takes the edge off a command? and
surely we may learn from this. But do
not attempt the mOckery of flourishes
and put on" Attempt only what you
can carry out yourself Your pupils will
copy you, much more likely, instead of
your words. If tie teacher slams the
door, his pupils will slam it after him.
The teacher who stands with his hands
in his pockets must expect to find his
boys pockets bullying; or she who rests
her hands upon her hips while she Wig
orously chews gum-even if it is recess
need not ask her pupils to refrain from
the like
There are certainly very ill-mannered
children who come to school; boys and
girls who say and do ill-natured, and even
vicious things, while others stare blankly
while leaving unsaid and undone things,
to us, as common as sunlight and moon
light Why is this? For several reasons.
How can we correct this? In several
nay-mdng ways And hO1U shall zoe bear
Il while they are putting off the old and
putting on the newt All there's the rub
Are we well-bred enough ourselves to
bear it smilingly? Kelly says, "The
moral force of the teacher is magnified a
thousand times by his perfect se!f-cOntroi
under existing circumstances" And let
me remind you of a truism. Eternal
vigilance is the price of success You
must FURNISH your spectacles of prevention
the dose that of all others must not be
omitted from the teachers pharmacOp9ia
yes, FURNISH them many times during
the day.
little gale of distrust comes up to you
from a certain corner-surely SHE would
not do that or he cannot be guilty of hts.
But rub up again and ten to one you will
find an unexpected source, which, if met
,:st then, will save you fisod of annoy
ance. 1t may need WEEDS, but, Oftener,
your eye will be sufficient Have you
ever realized what power is in your eve
when looking down through the child's
eve to his very soul? Have you ever
realized that Christ's eye-His hand-are
50 much spoken of by His followers IL
those troublous days? Nothing so vile
He could not lay His hand upon. o, the
magic of your hand ON the shoulder of
that restless, willful boy. This will not
always suffice, but in ninety-nine cases
out of a hundred it will And oh! our
example-the seeds of our own words
and deeds that we scatter carelessly and
with such lavish hand ON the sacred soil
of a human life-a soul with all its power
of reproducing,-our careless acts that
may even now be bearing evil fruit IN
others lives. When we bend the knee
to beg Forgive us our trespasses," let US
never forget those whom we have in
iured. tho ever 50 unintentionally by our
example.
In the words our far-seeing Superin-
tendent gave US so lately to ponder
over
20 let not then unskillful hands attempt
To play the harp whose tones-whose living
tones
are left forever in the strings Better far
That heavens lightnings blast his very soul
And sink IL back TO Chaos lowest depths,
Than knowingly, by word or deed he send
blight upon the trusting mind Of youth"