Woman's chronicle. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1888-1???, 1889-03-02
ChiIdren'S Table Manners.

Chdren's Table Manners.
From American Housekeeping
Children's table manners should be looked after
more than they generally are Many refined par
ents conduct themselves fautlessly but allow their
children to behave shockingly. Sometimes they
make the excuse that they do not like to keep
teasing child all the time it is eating, and they
hope he will know better when he is older Some
times the excuse is, that Fannie, or Nellie, is too
young to be taught
A child is old enough to be taught how to be-
have when it is old enough to feed itself For the
rest, children do learn much by imitation, but
table manners are too important to be left to this
chance and should be taught as persistenty as
reading and writing.
The constant talking will not harm the child's
digestion, nor the talk be unpleasant to him, if it
is managed properly. The child should eat alone,
superintendent by one of the parents not an gnor-
ant servant; the meal should commence before the
child is too hungry to eat slowly and he should be
provided with child's knife, fork and spoon, and
the instructions given kindly. After he has really
learned to behave properly, bring him TO the
"grown up table," and if he wilfully transgress,
send him quietly, but Immediately from the table
and the room. He will very soon conduct himself
properly. We have seen children only three years
old going through a long dinner with perfect de-
pertinent. 1t is useless, however, to expect such
behavior from child when he sees the grown peo-
pie eating regardessly, and for this reason if
member of the family is too ILL., or ''too hurled
to eat quietly, he should eat where the child will
not see him.
The 'pgisms" most common are, eating with
the knife, taking large pieces of food into the
mouth, or opening the mouth before the food
reaches it; chewing with the mouth open, which is
not only disgusting, but causes that smacking
noise most abominabe. If you do not wish your
table friends to fairly hate you, see that neither
yourself nor your children drink noisily. 1t is
habit soon acquired and unconscousy retained;
keep the lips closed while chewing, leave them
very slightly apart while drinking, pour liquid into
the mouth by fitting The cup just little; don't
gets the contents by suction.
One must also guard against the elbows squared
out from the body instead of dropping close to it,
fashion sometimes adopted when the chair is too
low for the table, or the knife is dull scraping the
plate clean and eating the last crumb, holding the
knife and fork perpendicular while waiting to be
helped, or while chewing mouthful of food. The
mouth Should never be filled, if there is danger of
the provisions being snatched away, hide supply
in the pocket, but don't pack the mouth.
One must also train children to remain till all
have finished eating, or else to say distinctly,
''Please excuse me-" And if children are allowed
to play round the stables they must be drilled to
change their shoes, and perhaps their trousers or
dress before coming to the table, smell of the
stable is most offensive. Finger nails, hands, face
and hair should also be perfectly neat
Of course this training will be work for the par
ents, but they should remember that the children
will soon pass beyond their correction and then if