Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-08-08
HOW TO BE POLITE.


Gle is the most polite child l
ever saw" The lady was speaking
of little boy who is her pupil. 81
do not believe he could be lmpolite
without positive effort" "Oh dearp
thought, "think of the scores of
BOYS who cannot be polite without
positive effort, and without being
urged to that effort besides ~
"He insists on placing the most
comfortable chair for me-" continu-
ed the teacher. "He will not pass
out of a room before me. If we
get into a car together, he pays the
fare, and looks after my general
comfort with the care Of man. If
a woman gets into the car and is
compelled to stand, the child is dis
tressed until he has surrendered
his seat, always removing his cap.
And l think be is unconscious
whether the woman Is richly or
poorly dressed. The other day l
got a tiny spot of ink on n y finger;
quick as a flash, he left the room
and came back holding a basin OF
water IN one hand, piece of soap
IN the other, and a towel over his
arm, aud, with face full OF sym
patty, said, Il saw you had a spot
on YOUR fnger.' The boy is diff
ferent from the pupil of a friend
OF mine in the East. The boy is
taught IN company with little
girl of about his own age. The lit
tie girl Is very unselfsh, and dearly
loves to do kindly things for others.
She will arrange the boys chair,
get out his books and papers, and
will put them away; but if he is
asked to do the least thing for her,
he scowls and frowns and actually
growls."
Two boys each with the same op'
portunity, but how differently they
use it
"Manners, after all, are largely
a matter OF heart" said a sweet,
lovable woman the other night to
me. At once 1 thought OF these
two boys. 1t certainly was true OF
them. One boy is unselfish, the
other is selfish, and this difference
IS shown in their manners. Some
one might tell the selfish boy every
day how to be polite, but until he
learns to think of other people,
until he learns to think of their
rights, until he learns to think that
there is a pleasure in making other
people happy, no amount of talking
will make him polite.
Every boy and girl should COL
tiyate the habit of acting politely
until it becomes so perfectly natural
that to do an impoIite thing would
shock them, would rouse them to q
sense of what they had done. They
should be affected mentally when
they are impollte as they are phys
ically by stubbing their toes when
walking. The boy who has to be
reminded OF his table manners con-
stantly, certainly cannot enjoy bis
food as the boy does who learDs
naturally how to eat IN the manner
that gives no ofiense to any one
At large hotel last summer lit
tie boys table manners we're SO
offensive that those who sat at the
table with him used to 60 to the
dining.room door, and if he was at
the table, wait on the piazza until
he was through. 1t would have
mortified the boy if he had known
it, but bad manners we're his
natural manners. If talking would
have made a boy have good man
ners, his would have been perfect
1t is what a boy or girl does that
gives them their position, not what
they know only.
Learn what is proper and right,
then do it; have too much self
respect to be impolite.
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