The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-06-10
Muscles and Manners.

Those who 60 through life with
pleasant smile and kind word make
many friends. Words are more than
deeds, and manners than merit, in all
superficial contact with our fellow
creatures. Kind words are Jewels be-
yond price, and more precious to heal
the wounded heart and to make the
weighed-down spirit glad than all other
blessings that the world can give. The
epitaph, "She was so pleasant" is full
of gentle pathos, and records the virtue
of virtues; for the cheerful courage
that makes perpetual sunshine is the
outcome of mastery self-control that
is not born in a day, but only after
battle and a conquest. Manners are
all-important. Our place in life is often
more dependent on them than it is on
solid merit. They are the first thing
that strikes the stranger, the key which
locks or unlocks the doors of good So
ciety, the beginning of charm, the in
nocent and unconscious cause of re-
pulse, the subtle magic of fortune and
success, the irresistible source of love
and hatred, the acceptance or rejection
by the world. Oftentimes they are
more than talent, more than beauty,
more than wealth, than birth or wis
dom. They are the best letter of intro
duction, the firmest cement of friend
ship and love. They crown virtue and
give the last touch to wisdom and
genius. Good manners are a passport
to the favor of rich and poor, learned
and ignorant, aristocrat and plebian
alike. As self-respect and respect for
others is the keynote of good behavior,
CTnnH
best heritages possible to leave our
children. But they do not come by ma
ture, like reading and writing according
to Dodburys theory. Manners are
largely physical, and there must be
definite discipline of the body to insure
the happy way of doing things; and
that discipline must train the muscles,
the Joints, the attitudes, the breath,
the play of the face, hands, feet, the
expression Of the eye, the tones of the
voice, the pronunciation of words, the
bearing of the head, the style of walk
ing, sitting, reclining-in fact every
thing in the bearing and department of
the body There is much, indeed, be-
sides all this, in the best manners. But
this discipline is the foundation and
basis of all the rest
How to stand is one of the essentials
of good manners. 1t is always wrong
to make the bone structure do most of
the work in keeping the body upright
The muscles should hold it in position.
The greater the number of muscles
used, the greater the strength, agility,
and grace. The correct position in
standing is when the lips, chin, chest
and toes come upon one line, and the
feet are turned out at an angle OF sixty
degrees. In walking, says Checkley,
keep face and chest well over the ad-
vanced foot, and preserve the habit of
lifting the body with the muscles and
by the initiation of the lungs.
Proper breathing is the fundamental
essence of grace, as it is of health and
strength. The lungs have their own
muscular power, and this should be
fully exercised. While standing or sit
ting, with the chest free, take in slow,
long, deep breath, until the lungs seem
full, being careful not to strain in any
way the lungs or muscles. Hold the
breath thus taken for second, and
then let it out slowly. In all lung ex-
ercises endeavor to initiate the lungs
upward and outward. Carry the chest
and lungs as if the initiation were about
to lift the body off the ground. This
gives a feeling of buoyancy that is
genuine, and will add grace to all the
movements of the body
Manners, it will be seen, are largely
an affair of muscles and their use. The
muscles must be trained for manners.
This training should begin early, in the
nursery, among little children, during
the plastic age when practice can make
perfect at comparatively little cost. In
Importance this branch of education is
second to none, for it is large factor
inhuman advancement, and adds greatly
to human happiness. A little thought
will show how much our pleasure de-
ponds upon the way others carry them
selves-how they stand, sit, speak, and
how they do things. Address and ac-
complishments-trained muscles-give
to their happy owner the mastery of the
best things of life.-LomSe Fisk Bry-
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