Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-03-02
wAsHINeToN's SIMPLE RULES.
Ideas of Etiquette Which the Great Patriot
Wrote When IL Boy.

w LIE >,
Ideas of Etiquette Which the Great Patriot |
Wrote When IL Boy.
At Mt. Vernon, where George Wash |
'ington's early childhood was passed in
humble home and his later years in a
beautiful mansion, there lay for many
years q pile of his schoolboolzs, writes
Moncure d. Conway. Among these was
large copybool1 full of arithnetical ex-
ercises, forms for advertising sales of
land and cattle, accounts and most
things that would be useful in business.
The forms requiring dates are dated
1745, and there are other signs that the
book was kept that year, when WASH
ington was abovt thirteen years of age,
probably little more than thirteen.
The book is scrupulously neat, has no
blots, and is written in such clear and
handsome penmanship that the lad
must have won the prize if there was
any given in the school for handwriting.
Sometimes there are fourishes around
his capital letters, but the small letters
are almost as if engraved.
Now, in this book there are several
pages on which George Washington has
written down more than a hundred
''Rules of civility and decent behavior
in company and conversation" During
the years in which the country was
neglecting these rules, adopted from the
wisdom of the past, the Mt. Vernon
mice seem to have had a taste for them.
Nine of the rules were partly devoured,
and several nearly destroyed. One of
them was left with only these words:
''Too much at any publick." 1 had
nearly given up all hopes of finding out
what that lost rule was, when 1 found
it in a book compiled by an English
child eight years old, one hundred years
before our little Washington got hold of
it. The rule was: do not laugh too
loud or too much at any public spectacle
lest you cause yourself to be laughed
| att
Another rule that puzzled me a good
| deal had been left by the mice in this
| condition: ga man ought not to value
himself of his achievements or rare
qua les, virtues, or kindred ~
At last I found that what Washington
wrote was: "a man ought not to value
himself of his achievements or rare
qualities, his riches, titles, virtue, or
kindred; but he need not speak meanly
of himself"
Some of these rules relate to polite
|
lie, in the playground, in company;
others relate to morality and the forma-
ton of character. There is no part of
life but is taught its lesson; the boy
learns to keep his nails clean, and also
to keep his conscience clean. I will
first give some of the rules of good man
ners in things sometimes thought
trifes, though they are really of large
Importance: "If you cough, sneeze,
sigh or yawn, do it not loud, but
privately; and speak not in your yawn-
ing, but put your handkerchief or hand
before your face. and Nlrn aside.'
"Being set at meal scratch not, neither
spit, cough or blow your nose, except
there is necessity for it, ''MalSe no
show of taking great delight in your
victua1s, feed not with greediness, cut
your bread with knife, lean not on the
table, neither find fault with what you
eat"
One must not spit the stones of fruit
upon the plate. put not another bit
in your mouth until the former be swal-
lowed; let not your morsels be too big
for the fowls.''
The Mt. Vernon mice have played
sad havoc with another rule, leaving it
thus: "In company of your betters be
not than they are. lay not your
arm, but ar - found it to be as
follows: elm company of your betters,
be not longer in eating than they are;
lay not your arm, but arise with only a
touch on the edge of the table"
I will quote two other rules concern
ing behavior at the table: eff others
talk at table be attentive; but talk not
with meat in your mouth" I'm the
rules ''meat'' is used in the some sense
as s'food,'' as it sometimes is in the BIZ
ble:) In table-talk another rule warns
us against speaking of ''doleful things -
such as death and wounds" And here
is noble rule: "Be not angry at ta-
BILE, whatever happens; and if you have
, reason to be so, show it not; put on a
cheerful countenance,e especially if there
be strangers. For good humor makes
one dish of meat feast."-Boston Her
, aid. ).