Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1894-03-13

In spite of experience and know
ledge of human nature, which one
must gain to a greater OF less ex-
tent in the course of a lifetime, the
majority of people are apt to
judge by appearances, and to draw
conclusions as to character from
the exterior. Consequently, a
a man of refined, polished man
ners is at once assumed to be
man of refined polished character
and a man whose manners are
agreeable and plausible will very
soon make his way with average
men and women. Yet the one
may be a brute and the other
rogue. On the other hand, people
of genuine excellence as to ability
and character lose all, or nearly
all, the esteem they deserve on ac-
count OF abrupt OF disagreeable
manners.
Now, manners are neither every
thing nor trivialities. OF course,
character is to be preferred to pol
ish, in genuine worth, but there is
no good reason why the two should
be united. While such undue prom
inence should not be placed on
manners as to make them the chief
qualification of success, they
should not, on the other hand, be
decried as frivolous or foppish
accessories to earnest manhood.
To forgive a man every social vice
to condone even his offenses
against honor or honesty, to SYM
pathize with his well-merited pun
ishment because Of his manners,
which attract and please all COM
ing IN the reach of his influence,
are attitudes of society highly
dangerous to that perception of
truth and fact which is necessary
to all right thinking. A fascinat-
ing address is allowed to cover too
much mental and moral tufpitdde,
and the owners of such personal
gifts should only be held to strict
er account for misusing 80 potent
a means of inspiring affection and
confidence IN his fellow-meu.
On the other hand, good man
ners cannot legitimately be dis
pensed with by the best. Rude
ness is a social sin, for it trans
crosses the respect owing to other
and offends against the charity
which avoids from principle the
giving of needless offense to
any one. There is always an ele-
ment ofsarrogance and tyranny in
rudness, and for the intentional
indulgence of this ugly element of
human nature there. is absolutely
no excuse. On moral grounds, it
is un-christian, for it transgresses
the Golden Rule, sins against JUS
tice and rouses the passions of an
ger and ill-feeling in the one to
whom it is addressed. Mentally,
it is a want of sense and judgment
for a clear perception will show
that is opposed to intellectual JUS
tice, and, socially it is bad policy
to pursue, for it alienates friends
and creates enemies. Good man
ners have an absolute, not a ficti-
tious value; they indicate a sense
of self-respect that will not allow
of entrenching on the respect and
tho rights due to others, and they
are founded on a courtesy which b
is the distinguishing mark Of the
true gentleman. In people of posi-
tion and authority manners are es-
sential. since interiors are obliged
to tolerate any treatment accorded
them, and rudeness then degener-
ates into odious pesty tyranny.
In persons of religious rank, lack
of good manners becomes a seri-
Gus matter, for courtesy is moth
ing more than a form Of charity
the greatest Christian virtue. Re
ligion should know of no repelling
power, and rudeness is nothing il
not repulslve. The more the
brain, the heart, the soul, are de-
veloped, the more should courtesy
SHINE forth as a distinguishing
characteristic. The greatest schol-
ar, the greatest ruler, the greatest
saint, ought to be by inference the
greatest gentleman. Baltimore
American.
"How do you know that DeVers
is not in love with Mable Sweet.
briar?"