Middletown transcript., 1895-11-02


pence more"
The plan was excellent, and the pro
verbal good manners of Englishmer
show us of how much avail it has been
There is another story Of a midship
man in the English navy. who wa!
shut up for day in his cabin. witt
instructions to prepare an ofiieia
report as to the manners and customs
Of the Tooratoola Islands, or some sim
liar savage group. After twelve hour.
his comrades broke in On his retire
ment to find that he had only writer
thus far:
"As for manners they have none,
and their customs are very filthy"
1t seems worth while to recur to
these old stories-old enough 10 be IN
Joe Miller's jest book-in inquirine
where tnining of manners comes in
.Americs1 Whose business is it to SEE
about the good manners of our young
people? There was ence time, as he
present generation. may be surprised
to hear, when the good manners of ON
people attracted the notice and respect
of strangers.
Things have changed now. Take
the terrible test of tire open street Car.
In ninety-nine cases out of hundred
the woman who sits at the End of q
seat refuses to move in To make room
for new passenger. He must tread
on her feet, her bird cage, her hat box
and her paper of sausages when he en-
ters, and must do SO again when he
leaves. If you questioned her about
holding the fort thus she would say
with an aggrieved air, on a high key
Of voice, that she had better right to
theseat than he,. and she was not go
ing to give up her right for anyone,
much less for man, and that she did
not care what happened to him.
Now this remark may be wise OF
not, but neither the remark nor there
sistance indicates good manners. A
gentleman, since the time of the New
T testament, has been aman 'who yields
something to his rights" The same
definition applies to lady. And the
mere fact that the Car Woman asserts
her right shows that she has not been
trained to good manners. Probably
she has not been trained 10 any.
Now no man, as q man, need be con-
ceited when he reads this. Not long
sincea young lady from Paris entered
a Boston car, to find standing room
only. All right-she stood. Soon a
man and woman lsft. She sat down,
as it happened. in the mans seat. Car
starts, Man returns, having left only
to escort his partner to the pavement.
"Madam," to the French lady, s'that
is my seat" He takes it.and sits down!
Now, they say that the people of
Paris are very ude, and / think they
are. But this could not have happened
there.
1 see, right and left in those news
pap ers, almost the majority, which are
under English direction, the statement
that nobody in England now says9'Sir"
in speaking to any body. At the same
time 1 observe that such Americans
are ridiculed as still use this old FASH
ioned phrase In addressing an older
person, or superior in position. We
are now taught. for instance, that an
American boy is fresh or green If he
says "Sir" to his teacher.
Well, as to this, 'Sir" was good
manners in New Testa ment times
when boy spoke to his father or Il
patient to his physician. l confess if
we are to test the manners Of the two
nations by such a standard as this, 1
wish it might prove that the American
boy generally "abates something from
his right" so far as to show that he
has superiors. But | am not myself
troubled by observing too many peo-
pie who, even in form, are too respect-
full.
I met the other day In Boston boy
with a heavy parcel which had been
misdirected. He had been told to 60 into
the first alley-way "on the left" from
Winter street. instead of to the 6rst
ION the right" The address was to a
well known firm, but he was fresh and
did not know it. So l took him back,
started him on his way. and he found
the place. But it never occurred to
him that he was TO thank mel He
never expressed any sort of thanks.
His place was to go TO that place, and
be went there. He would as soon have
sgone to thank the sign painter as me.
s When I-buy paper on railway
train ! always read IL carefully, ard
when the newsboy passes me again,
give IL back to him, saving. "Some
.one else may like lhis.n In twenty in-
stances when I have done this this
summer only one boy has recognized
the fact that I did it. In the other
nineteen cases the boy has accepted the
paper without smile, nod, wink
or word.
A few days ago took my seat in the
street car with a-blg OF pelc.ies. I ate
one myself, and asked the boy next me
to eat one. THIS he did gladly.
think. But itneveroccuired to him
to thank me by word er sign. or to
show that had given him any pleas
ure.
All this belongs to the school of man
ners which one sees Illustrated every
day In The street Qas A gentleman