The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-07-05
GOOD MANNERS.


Courtesy IL y vlrtu0 anu fNohhos EHUnD -
Good Heart.
As to what constitutes ''good man
ners" there is a great divergence OF
opinion. Most people, we fancy, would
give the definition of unselfshness or
thought for others, but that does not
90 quite far enough. Surely manner
includes the way of doing thing, as
well as the action itself. Else how is
it that some absolutely selfish people
have a charm of manner which makes
them universally popular? And what
is that indefnable ease and gra-
ciousness sometimes met with which
makes US treat its possessor as
if he were prince? That charm Is
felt by all ranks and all classes
of society. There are some women
who are always waited upon, who are
served first, who never hear q rude
word, because they are born with
particular manner. This is at variance
with the general view of the subject
which is that courtesy is virtue
and OF quality, that it springs from
goodness of heart, and not from ma
ture, that it can and must be acquirh
by interior cultivation, not ex.
terror. But, nevertheless, it is true.
man who only wishes to be universally
courteous, because he sees it pays, can,
with patience, teach himself the dill
cult lesson. We are not affirming that
this acquired courtesy will ever be
quite so perfect and genuine thing as
the native Unborn courtesy which some
people possess, only that it will be IN
no sense behind the courtesy which IS
| arrived at by the desire to avoid giving
| p2in to Others We are apt to pride
ourselves on our individual good man
ners. and man would far rather be
told that he was bad-tempered than
rude, and vet, after ALL even If we have
attained to the standard demanded by
our social life, are we so certain that
our manners are equally admired oy
those who do not live exactly IN the
same social circle as ourselves? There
Is nothing more curious than the diff
ferent points of etiquette demanded by
different classes
Some time ago the writer happened
to hear conversation in a railway
carriage, which was so evidently IN
tended to be heard that there could be
no conjunction in listening to 1t. IL ran
something in this fashion: u Travelled
the other day with two people; ladies'
they call themselves. l shouldn't Won
der Foreigners, they were. May be,
French, and they have dialeck OF
their own, we know, and they took no
more notice of me than if hadn't been
there. If they was the real ladies they
thought themselves they'd have talked
affable. was we'll purvided with
books and such like, but on journey
one expects to be sociable But witt
great triumph, II let 'em known wha'
I thought of 'em before l left" hel
companion answered gravely: "Ay,
. travelled VII some O. that sort the othel
|, day, too, and they had books, but W.
could see they weren't reading, bu
!, looking over the edge all the time, ant
> lust holding them up to purvent con
yersation. Bad manners, l calls 1t.
Surely, in view of this difference o
opinion no one can hope to attain to
universally acknowledged excellence
The sins of omission are apparently t.
count heavily against the unconsclou
offender; we are not even allowed tn
time-honored criterion to ''do to other
as we would be done by" but are
:, yield up patiently all possibility o
: self-defense, and ubmit to the tyrann
of any one who chooses to taste
= upon us. With fellow-travelers VIII
. dread a breath of fresh air, and thos
who think travelling in a rafting trai
a suitable occasion for a ceaseless ho'
of aimless and useless small talk, tn
= prospect of a railway journey loon
= before us as a new species OF moder
torture. Queen.