The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-17
CONVENTIONAL CIvlLITY.
We Are Gradually Losing Our Polite.
ness, II Seems.

We Are Gradually Losing Our Polite.
ness, 1t Seems.
From the Post-Express.
A New York paper which is not noted
for over delicacy Of feeling has been ar
guing, with no little awakening of gen.
eral interest. that the conventional po-
liteness of correspondence Is not worth
while. Apparently without many scru-
pies itself. II yet sneers at the public
for the "falsehood and flummery" of
its use Of Dear Sir" and Yours truly"
and it asks why ESQ.," or Mr." or
a fully addressed envelope. since the
postoffice officials do not care a rap
whether Jane be married or single,
and will take 1t for granted that
Thomas" is Mister. 1t even has cal
culated that the American public
wastes S,33S years every year in this
meaningless courtesy, and the value of
this time it-estima,es at fully ten mil
lions of dollars, which to a practical
people Is surely disgraceful.
What other reform can be more i'm
portant than this? II it be true that
such merely conventional civility is
foolish. or worse. let us consistently
have done with it all. Away with the
morning." and silence the cordial,
How do YOU do" that rarely waits for
the answer. Danish the gentle raising
Of the hat; the needless nod and smile:
the kind word that comes more from
the head than heart: the wave of the
hand and the cry of Farewell" Let
us meet and pass as locomotives, that
are only on business bent. Let brevity
and directness mark our speech and
selfishness our every action, and think
of the years and years that will be
Saved"
CARRIED FURTHER.
Nor here alone can we stop. Soci-
cty's closer and more elaborate rela-
tions will be quite idle courtesles: at
dinner il will be every one for himself
and may the hindmost lose his dessert,
and there will be no formal calls, no
pleasant time" iibs to well meaning
hosts and hostesses. no need of ac-
knowledging invitations. no mainten-
ance of reticence, nor regard for the
preservation of dignity. no curbng of
anger, nor hamperng OF individuality.
Let us. in short. Il the Worlds view is
correct be savages once again without
the barbarian's reverence. let us be i'm
plicitly true. no matter how the truth
burns or hurts: and perhaps in the
centuries that we save" by the abo-
lition of conventional courtesy. there
will be time to do all we accomplish
now through the kindly help of others.
to bear more burdens all alone, to get
over disappointments, anu Sights, and
unkind deeds and words, and wipe the
tears that at first would flow while we
still We're sensitive to the worlds true
opinion. What is the Use, indeed, of
all of life's amenities; why should men
laugh, or birds sing, or flowers bloom,
or women comfort with smile of love
II there be no gain TO them? Why are
the fields so lovely, and why the lavish
radiance of the autumn woods, and
were 1t not better If the sun slumped
into the ocean without touching with
glory the sky and wave? Why is not
life all cold and hard and hurried?
Shall we not do what we can to make
it so, by emitting conventional cour-
tesieS!
HAVE GONE TOO FAR.
The fact Is, we have pared down un.
necessary pOliteness good deal of late.
1t will not stand much more. In Paris
and Germany now men raise their hats
to one another. but we have not the
time for that; in France, at least, every
funeral procession stops traffic and Is
greeted by reverently lifted hats and is
do not trouble ourselves; in the old days
our fathers signed themselves in their
letters. Believe. Sir, Your Very Affec-
tionate and Humble Servant to Com
mand," and lads addressed their faith
ers as Respected Sir" The one hs been
shortened to Yours truly" or Yours"
and the other to Dear Father" and
Dear Pop" Shall eight thousand years
be saved by shortening them any more?
We are reminded of the sneering COM
ment of Westerner when told Caesars
famous apaphthegm, "Veni, Vidi, Vici."
1T Is too verbose" said he. Caesar
could not have seen without coming, nor
we'll hive conquered without seeing, so
one word would have been sufficient for
the despatch"
We shall be willing to save our share
of 5000 years by shaving off the little
conventional civility which remains to
the beginning and end of our letters.
when it is shown what good use has
been made of the time gained when BIZ
cycles were shortened to bikes" and
gentlemen to gents" For. whatever
they do with it, that time costs its saw
ers dearly.