Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-26
TO FINIcAL FEEDERS.
Reason Why Child Cannot Eat a
Thing.

Thing.
The foundation OF the habit is almost
invariably laid In childhood.
Tom cannot abide roast mutton
says the mother. with an information
which fastens the idea in Toms small
mind that the Discrimination, once or
twice expressed, perhaps when he had
eaten too many sureptitious sweets, IN
some way confers importance upon
him. The next time roast mutton Is
the piece de resistance of the family
dinner he refuses 1t yet more pointed
ly. and sulks until tid-bit he can
abide is laid upon his plate.
The within grows by what il does not
feed upon. One after another article
of food is added to the list of pro-
scribed, and Tom grows into youth and
ever he is met with. and at whatever
age, he is a terror 10 the hospitable, an
abonination In the sight of the board
ing-house keeper and a smoke in the
n0strils OF sensible. commonplace peo-
pie who have found other roads to dis
tinction than the display of gastronom-
g. likes and dislikes.
Eat what Is set before thee. asking
no questions. for consciences sake,
wrote the gentlemanly apostle. In a
down unawares to meat that has been
offered to idols, we may amend the in
junction to suit the circumstances.
Eat what is set before YOU" or pre-
tend OF eat II. Never. except at the
last gasp of conscientious regard for
the truth, intimate to the maker OF the
feast that you dislike any dish pre-
pared for her guests.
The needless expression OF such dis
taste is. perhaps. "a half degree short
of an insult but in social etiquette we
seldom measure grades with such ex-
actnesS. Like the coachman chosen
from his competitors for his shrewd
mother wit. we drive as far from the
edge of the precipice as we can. IL
driven to brutal veracity. give some
other reason than personal aversion
for declining TO partake of the dish. 1t
Is matter of no consequence what
ever to society at large that you do
not eat raw oysters. In fact, one can
hardly imagine q fact more nearly in
finitcsimal. If offered to you with the
option of acceptance or refusal you can
let the dish pass. IL the obnoxious
portion be laid upon your plate. and
you cannot summon the fortitude to
swallow mouthful. toy with ii, or let
avert attention from your lack of con-
formity TO established customs.
In the black book of my memory is
written the story of one luncheon to
which business acquaintance of my
husband was invited, Unexpectedly to
me. He called at our country house
lust mt noon, and there was no time
to alter the MEM. had a market been
near Thus the incident is recorded
in the aforesaid Doomsday book-Im-
primis-Cream of asparagus soup. Visi-
tor "never ate asparagus in any form"
Second dish-Pickerel caught in the
lake that morning. Visitor ibid not
care for fresh water fish" Third fail
ure-Cold beef a la mode. especially
fine, to my way of thinking. Visitor
never tasted spiced or larded meat"
Fourth failure-TOmato salad. "Visi-
tor had an unfortunate antipathy TO
tomatoes" Fifth and final discom-
tture-He would not touch the rasp-
berries and cream with which the I'M
fortunate meal was brought TO close.
"Raspberries are absolute poison to my
system. Luckily recollected scrap
of cold lamb in the refrigerator: he
could eat potatoes bread and butter.
and condescended TO a second cup of
tea.
The finical feeder was not dyspep-
tic. He went out of his way TO inform
me of that gratifying circumstance.
Neither was he boor in any other
respect. Yet registered a vow to my
self when he departed that he should
ever invited him TO enter it again.
al fink" remarked an observant child
aftervard, who had watched the non
performance with silent gravity while
Mt tablet fink his mother didn't
teach not him TO say 4 don't yike it
when he was yittle."
Master Boy struck at the root OF the
very ugly tree Early habits, and a
great many of them. are largely respon-
sible for breach of simple politeness,
an offense to feeling and taste so com
mon that one hardly dare animadvert
upon it in general company for fear of
treading upon the toes of somebody
present. The mother who frowns
down capricious appetite as unmanner-
ly and thing to be ashamed of drives
n nail in a sure place in the edifice
OF good breeding. The man who has
not learned this lesson of unseltish dis
cipline of his whims and humors when
young should regret and not indulge
fancies hardened into dislikes by time
and hahit.-New York Herald