The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-11-24
Dislike Of Change-Exaggerati OF
Pol teness.

Dislike Of Change-Exaggera OF
Pol teness.
AS we become older we become more.
and more creatures Of habit. and are
made uncomfortable by any alterations
that interfere with our accustomed ar.
rangements.
One Of the most marked instances of
this dislike Of change in small things is
the affection we grow 10 feel fors and
the dependence we place upon some IA
vnrlte chair. AS Il consequence ii be
comes an unwritteii law i'll the house
hold that one particular xeat is MAN,
mas. another papa's, and 80 Oh.
Not that the owners openly rlai1tl
the chairs as Il right-that would be 10
acknowledge one of the dependencies OF
advancing years-but they feel distinctly
aggrieved if their favoritc seats are
taken, and are wretched if forced by
conventional politelless to take another
place for any length of time.
1t behoOves young people who yisft ut
strange houses to remember this tpcu-
ilarlty Tor infirnity, as they DOUBTLESS,
would consider it,, and to take more
pains than they generally do not to
interfere with the comfort of the elder
members of the household. Young folks
are not to affect an exaggerated and Of
ficlcus politeness i'll proffering the best
chairs TO- persons older than them.
selves. That is in bad form. and ALWAYS
irritatcs middle-aged people more or
less; but they should observe where their
elders naturally bestow themselves, and
remember these predictions for future
guidance.
Il do not think much of that Miss
Smith that you seem so fond of. Mary"
SAID a man advanced in years, address.
ing his grand -da phter
why DO YOU not like her, grand
Papa?' queried the daughter of the
house.
II have no special reason" he replied.
"She is simply bad form, that is all. /
suppose she cannot help being common. -
Poor Nellie Smith," said her friend
aftcrward to her mother. ''she just hap
when he came in for afternoon tea he
had to take another: That is the whole
trouble. He liked her very much but |
feel pretty sure he will always object tc
her being asked here again.
Speaking of the attitude of exaggerat
cd respect which some wel-meanine
young people assume toward their elders
1t might be well to say a word OIL the
subject. The duty and reverence that
are due to the old by the young are easy
enough to define, but the obligation which
young people owe to those who are middle
aged is more difficult to tactfnlly adjust
Of late years there has come into fash.
Ion sort of exaggerated pOliteness
that Is almost annoying to the objects of
the attentions.
For instance. if several yo1ln. persons
are seated at their employmcnts. it may
be well that they should rise when an
older person comes into the room. but
| that they should remain standing is abb
SMrd and embarrassing to the newcomer
w ME the deep courtesy (which by the
way, Is purely American and not English
as SO many people suppose, may be all
very. we'll for small girls. it becomes ri
dlculouS when they grow up and put on
long skirts: To feel ones self the OBJ
Jcct or these somewhat oyerstrained
youthful attentions produces in Il mid
dlc-agcd person dsagreeable sensation
quite apart from the bored feeling that
overpoliteness engenders.
Il consider that it is positively insult
ing the way we older girls are treated
by those debutantc>." remarked a fash
i"nable young woman of 80. recently.
speaking of the younger members of her
set who were about to be introduced to
society.
"Why, I thought they were so won
ion: rather surprised at the accusation
'.Ihat is Just the trouble" returned the
other. That they should jump up and
oncn the door for me. or stand aside and
give me. the precedence. or pick up any
thing drop. or. worst of all. get up and
stand when | enter a room. CRATES on my
nerves. And as for that ridiculous
courtesy of theirs it seems simply derisiye-
1t is not that l envy them their bread
and butter youth-far from it-but | do
think they ought to he taught better
manners than to assume that there is
such a vast difference in our ages. New
York Tribune.