Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-06-16
The Educating Influence Of MeaItime.

possible to Overestimate the Influence
of carly surroundings upon after life
but it is one that cannot be repeated
too often. Manners, language, habits
! of thought, moral principle-all thes4
land these are the things that make IN
| a mans personality take form during
| the plastic period of youth
| Every thoughtful mother knows thai
certain times in the domestic day
afford special opportunities for i'm
pressing children-the bedtime hour.
| for example, when the lights are low
and the house is still. and the mother
and child are brought close to each
other in spirit. How many condolences
| are breathed out, then. into sympa-
| thctic ears, How many admonitions;
and tender counsels fall into receptive
hearts that would have been stony
ground during the rush of the day
| counsels that will have their fruitagr.
perhaps. years and years after the lips
from which they fell are mute
Not less potent, in an entirely differ
ent way, is the gathering around the
family board This is the social hour
the one time of the day when all are
brought together What are some of
llit opportunities IL presents!
First of all it is the place, and the
only, place, to teach table ctiqucttc
The child must eat all through life, ana
he will not always do it at his mother <
table. Let him learn there. by precept
and example. to do it right-to manage
his food. the table appurtenances and
himself. in an appropriate and unob-
trusive manner.
The table is the place to teach chill
dren self-control. thoughtfulness for
others. the petty sacrifices that Emer-
son says make up good manners. The
little 3-ycar-old who is required to Wait
patiently her turn. on pain of being
lifted down. is learning valuable
lesson. and the comfort of the whole
family is enhanced incidentally while
it is taught.
Tho hungry hoy of ten. hollow to his
toes. impatient to be out at play. but
trained To help the rest before he hclnS
hlinSeif, t. pass the coveted waffle to
ms elders and wait for the next relay
ls2aininS in more than external polite
ncsS-he is learning self-command and
unselfish consideration for others. To
make this still more effective. each
Oh ld-particularly the boys-should
| have some part in the serving to do
helping the butter. pouring the water
or similar tasks. In many households
this is left entirely to the girls Why
should the boys. who need it 50 much
more, be exempt from this discipline?
Children may and should be trained
both III the repression of fault finding
about their food and the expression Of
4 Nn ~.
to mother, hot and Wcaried with the
preparation of meal. than to have
her one failure singled out as the OBJ
iect Of comment. 1t is often done
thoughtlessly, with no idea Of how il
viii sting, but it should not be done by
husband, and it should not be per-
mitted III a child. The rule should be:
Pleasant comments or none. And vet
this NEGATIVE teaching is not quite
enough. 1t adds so to the pleasure of
lif" to know that our efforts are APP
prCciatcd. Tho father who takes
thought to say, My dear. this is q
very nicely cooked roast" is adding to
his Wife's happiness and is educating
his children as well. a fault-finding
husband will not be likely to 90 forth
from that home.
The educating influence of table ap-
pointmentS upon the taste and refine
ment Of family must not be over
looked. A teacher once said: IL can
keep my bad boy within bounds 50 long
as he has on Il white collar and a neck
tie, but when he drops the collar he
drops his decency with it" We are All
better behaved in good clothes. Chill
dren will be more careful ut a we'll
dressed table. a coffee spot is So much
more noticeable on a clean cloth than
on crumpled soilcd one; disorder 50
much more apparent if there was first
immaculate order.
The table pushed against the wall,
covered with a colored cloth or a dingy
white one. and crowded with dishes
that look as if they had been thrown at
il. may subservc the primary end Of its
being, but it will never be place
where mans csthetic nature will be
nOurished.
suppose the mother who habitually
sets her family down to that kind Of q
table should conclude some day to in
Stitute Il reform. She draws the table
out Squarcly in the middle of the room
puts on exactly even a spotess white
cloth. arranges her pretty centerpiece
and bowl Of flowers makes her silver
and glass shining. and places her dishes
with the law of symmetry before her
eyes. making this balance that ana
| finding the best place for each When
| the family come in. what do you sup
pose they will say? Why, ten to one
| they will lower their voices and say
| rs somebody here" They are not
prepared for taste and beauty i'll the
setting of the table unless there is
company.
Suppose now this mother. pleased
with her experiment, should continue it
| for year. daily finding new ways Of
making the table attractive and the
meal hour a pleasant one. Will she at
the end Of that time, think you, 60
back to the old way? No. no. She
| would not want to, nor would her
family. Giving them refined surround
| ings will have raised them one notch
| higher in the scale Of refinement. and
they will not willingly drop back. 1t
goes farther than the present, too. AS
is the mothers home. so-without some
miracle Of cfrcumstance-will be the
| daughters. The only way to grow in
refinement. as in grace. is to live up
day by day to the best we know.