The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-07-19
Just Common
Good Manners

A CERTAIN young man WHo sem
y his wares in a tiny shop Is an IN
dependent American citizen. and
as such wishes TO impress on every GUS
toner that he is as good as anybody
and a little bit better Usually he sends
home customers purchases. Sometimes
il is not Convenient to do this. Then
his royal highnsSS refuses TO make any
concession. A customer asks II he can
not send her some cream, later. after
his rush hour. He says;
No. I won't send nothin' TO nobody.
You can take the cream or leave 1t.
jist as YOU please
But
There's the cream. / say. and YOU
can take it or leave il. jist as you like.
and 1 don't want. no more argument
about IT, -
The customer, used TO being treated
with courtesy. goes out and never en-
tiers the place again The young man
pats himself over the chest. looks into
his little mirror and says 10 himself.
IN let these Yer people know I'm as
good as they are"
II he had told the lady in 4 decent.
courteous manner that he could NOT
grant her request that time. no haArn
would have been done But he WIS
simply coarse, ignorant. conceitef
ungrammatical boor. filling posS
where kindness and gentlemanlyl
manners are perpetuaily called for
Worst OF all. he absolutely prided aim
self on his unwhipped boOrishness.
Then there is perhaps the woman
who takes in orders for work at her
home A stranger calls on her She
answers the ladys inquiry thus.
Il don't work for nobody but my own
customers and folks my customers rec
ommends. And l can't take no more
work nohow for the next six weeks"
And she slams the door I'm the ladv's
face 10 emphasize her opinion that she
too. Is an independent American cit
izen. AS good as anybody and "A little
bit better And she. tOO-heaven send
her better light and knowledge is
only "A coarse ignorant, conceited boor
and does not know IT,
II is sheer dumb brute ignorance in
both the man and woman. Both these
citizens mistake rudeness and bad
manners for a manifestation OF their
independence They have no concep-
ton that the very first element OF real
gentlemanliness or ladyhood Is habituaI
courtesy TO every creature. They will
have 10 get many and many a hard
knock and much hard luck before thew
have IL pounded into their skulls that
every human being owes TO every other
the debt of common civility. And we
may be- sure they will get the hard
knocks and the hard luck both in heap
ed up measure. Grass ignorance must
be illuminated. even II ia takes dyna.
mite 10 accomplish the enlighten-
ment
II is largely the fault OF mothers that
such deplorable rudeness. sucn lack Of
just plain. common good manners. IL
so often encountered. They have not
trained their children 20 practice
habituaiiy politeness and courtesy.
They many a time let their BOYS grow
to manhood untamed cubs. their girls
10 womanhoOd with the impulses 81
spite and selfishness and vanity an una
restrained Did you ever think that
the uncurbed. underlined human auik
NAL is the most repellent OF all creaA.
lures. worse even than the dumb
brutes because his superior brain gives
him go many more ways OF being
offensive2
We, the citizens OF the vaun:ed great
republic OF the world ara this day in
our general department below tho
japanese. The rudeness and boorish-
ness 10 one another Of individuals IN
western nations are never found among
that fine little oriental people. The Jap
laborer in the rice fields is as polite
alike TO his mates and 10 the stranger
as one American gentleman IL 20 an
other. Maybe he gets drunk on sake
and fights like "a fiend now and then.
but apart from this IN all his associa-
ton with his fellow creatures he -
characterized by the exquisite courtesy
and kindness that western peoples
might well initiate
The animalish manners which ara
biemishes among other nations are IN
pardonabie in citizens OF the great
republic. II Is the part Of American
women 20 correct our rudenesn and
bOorishn~sr They can do 70 effectuaIiy
and they are the only ones Who can
one point too. might he borne ia mind.
Bad manners and bad grammar fire.
quently 90 together Let US look after
both among our children
JANE, MOgFs