Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-25
THE AGREEABLE CHILD.
Parents Should Teach Their Children
Pleasing Manners.

Parents. train your children to be
agreeable! 1t can be done; you owe 1t
to them. to their future, and remember,
| IL Won nlease, that the habit of good
| manners. like love and languages, is
| most easily and most permanently ac-
ouired in extreme youth. L bring no
startling nor unusual charge against
the American child when l say that it
| is the exceptional very young citizen
who is blessed with the meritoriouS
habit referred to above. At this pres
ent moment the young American en-
joys almost an international reputation
for what I might cuphemistically call
unconventional behaviour. Not to
mince matters. and Just between our
selves, will go a step further and say
that the manners of our average small
boy and girl leave almost everything to
! be desired.
Nevertheless there is something 20
be said i'll eXtenuation of their griev-
Gus and conspicuous unpleasantness:
tie fault is not wholly theirs. Our
children, if the truth must be told,
don't enjoy but half a chance to grow
| up otherwise than rs healthy little
savages. They suffer in the possession
of such peculiarly unduti.ul, unrcason-
able and neglectful parents; and there
| by hangs my lecture.
| hold a real gruIfse and complaint
against the careless Indifference of the
American father and mother. They
| take a good deal of trouble over and
pride in teaching Boo AMI Molly how
to control their knife ard fork. to wipe
their feet on the door Eat, and to an
swcr with common civilIty when ad-
dressed, but beyond this elemental
point parental energy aud interest in
nursery etiquette langUIsEes. Now I
give you my word that ] have seen
trained animals who had been taught
as much as that. Monkeys. etc, can
and do learn all such tricks. but for the
sake of the children the parents really
should go Il step further.
1 can sec no reason why, along with
their \. +. C's and naturalization table
the little folk SHOULD not learn what
charm means and hoT to exercise it.
Most of them do Mt, however. ami
grow up to find that without this eX-
cellent talisman to success and happi-
ness, they are greatly al Il loss and dis
advantage. Then they set about alone
kto acquire this art of pleasing, the art
of unsclfiSh social consideration, which
means SO much. and which is 50 hard
sometimes for the adult to practice.
Nursery etiquette neel not be Il COM
piicated system productive of prigs.
| Proper instruction will produce instead
a generation of deilShtful, companion
a.
poor or how plain they may be, will
| have the blessing Of n manner that is
sure to make wonderfully smooth and
| pleasant for them their rath through
| life.
incidentally this manner will con-
| tribute Il great deal to The comfort of
| everybody with whom the child is
| brought i'll contact. I wish parents
| would think of that phase of the social
present and future OF their progeny
and take pains accordingly.
| can strengthen my argument and at
| titude on this point by the recital of an
! instance that came very recently under
my personal observation, and which goes
| to show the Weli-ni%h cruel injustice Of
| the parent to the child where Il question
| OF manners Is involved. The case III point
| is that of a typical offender of Il small
| uneasy compatriOt with whom ] crossed
| the Atlantic. His table manners, l con-
| fesS We're very good. and he VAS a hand
some little lad of eight years Of age,
| with an unusual amount Of intelligence
and fine sturdy character of the best
| sort shining i'll his big brown eyes With
| his nndeniablc beauty and quick wit and
good principles he should hdVC been Il
primo favorit" with us all, Whereas from
the captain to the cook, We @rowuup5
| aboard cordially dctcSted and | think al
| most feared him.
| rThcra ie wing that hp 4
| genuine Yankee boy; chccrfuly disrc-
spectful. frankly disobcdient, mcdde-
| some. pushing, Dragging. and quite pa.
thetically ignorant Of the fact that all
of his behavior turned the milk of human
kindness to acid against him wherever
and whenever he appeared.
And the odd thing to nc is said ia a
cap Bobby dauntlcssy and piayfully
snatched off one day in order to try it on
his own head that the childs parents
are such quiet, even wcll-bred people
| That was true enough. His mother was
an aIiable lady whose own behavior was
| irrerroa chablc, and she adored hor Bob
by. But | could not make it quite clear to
| the old Englishman that while Bobby S
mother would sacrifice much for che boy,
she would not and did not scruplc to let
him win enemies for himself at every
| stage of his young career.
| AT home, no doubt BObbyS miSbChaV-
| ior was as is the case in many American
| homes. misintcrpreted as an evidence of
| doughty independence OF mind, interest
| ing individuality and originality. and
quite permissible animal spirits. Bobby
| shouted, "Hello," when he greeted tho
| passengers in the morning. and it was
| considered. by BObbys parents, a matter
for admrng laughter when he answered
| back. hit hard verbally, talked siucily in
a grownup air of equality with elderly
folk. and broke athwart conversations
with questions or irrelevant speeches.
| Alas. poor Bobby, Some day he will have
occasion to wish with almost r7nnly tears,
that he had been taught an nfnt" some
| thing in his childhood that goes to make
i popular man.
| of course Bobby might have been Il
charming child and all for the sake of Il
little instruction. and furthermore tho
| truly charming child is not an impossible
order of small hcinE cut on the pattern
of little Lord i'auntleroy. charming
| child is one who is taught to recognize
from its cradle days that it is bound to
| show consideration for tho rights ANA
comforts Of others. Another important
fact it learns to understand and respect is
| that good speaking vioce is like Il
strong letter of recommendation, it tolls
the stranger at once that the owner Is the
pupil Of good breeding. Let healthy
children shout n play and out of door at
the full strength of their lungs but the
| self-inflicted injury of the high and pea
cock voiced American child is incalcula-
BILE 1t is so easy ITO teach children to
o. foe ,trf1 ..f I,,;,-