Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-08
TEACHING MANNERS.
Very Essential to Begin Early With
Children.

| CnllQren.
AS soon as baby is old enough 10 take
| Its first meal at the table with grown peo-
| pie attention should be paid to its manners
Precisely why instinctively We seem al
ways to do the wrong thing until taught
| better L do not know, unless 1t Is on the
| basis Of the perverseness of human ma
| ture.
The fact remains however. that unless
a baby is taught differently 1t will shovel
| up food In most distressing manner and
NIL Its little mouth too full at every bite
lnfants seem also to have positive talent
| for holding fork or spoon in the wrong way
| and all these things, apparently trivial
must be corrected by mothers
| To think that baby is too young to be
| shown the proper amount OF food that a
| fork should hold Is the greatest mistake
| because the little one Will continue in the
way it begins
Each one of US has been appalled, or dis
gusted at the bad table manners of the
children of some of friends, but It Is
not too much to say that such entirely
the result Of indifference or ignorance on
the part of parents and reflects upon them
accordingly
Only such quantity as may be comfort
ably put into the mouth should be taken
| on the fork at a time and two bites from
| the same forkful is the height of bad
manners small boys and girls should
| learn. Attention should be given to the
way this implement Is held, for the In
]
| at the head Of the tines. child should
| be taught at once that the clasp must be
| well toward the end Of the handle, and
| thus eating will be a simpler process for
little children, especially II the fork is not
| large.
There is no excuse for little boy or girl
| taking soup from spoon so full as TO DO
| dripping while raised. know some grown
persons have this habit that one cannot
| help calling disgusting because II is pig
| gish. but a spoon should never be moro
| than moderately full and the liquid should
be taken from the SIDE not from the tip.
Comparatively few children are taught how
| to drink In a well-mannered way. Instead
| OF the cup being allowed to go into the
| mouth to the corners the little one should
learn to take small mouthfuls Of the liquid.
| and the HIPS will be less covered with II
| when the cup Is taken down. Milk
mu.taches'' should be as reprehensible for
| children as for grown persons.
Being just a healthy little animal by
| nature, a child regards a napkin In the
| light Of foolishness. and will use 1t only
| when the arts of civilization are being IN.
| culcated. This, however. Is one 1t should
| early learn, for remnants OF food left on
| the mouth render the sweetest child I'M
attractive.
| The carelessness OF elders in putting
| their elbows on the table Is making this
| bad habit more than ever possible for chill
dren. 1t Is bad enough for grown people
| to lounge when eating, for this is what IL
| amounts to. but for children 1t Is mex,
c,lsable Under no circumstances should
| they be permitted to do 1t. and when not
| holding fork or spoon, they should learn
| to keep the hands folded in the lap
A child is always more or less of mimic,
| and in nothing will this show more posi-
| lively than in it's table manners. II those
at the table with 1t eat in slovenly fashlon
so will he or she, but unfortunately the
reverse does not work without aid. good
example alone in the matter OF eating is not
| enough for little children. Prompting also
is necessary, but 1t will more quickly &C
quite attractive ways and be less of young
animal at it's food II the teaching Is REIN
forced by example.