Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-07-05
CHILDREN AT TABLE
NEVER TOO YOUNG TO BE
 TAUGHT MANNERS.
With the Eirst Meal Taken with the Elders Attention Should Be Paid to the Little Graces of
 Good Rreading.

As soon as baby is old enough to take its first meal at the table with grown people attention should be paid to its manners. Precisely why in- stinctively we seem always to do the wrong thing until taught better l do not know, unless it is on the basis of the perverseness of human nature.
 The fact remains, however, that un. less baby is taught differently 1t will shovel up food in most distress ing manner and fill its little mouth too full at every bite. Infants 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 be- gins.
 Each one of us has been appalled, or disgusted at the bad table manners of the children of some of our friends, but it is not too much to say that such are entirely the result of indifference or ignorance on the part of parents and reflects upon them accordingly.
 Only such quantity as may be com fortably put into the mouth should be taken on the fork at 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. i'm I plement is held, for the instinctive method seems to be to grasp it at the head of the tines A child should be taught at once that the clasp must be we'll toward the end of the handle, and thus eating will be simpler process for little children; especially if the fork is not large.
 There is no excuse for little boy or girl taking soup from spoon so full as to be dripping while raised. know some grown persons have this habit that one cannot help calling dis gusting because it is piggish, but a spoon should never be more than mod erately 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-man- nered 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 lips will be less covered with | it when the cup is taken down. Milk 1! mustaches" should be as reprehensible i for children as for grown persons.
 Being just healthy little animal by nature, child regards napkin in the light of foolishness, and will use it only when the arts of civiliza- tion are being inculcated This, how. | ever. is one it should early learn, for remnants of food left on the mouth ! render the sweetest child unattractive. 1
 The child is always more or less of | mimic, and in nothing will this show more positively than in its table man. ] ners. If those at the table with it ! eat in slovenly fashion so will he or she, but unfortunately the reverse does not work without aid. A good . example alone in the matter of eating is not enough for little children. !
 Prompting also is necessary, but 1t will more quickly acquire attractive ways and be less of young animal at its food if the teaching is reinforced by example. American.