The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-08-21
KIND Lit Tile WORDS
COURTESY IS THE CHEAPEST
THING IN THIS LIFE,
And it Should Be Practiced by All
of Us in Our Intercourse With

AnQ IL SnOulQ DO fatCtCSu ny |AAA
of Us in Our Intercourse With
Each Other.
Little words in kindness spoken,
A motion or a tear,
May oft relieve heart that's broken,
Or make friend sincere.
Courtesy is the cheapest thing
there is in this world. Because 1t
is SO cheap is perhaps the reason
that 1t Is so infrequently used. 1t
costs absolutely nothing, therefore
one would think it would be by the
desk or at the hand OF every man
and woman in the world.
Yet the fact remains that there
are very few really courteous men.
So few are there that when one
does meet such an one he is sur
prised and refers to him las q
gentleman of the old school"
Because a person does not hap
pen to fancy man is no reason that
he should be discourteous with him.
Outward adornments, facial express
sion, peculiar mannerisms do not de-
stroy manhood. "a mans a man for
all that
Sometimes we say that a mans
real strength is shown in the manner
in which he expends his energy;
that his real benevolences are man
ifest in the way he dispenses his
charities. Yet if you would know
what a man really and truly is you
must study him as he deals courte-
ously or discourteously with his
brother man.
The man who is discourteous to
the man under him and serVilely
cringes before his superior with
obsequious courtesy may be a great
worker, splendid result-getter, but
he is not a gentleman.
A true gentleman will, If COM
pelled to dismiss a man from his
presence, do it with such grace ana
courtesy that the sting Of the dis
missal is largely removed and kindly
remembrances established in the
mind of the dismissed man. True
courtesy gives of its substance as
freely as the s,weet-scented violet
gives of its odor, thinking not of
return, simply conscious of doing its
duty.
Courtesy opens many doors of op-
portunity where rough and ragged
manners would stand knocking vain
ly demanding entrance. Courtesy is
oil upon the troubled sea Of life and
saves many a good ship of manhood
from going to pieces on the harrcn
shores of failure and bankruptcy.
Courtesy has won more battles in the
world than bullets. Courtesy uses
no cannon to force its measures.
yet courtesy wins thousand times
where cannon and mortars Wi! once.
Ia the hurry and rush Of life we
need to think more Of the graces of
courtesy than We do. It would be
good thing If in every public school,
academy and college of the land,
there might be established what
should be known as chair Of cour-
tesy. In this chair the truest and
most noble-hearted should teach boys
and girls, young men and young wo-
men, the value Of true courtesy. Tne
courtesy that plants seed Of self
respect in the underling, and which
makes the superior feel that ne is
in the presence of man.
OF a great man of the olden time
it is said "his presence made bad
men good and good men better"
Underlying this sweet influence OF
the mans life was good, honest cour-
tesy. A. courtesy that rose superior
to all environments Of hate, worry.
vulgarity and trouble, and poured
itself in gentle libations into every
mans heart, purifying and making
it sweeter and cleaner because of
its influence.
Happy, indeed, is that man to
whom courtesy Is blessed birth
right. He shall find that his path
in life is smoothed before his feet
and that difficulties he has dreaded
melt at his approach.
Happy, indeed, Is that man who
learns courtesy in the school Of life,
who turns from ungentlemanly man
ners and habits to way Of concilla-
tion and refinement. That man shall
find friends waiting to do his bid
ding and the wheels of purpose turn
ing at his command.
Unhappy, thrice unhappy, is the
man who goes through life without
the grace Of courtesy, born or ac-
quired, in his heart. His way shall
be the way Of a saw through an
oak board. He will mar jar and
cut, leaving behind in his trail only
the remembrance bf a hard task