The Washington herald., 1913-05-11
COURTESY IS ONE OF
LIES TRUE CRACES
When II Grows from Son to Mother
the Charm Of Il Never
Fails,
By FRANCES sHAFFER.


on and along the same broad, beautiful
highway upon which she started them.
The best she can do is to guide them
Alright while they are boys and leave the
rest to them. and their future
! But 1t is hard to believe 1t ever hap
pens that mother who guides a
| young son along the way of chivaIrous
deference ever will have reason to droop
her head because he steps aside In later
| years Once grown used to the true
brand of mother-courtesy and reverence,
IL one likes to give II so high sounding
:, and meaningful name. little lad Is not
| likely ever to forget or outiive his no.
tons of tenderness and his deep-seated
| love Of mother
And 1t is one Of the most gladstone
| sights in this word of many gladstone
things to note little chap close-bound
to bis mother in the years of his great
est dependence, then to see him, as the
years speed along, still looking up to his
mother-source of inspiration, still show
Ing the boyish chivalry that when 1t
speaks at all, speaks in eloquent ways.
| And then, when manhood comes, pushing
aside the boy and the boyish ways. 1t lie
yet more delightful to watch him quietly,
| eloquently display the strength Of the tie
| between them.
Takes on Rough Edges.
| Courtesy is one of life's truest Rraces,
| wherever 1t grows. 1t takes the edge
! of Of many a hardship and sometimes
I even makes pleasures Of burdens. In
the matter-of-fact world Of business IL
helps over rough places and bad spots
| that nothing else can bridge; and in the
| home. where gladness and sadness, good
| ness, and badness are pretty well mixed
| together, the little demonstrations of
graciousness, one to another. temper the
dullest of days.
But when it grows from son to moth
er-ah. then 1t is perennially green, and
| the charm of it never fails.
One need only look about a bit to be
right sure that it is temptingly easy. al
most natural, to spoil the best of boy
material in the elastic name of love.
Because the greatest desire of the moth
er-heart is to make the brief days of
childhood blithesome and care-free to
the end, and there the trouble often
enough begins.
For while a mother light-heartedly
renders every service she can, protects,
watches over. and lifts from her boy
every tiny burden that comes his way,
wrong kind of homage seeds, homage
and Difference that will grow up in her
heart alone, never in his.
And it is a pity ever to dwarf or stffle
the pretty little attentions. son to
mother, the knightliness, the ready
! thought and care that rest so graciously
then, and still more so In later years
But the boy. like the rest Of US, is very
human indeed and easily enough absorbs
the notion that the mission of mothers
is always to serve and to smooth over
the pathway for others. Why not, il
he sees that it is mother whose comfort
is last to be considered, mother who
surrenders her pleasures, her time, her
everything for the sake of the boy she
loves?
Must he Taught Chivalry.
Where, then. comes the stopping place?
Left to his own childish impulses, when
does the little fellow ever learn that
it is a chivalrous, very manly thing
to be royal in his thought and care Of
the one who would give up her life for
him, if put to the test? When, without
the guidance that way, does he begin
to believe that it is fine and big and
splendid to carry her bundles, to put
out his small hand to help her and ten
derby administer to her comfort? For
boys when they try, and when they
are urged a bit can do lot Of things
that beautifully make for mothers con-
tentment. They can, if they like. and
if prompted that way, make mothers
as royal as queens on their thrones; for
there is not a mother in the world who
would not feel queenly indeed If her son
played the part of knight.
Some folks tell us-perhaps, in a way, 1T
is true-that 1t often happens that selfish
exaction in mothers leads to the greatest
al;. 4, 4.
pleasanter to believe that it is greatest
when prompted by true mother love, the
love that would bring out the very best
traits. Because, while selfishly, boyish
chivalry. son to mother, warmly thrills
the mother heart it does something in
finitely greater-it makes the boy himself
very much a man.
Would Bear Bitter Fruit.
1t happened at breakfast table while
ago that a small boy, very fond Of
oranges, ate his own allotment and then
waited for the big yellow fruit that he
knew right well his mother would hand
over to him from her plate-not because
she did not care for it, but because she
counted him just little boy who cared
for 1t rather more. An uncle watched the
transaction, and the more he watched
the more determined he grew. Well
enough aware that it was not his province
to interfere, he none the less asked the
mother IL she did not guess that some
time her self-effacement would bear bit
ter fruit. Why no, she said. for in the
fullness Of time he would learn for HIM
self. But the uncle told her it was then
that the boys character. his habits, his
notions and all were in the making, and
that if she wanted him to grow as con
siderate. as deferential and as cour+ly as
it was in him to grow, she had better
start then, else in the fullness of time
he would be bent quite another way.
Just In passing, nobody counts it easy
for mother to do all that a mother can