The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-11-09
AGAINST E-SWALLOWING
PERFORMANCES

Girls have every opportunity, IN
their admirable public school courses
in domestic science, to learn the
usage at the dining table which Is
accepted as correct and refined among
cultivated people everywhere. In the
preparation and in the giving of pre-
scribed luncheons, dinners, banquets
and other meals, they come naturally
to find out how to sit at table, how to
manipulate knife and fork, how to
swallow and chew food so as not to be
an offense to a neighbor at table, and
how to conduct themselves in other
ways so as to conform to standards
that, after all is said and done, are
based solely on consideration for the
feelings of others.
But the boys are not so well off.
Their training is confined to what can
be given them at home; and every one
knows how consistently diffidence or
bravado will keep boy from putting
into practice the admonitions that .
critical elderly sister or troubled
parent will irregularly and irritatediy
give useless vent to. The unhappy re-
suit is that, as many boys grow to
manhood, they are pretty apt to be-
have at table like young barbarians
and continue through life, oftentimes
from sheer ignorance of how to mend
their ways, to distress by their uncouth
department the persons to whose I'M
envied lot it falls to eat with them.
A simple, and as we think entirely
practical, scheme could be adopted in
the public schools which would keep
every succeeding class of boys inform
ed in regard to the elementary rules
of good behavior at table; and since
the advice would have the merit of not
being given at home, We fancy the boys
would not feel too proud to follow
it.
We think that periods should be set
aside for instructing boys in these
and kindred matters. Ten or fifteen
of the regular assembly hour
in the high school might profitably be
occupied by the instructor in domes-
tic science in talk covering the fund
points. Seated at table on
the platform. provided with the Gus
tomary implements, the instructor
could illustrate by a most interesting
Dantomine how not to brandish and
clutch the fork, how not to swallow
he knife, how not to spear bread
with either weapon, how not to
sit bumped up over the table or tilted
pack at a dangerous distance, how not
% chew so that every one would wish
/ Maxim silencer could be applied to
he offender The teacher could show
by word and deed how ladies and
gentlemen all over the country are eA-
1ected TO eat and drink in company
With their fellows
Serious addresses on more or less
profound topics at high school as
,emblies are useful and desirable, but
;ome such variation in the program as
We here suggest would be easy to ar
'ange, and we believe that the boys
would secretly, if not openly, be glad
O get the benefit of the instruction.
1t may not be too bold to suggest
hat a similar undertaking at the uni
-ersity would not be altogether super
luouS.
DeCorous manners at table are not
ssential perhaps to success, but. they
elp smooth many places, and it is no
nore trouble to be polite than to be
ude. 1t costs nothing. AS an old
.erman once quantity observed in de-
ense of requiring Americans to study
9th German and English, 1T might as
veil be done. 1t eats no black bread
rom the table -