The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-03-10
SCHOOL OF MANNERS NEEDED.
BY Dorothy Dix.

may be conferred on such students
as perfect themselves in the etiquette
Of polite society.
This news sounds almost too good
TO be true Let us hope, however, that
such a course of study is really to be
established in one Of our great schools,
and that it will be compulsory, for
nothing is more sadly needed.
For whatever other charms and vir-
tues the American young may possess,
good manners are seldom among
them. AS a child he is almost inVari-
ably little savage. AS hobbledehoy
he is generally a hoodlum, and as
grown man he is only too often an
awkward blunderer, who is like a bull
in the social china shop.
On every side we encounter multi
tudes OF men, who have intelligence,
force, power, men who have achieved
success in their own particular calling,
but who are as ignorant as babes OF
any of the graces of human inter
course.
They cannot enter or leave a room
without falling over their own feet.
They do not know what to say when
presented to stranger, Or how either
to pay or receive a compliment.
At dinner parties YOU may see them
hopelessIy floundering around among
the silverware. At restaurants you
may observe them with their legs
twined like snakes around their chair
legs, grasping their forks as il they
were about TO harpOon an attacking
whale, and, also, YOU may even pass
away an evening listening TO them eat
their soup.
OF course, we excuse such men by
saying that they have been too busy
with bic affairs to give their attention
to such small matters as the proper
use of Il fork or q spoon. We say that
it's more important that mans heart
should be Of gold than that he should
wear the right sort of coat for the oc-
casion, ana we try to gloss over ms
boorishness by calling him rough
diamond.
All of which is sheer nonsense. No
body will contend that rough dla-
mond is as valuable as one that is cut
and polished, aud the truth is that
While man may succeed without
good manners, he would succeed bet
ter with them. TO know how to do
things, to possess what the French
call SAVIOR faire, is always 1t help,
never a handicap i'll life.
People have always appreciated
this fact so far as women were con-
Cerned. In all girls schools special
attention is paid to department, and
girls are. taught the niceties OF
etiquette that they perhaps do not
have an opportunity TO learn IN their
own homes.
More than that, at home stress IS
laid on little girls behaving like
ladies. and wherever YOU go the small
daughter of the house will receive you
charmingly, drop her little courtesy
and cndcayur TO engage you i'll c0urte-
Gus conversation.
But apparently the mothers OF the
same families make no effort to lnstlil
Doliteness into their boys, and the
lads will storm into the room with
their caps on. They will never STOP
TO speak to the visitors, and only
grunt by way OF reply when ad
dressed
And when these boys are sent Off tC
school no effort seems to be made tc
supplement their lack of home train
ing in manners. They are grounded II
all the arts and sciences except the
most important art and science of all
which is that of making oneself agree
able to ones fellow creatures.
For, when all is said and done, goo(
manners will carry one further thar
anything else i'll the world. They art
a letter of credit that every one Of u:
Ionors at sight The clown may com
pei our grudging respect, but W.
present our hearts as a free gift to The
courtier.
A young man may be Of the mos
sterling worth, and yet wear a de
Collete collar that exposes his Adam'
apple and coat and trousers ant
waistcoat of different makes AM
ColorS so that he looks like an AM
mated patchwork quilt, but ii he ant
another youth who knew how to dreS
dpplIcu IOE Inc SdllC JoD thC 5oo'
clothes would get it.
A man might be a genius and we
eat peas with his knife, but he woul'
have hard time getting close enough
to those who might help him TO set
chance to show what he could DO.
A man may have almost super
human ability in any line, but il he j
rude and crude in his manners, il h
does not know how to please, he live
and dies neglected.
On the other hand, the man who ha
what we call q charming personality
who is gracious in speech and polit
in manners, finds helping hand a
ways at his elbow and d friendl
shoulder ready to boost him up TIL
ladder.
That is why it is so important t
teach boys good manners and why tn
opening Of such q department in tn
New York university is epoch max
ing.
Il # s.
PAST AND PRESENT.