Gunnison news-champion., 1920-01-23
TRAIN A CHILD PROPERLY
IN GOOD TABLE MANNER,

IkAIN n CHILD fWOf6Bbn
IN GOOD TABLE MANNERS
Yoa owe Il - yourself - well "a
TO your ehildren 70 see that they are
taught 70 csaduet themselves correct
ly while at TIE dining table. Nothing
b % distressing 70 grown people a.
ill-bred ehildrea 1t the table. yet,
strange a. Il may seem, those same
grown folks hardly ever stop to think
that they are generally the ones At
fault. The children. never having
been taught proper table manners,
cannot possibly exhibit any. And bear
in mind that teaching manners is one
thing and continual correcting which
borders on scolding is different thing.
"Now, Johnny, use your fork" Mary,
take your elbows of the table; for
pity sake, Jimmie. can't you see you
are dripping that gravy Ill over the
front Of your waist?" This is gener-
ally the way most meals proceed when
there are children at the table. OF
course, there are q number Of parents
who Il ink to themselves that Johnny
or Mary will outgrow their careless
ness when they grow older. They
may, but in the meantime they need
a few good rules to follow to get the
right start. II some mothers, who
take their children with them to the
home Of friend when dining, could
only overhear the remarks made about
those same children and the way they
habe been brought up" she would
be Mortified.
Proper use of the knife, fork and
spoons are essential to good table
manners, and the following rules may
be easily learned by any small child;
1t is well to remember that there are
two ways Of holding the fork-that
is two correct ways. It should be
held as spoon, that is with the palm
Of the hand upward, which is the way
it is used when conveying food to the
mouth as spoon. Most small folks,
(and good many older ones) seem
to think the proper way Is = Il shovel
fashion. When the fork is used for
picking up meat and carrying it to
the mouth, the tines are held down.
ward. Soup or any other liquid
should be taken from the side Of the
spoon and without noise. Have the
bowl close to the end of the table and
avoid the "spread eagle" fashion Of
eating ones dinner to avoid "spotting
the tablecloth."
The knife is used for cutting ones
food, buttering bread, but never, oh
never, for "shoveling in ones victuals''
as great many children are allowed
to do. When not in use, the knife is
laid across the edge of the plate, as is
also the fork, not on the tablecloth.
Allow children to help themselves
when passing dish, and teach them
the proper way to transfer food from
the dish passed to their own plates.
Just little forethought on the part
of grown folks and proper teaching,
not scolding, will work wonders and
your children will grow up with q
proper sense of the fitness of things.
These things may seem like very
small things-mere trifies, perhaps
but they can make or mar whole
life, by rendering the person in ques-
tion so i'll at ease that they will in
variably decline invitations to dine
away from home for the reason that
they do mot know the proper way r.
i, and an because tleif parents did
not take the trouble to correct them
when children. Others, who have
grown up and either cannot or will
not recognize their own faults, are let
alone and thereby lose much Of the
pleasure Of life which comes from, an
intercourse with well-bred people.
/ Remember-"As the twig is bent, SC
the tree is inclined"