The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-02
Courtesiess of Ir1tin,cy
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We should take all pains to prevent i'm
tiu1acy from destroying courtesy.
For intimacy is only .bearable when it 4
oiled by courtesyst
Il is hard for human beings to live in con
I slant daily Smunsling. Their little petty
ways, their faults and snbtle forms of selfish
ness and strains of coarseness come to tht
surface under continued contact.
And that, whether the two hate or love
one another. Il is possibly easier for tive
persons to get along smoothly when they ars
Indifferent than when they are In love.
man may be able to keep friendly with his
servant for years while he is wholly incon-
petent to live peaceably with his wife or his
son for a week at time
Now the thing that alone can render
condition of intimacy tolerable is careful
Observance of the courtesies. While should
say, to a newly married pair that OF course
love is the chief matter, yet should want
to add that almost as important as love is
care. Only constant care can prevent love
from being buried under the trifling details Of
the commonplace.
Love is divine. To keep it SO you mus
observe its ritual. You must not let go
You must not be lazy. Religion would perish
without its services. Love will die without
its courtesies.
What perverse devil is it in us that makes
us negligent toward those we love best and
polite to those for whom we care nothingl
/ have seen a woman come from scolding and
scowling at her children, when company IL
announced, and stop at the parlor door to
smooth her face into smiles before she went
In to meet the strangers.
Mothers don't realize that they must be
respectful toward their children, If they
would have the children respect themselves.
Nothing is more beautiful to see than pa
rent who Is as courteous to his or her own
little boy toward chance acquaintance
NV wife and I often amuse ourselves
watching the man-woman pairs we observe
in cafes on trains and in hotels, and guess
ing whether or not they are married. 1 am
ashamed to say that when we see them keyed
up. attentive, looking eagerly at each other.
and generally on fire, we assume that they
are not married-at least to each other; and
when we notice indifference, the man turn
ing his back to her and reading a newspaper,
or she rather bored-looking, we conclude they
are married and done for.
Then there is another kind of couple we
sometimes see, though not as often as we
might wish, two who are manifestiy married
d. we Judge by certain small intimacies, such
as her brushing a speck from his coat or adj
iustihg his scarfpin, or his helping himself
to the change in her purse, and yet who are
evidently in love, interested and gracious.
Do you realize that there is only one sin.
as far as love is concerned, an dthat is--in-
difference? Women have been beaten by their
husbands, wronged, robbed and ruined by
them, and still have loved them; but what
swoman's love can endure indifference? And
a mans love needs attention it's worth taking
care of.
Nothing offends me more deeply than to
hear q wife speak disparingly of her husband,
or a husband refer slightingly to his wife.
Courtesy is loves habit.