Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-06

politeness known as being hastily polite
to each other.
The third man, the unofficial referee
of this amusing bout, finished his
lunch, but thought 1t incumbent upon
him to wait until the third diner WAS
through.
The second man (party to the polite
unspoken warfare) was impatient to go.
The other was finishing a piece OF pie;
he had but a crust to go to finish.
The second man, instead Of waiting
until the other finished, got up and
left, with a murmured excuse. And
the referee said to himself, He has
insulted the other by a crust"
Yes, the man might as well have
waited, especially under the circum-
stances, when the other was expecting
and no doubt waiting for just such a
small bit of impotence.
Had the man who got up been one
who was considerable of the feelings OF
others, he would never have left until
the other had finished.
Then there are cases In which gifts
and giving are involved. 1t is true
that there are poor givers, but also
there are poor receivers, too.
Many a person will ask for something
from another, only to swell up with re-
sentiment when he gets 1t. He would
be the last to admit it, but he has out
ragged his own sense OF independence
by permitting his greed to get ahead OF
his other sentiments.
Once he receives the gift he begins
almost imperceptibly to take 1t out"
on the donor. In his defense 1t may
be said that he does 1t, In many in
stances, in a perfectly unconscious
manner.
He stops speaking to the giver, and
t. - hi q
public vehicle he seeks some other seat;
if the one beside his friend becomes
vacant he does not move forward, but
STAYS where he Is. If he comes into a
restaurant, where his friend is eating
alone, he is careful not to see him.
These small inciVlties, discourteSies
by omission, arise because the man
lacks consideration for others, the
primary basis for most cases OF bad
manners. If he were imbued with this
essence of good breeding he would think
TO himself, Somehow dislike to sit oy
that fellow. but he has been good TO
me. and maybe I will hurt his feelings
If l do not 1t is incumbent upon me,
whether 1 want to or not"
Whether one wants to or not!
That is the core Of ordinary every
day etiquette. Common sense demands
that certain things be done, certain
other things not done.
Etiquette, expressing fundamental
training, needs no books to elucidate IT..
1t is mostly a matter of consideration
for others in the daily meetings which
constitute society with little 49,"
A man sees his friend sitting appar-
entity lonely on his front porch. He
thinks he will go over to talk With him
for while. When he gets the@ the
other comes down the steps AMI de-
liberateIy blocks him from coms4g up
by grasping the handrails on either
side.
The thoughtful man finally goes away
after the other has. Enthusiastically
shown him that he does not want him
to come up and talk. The other wants
to do something else. If he were . man
of innate courtesy he would have toll
Grated a windbag, II necessary.
One who borrows a book, and then
shrinks from meeting the lender, Is q
well known example Of lack OF essen
tial courtesy. Those who talk OF in
timately private matters to others rank
themselves In the same group. What
they need to do, for the good OF their
own souls. Is to start thinking OF the
other fellow. And that is just another
way Of saying the Golden Rule.