The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1953-07-23
THE AMERICAN WAY
C O U R T E S Y


THE kind things that you are
going to say when l am deac
and gone, say now so that my
heart may be cheered and glad.
dened by them. Postmorten
kindness does not heal the
wounded spirit and flowers or
the coffin shed no fragrance
backward over the weary way
by which loved ones have travel
ed"
Courtesy, that most ineXpen-
sive of all human virtues, seems
to have been lost in the shuttle
somewhere along the way. Per
haps the reason for this is due
to the trend in recent years to-
ward paternalistic government
under which people take for
granted as their due any service
rendered or kindness extended,
and feel that there is no neces-
sity of expressing thanks.
The praiseworthy custom of
saying a kind word has been
tossed into the limbo of the
Horse and Buggy Days. What
was formerly the rule, has now
become the exception, and very
few folks now take time out to
say kind words SO that hearts
may be cheered and gladdened
by them" :"
We excuse ourselves, and l
include myself among the shirk-
ers, by telling ourselves that in
this busy day and age, we no
longer have time to make the
friendly gesture. Ralph Waldo
Emerson exploded this fallacy
when he wrote:
Life is not so short but that
there is always time enough for
courtesy"
To say the kind word is not
a one-way street. 1t blesses both
the sayer and the one to whom
it is said. Washington Irving
pointed out the truth of this
when he wrote:
"The constant interchange of
those one thousand little court
estes which imperceptibly sweet
en- life, has a happy effect upon
the features, and spreads mel
low evening charm over the
wrinkles of old age"
Courtesy, the almost-forgot-
ten art, sets the individual who
exercises it, upon a pedestal.
That man or woman stands out
in materialistic age as a shin
ing beason. 1t invests the in
dividual with an aura Of great
ness. Lord Alfred Tennyson gave
recognition to that fact as fol-
lows:
"The greater man has the
greater courtesy"
And James Thomas Fields put
it thus:
How sweet and gracious even
in common speech
Is that fine sense which men
call courtesy"
Now what in the world has
inspired me to write in this vein
and to quote some of the great
poets and writer's of the past?
1t is due to a letter received re-
Gently from newspaper editor
/ had written him extending my
congratulations on. a Well-earned
and richly deserved promotion
from Managing Editor to Editor
of this newspaper. This is a Gus
tom which ] have practiced over
the years whenever something of
this nature comes to my atten-
ton. But, alas and alack, few
have extended me the courtesy
of acknowledging a friendly ges-
ture.
That is what makes this par
tlcular letter stand-out. | am
not divulging the identity of the
writer because | know that with
becoming modesty he would
wish it that way. However, l
can quote his letter. Here is
what he wrote:
Thanks for your note of con-
gratulationS.
1T is pleasant surprise to
receive good wishes from one
with whom the relationship has
been strictly business. l think
the world might improve as
place in which to life if all of us
took time out to say nice words
to those who deserve them, and
even to those who don't. Thanks
again"
Yes, courtesy, the least expen-
sive of the virtues, pays divid-
ends in warming the hearts of
both the giver and the recipient
of the courtesy. Kind words do
cheer and gladden..
And by the way, have you
written your Congressman late
ly? don't mean a letter request
ing him to support this or that
piece of legislation. l mean
letter thanking him for some
thing he has done that merits
your approval. His mail is filled
with complaints and demands.
How refreshing it will be for him
TO receive a letter which Meth
er scolds nor requests, but
simply says, thanks"
To paraphrase the maxim of
my old friend, I can hear my
Congressman say: The kind