Year: 1873

oGbCutE UU mdluCkSs

 Men often speak of good manners as an ac- complishment. Ispeak of them as duty. What, then, are good manncrsl Such man ners as take away rudeness, and remit to the | brute creation all cOarseness. There are | great many who feel that good manners are | eileminate. They have feeling that rude | business is a great deal more manly than good | manners. It is great deal more beastly | But when men are crowded into communities, ! the art of living together is no small art. l How 10 diminish friction, how to promote ease of intercourse how to make every part of a mans life contribute to the welfare and satisfaction of those around him; to keep down offensive pride; how to bansh the raspings of seltisbness from the intercourse of men how tu move among men inspired by various and conflicting motives and yet not have colissions--this is the function of good manners.

 It is not eiIeminatc to be refined And in tbis land no man should plead inability There may be a ap.asantry in other countries; there may be class in foreign lands who have no opportunities; there may be those whose toil Is so continuous, whose opportu- mites for knowing what constitutes good manners are SO few, and whose ignorance is so gross, that they are excusable; but this is not the case within the bound of my voice. That a man is q mechanic is no reason why he should not be perfect gentleman. l af- firm for every American citizen the right to be, not simply man, hut a good d-mannered man. have seen men at the anvil who were as perfect gentlemen men of books or men of society. | know no reason why a man who tans hides should not be gentleman. know no reason why man who digs in the soil, man who works in metals and wood man who builds, should not be perfect gentleman. There is nothing in mechanical occupations which is incompatible with the highest courtesy.

 Not only Is the violation of good manners inexcusable or ordinary grounds, but 1t IS sinful. When, therefore parents and guar dians and teachers would inspire the young with desire for the manners uf good society, it IS no; to be thought that they are accom- plisbments which may be accepted or reject ed Every man is bound to observe the laws of poiteness.. It is the expression of good will and kindness. It promotes both beauty in the man who possesses it, and happiness Co these who are about him. It is a relig- ous duty, and should be part of religious training. There is a great deal of contempt expressed for what is called etiquette In soci- etv. Now and then there are elements ol etiquette which might be we'll ridicuied; but in the main there is just reason for all those customs which come under the head of eti- quette. There is reason which has regard to facility of intercourse. There is a reason in the avoidance of oifense. There is A req. son in comfort and happiness. And no man can afford to violate these unwritten GUS. toms of etiquette who wishes to act a 6 Christian gentleman.

 may speak, also, of a tendency which i, hraI hs, if,,fin ha mi If pr. stion. There are various ways in which this want of veneration shows itself. We often fear that there is not the same respect shown for the aged that there used to be- We know that there is very little respect shown to mag istrates and men in authority. This partly due, think, to the institutions under which we live. One of the unfortunate effects de- rived from the early stages of democratic training is the sense of personal sovereignty the feeling that we stand on as high ground as anybody else. Under the monarchiai in stitutions men are taught 10 revere the great and glorious in government. The feeling o reverence does not prevail to any great ex tent among us discern great lack in thi. respect. Children, nowadays, are brought up to be pert to be saucy, and almost without restraint. They are brought up to have yer. little regard either for their parents or fol their superiors. Christian households wher, the children are rightly bred in this regard it seems to me that there has been a decay O that instruction which used to prevail, tn, tendency of which was to make children mod est and respectful We bring up our chil dren to be old, and smart, and impertinent.

 This courteyy which carries with it res pect, this testimony of veneraton to the aged this yielding oues self in a thousand little society rites for the sake of making other happy y-ob, what brightness it gives to life What beauty.