the Inspector.. I overheard him saying that he always judged of what they call the "order" in a school by the scholars' behaviour in the street and in the playground, as well as in the school, and to each other and to people generally, as well as to their teachers. Francis. And where are we to get our examples of good manners? Henry. Well, there is the grand old gentleman in the White House in the village. They say he is very brave and learned, and has seen a great deal of foreign parts, and it does me good to watch him; all he does is so noble and so kind. The other day a gentleman spoke to him as he was riding past, and he scrambled off his horse, stiff as he is with rheumatism, and stood with the bridle in his hand, while they were chatting. Francis. Ah, that was because he was another gentleman. Henry. Not a bit of it, for when he knocked against my hoop one day, he begged my pardon, and stooped to pick it up out of the dirt and returned it to me with a bow; and when the crossingsweeper touches his hat to him, off goes his own hat in return, as if the sweeper were the greatest lord or lady in the land! Now that's what I call behaving like a gentleman! Francis. And whom else have you been studying? Henry. The Prince of Wales. Francis. Hallo! you're getting rather high, aren't you? Henry. When the Shah of Persia was here some years ago, and a dish of cutlets was handed round one day at dinner, the Shah helped himself to a cutlet with his fingers-that's their barbarous Eastern way, you know. So when the dish comes to the Prince, what does he do but helps himself with his fingers too? Francis. Now that's what I call crawling! Why didn't he use a fork or spoon or something, just to show him what civilized people do? Henry. Because it might have hurt his feelings, and would have seemed to say, "I'm a better man than you." Francis. But how can one get these good manners? Henry. By example and by teaching, chiefly. Francis. By teaching! Then I say, look here, Henry, if good manners can be taught, why don't they teach them in our schools? Henry. Ah, why don't they? I wish they would? 1. Mention what you consider to be "offences against Good Manners"-as many as you can think of. 2. Quote six proverbs besides "Honesty is the best policy." 3. Name six other common complaints besides rheumatism. GOOD BREEDING. 1. A FRIEND of mine has very justly defined Good Breeding to be the result of much good sense, some good nature, and a little self-denial for the sake of others, and with a view to obtain the same indulgence from them. 2. Taking this for granted (as I think it cannot be disputed), it is astonishing to me that anybody, who has good sense and good nature, can essentially fail in good breeding. As to the modes of it indeed, they vary according to persons, places, and circumstances; and are only to be acquired by observation and experience; but the substance of it is everywhere and eternally the same. 3. Good manners are, to particular societies, what good morals are to society in general: their cement and their security. And as laws are enacted to enforce good morals, or at least to prevent the ill effects of bad ones, so there are certain rules of civility, universally implied and received, to enforce good manners and punish bad ones. 4. And indeed there seems to be less difference, both between the crimes and punishments, than at first one would imagine. The immoral man who invades another's property, is justly hanged for it; and the ill-bred man, who, by his ill-manners, invades and disturbs the quiet and comforts of private life, is by common consent as justly banished society. 5. Mutual complaisances, attentions, and sacrifices of little conveniences, are as natural an implied compact between civilized people, as protection and obedience are between kings and subjects; whoever, in either case, violates that compact, justly forfeits all advantages arising from it. 6. For my own part, I really think, that next to the consciousness of doing a good action, that of doing a civil one is the most pleasing; and the epithet which I should covet the most, next to that of Aristides, would be that of well-bred. 7. Make then, my dear child, I conjure you, good breeding the great object of your thoughts and actions, at least half the day. Observe carefully the behaviour and manners of those who are distinguished by their good breeding; imitate, nay, endeavour to excel, that you may at least reach them; and be convinced that good breeding is, to all worldly qualifications, what charity is to all Christian virtues. 8. Observe how it adorns merit, and how often it covers the want of it. May you wear it to adorn and not to cover you! Adieu. Lord Chesterfield's Letters to his Son. Aristides," the Just," as he was called on account of his extreme uprightness and honesty, was a great citizen and statesman of Athens, in Greece, nearly 500 years before the birth of Christ. 1. What other things are "Christian virtues" besides "charity"? Name them all. 2. If you thought about Good Breeding "half the day" of 12 hours, how many hours, days and weeks would you have been thinking about it by the end of the year? Show how you do the sum. 3. Adverbs are said to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs: give instances of each from the above lesson. Ci-vil'-i-ty. Com-plai'-san-ces, kindnesses. Con-ve'-ni-en-cies, things convenient or agreeable to one. En-dea'-vour. Ep'-i-thet, additional name. Mu'-tual, between two persons. INSTRUCTION. I. FROM heaven descend the drops of dew, From heaven the gracious showers, Earth's winter aspect to renew, And clothe the spring with flowers; From heaven the beams of morning flow, That melt the gloom of night; From heaven the evening breezes blow 2. Like genial dew, like fertile showers, Like morning beams they strike the mind, Its loveliness reveal; And softer than the evening wind, The wounded spirit heal. 3. As dew and rain, as light and air, A flame to purify the earth, Exalt her sons on high, And train them for their second birth,Their birth beyond the sky. |