Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 June 1880 — The Root of Good Manners. [ARTICLE]

The Root of Good Manners.

The whole value of manner lies in its sincerity. If it be not a true expression of the inner feelings, it is nothing. A great mistake of Lord Chesterfield was in teaching that, as manner was so important, it should be selected, laid out and put on like a dress, instead of being developed from within. This is a favorite idea of many persons. They see the advantage of manners which are graceful and dignified, cordial and genial, sympathetic and kind, and they determine to adopt and recommend them. They do not reflect that such manners are the natural outflow of a benevolent. heart and a friendly feeling, and not to be counterfeited by an artificial semblance. What they nave to do is to cultivate. not manner, but reality: to cherish a living interest in the welfare and concerns of others, a warm feeling of sympathy, and a hearty desire to contribute to the general happiness—then the manner they so much admire will follow as naturally as the bloom on freshly gathered fruit.