Manners for Girls

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1901. Excerpt: ... THE NAUGHTY CHILDREN One of our most important social duties is to train up our children so that they shall not be pests and nuisances to everyone they meet. There is an enormous number of badly-brought-up children in the world; and what a pity it seems to spoil these dear little creatures, who ought to be like bits of Heaven itself among us world-weary ones! A well-bred child is a delightful creature; an ill-bred one is regarded with disgust. A friend of mine was once much interested in a woman who was dying in very poor circumstances, and was leaving several children unprovided for. My friend's feelings were so wrought upon that she had almost decided to adopt one of these children and bring it up in her own comfortable home. On her next visit to the sick woman she saw the children for the first time, and within two minutes of doing so, all her charitable intentions took flight, disappeared, and never returned. The conduct of those small Christians was such as to make her congratulate herself that she had said nothing about her idea. One, a boy of seven, struck his dying mother with clenched fists. Another, aged three, kicked his brother as the latter lay on the floor in front of the fire, and bestowed a black eye upon him. The mother saw nothing amiss! That is what amazes me! The mother never sees anything amiss. She will watch her offspring running up and down a railway carriage, catching hold of the knees of other passengers with fingers all sticky with buns or bonbons, and never a word will she say to put an end to it. Surely it is our business to see that our children behave at least as considerately to others as we would ourselves. But the ordinary idea in a mother's mind seems to be that such angels as her children are must be appreciated by ever...