2.  TRUE POLITENESS.—­The truest politeness comes of sincerity.  It must be the outcome of the heart, or it will make no lasting impression; for no amount of polish can dispense with truthfulness.  The natural character must be allowed to appear, freed of its angularities and asperities.  Though politeness, in its best form, should resemble water—­“best when clearest, most simple, and without taste”—­yet genius in a man will always cover many defects of manner, and much will be excused to the strong and the original.  Without genuineness and individuality, human life would lose much of its interest and variety, as well as its manliness and robustness of character.

3.  PERSONALITY OF OTHERS.—­True politeness especially exhibits itself in regard for the personality of others.  A man will respect the individuality of another if he wishes to be respected himself.  He will have due regard for his views and opinions, even though they differ from his own.  The well-mannered man pays a compliment to another, and sometimes even secures his respect by patiently listening to him.  He is simply tolerant and forbearant, and refrains from judging harshly; and harsh judgments of others will almost invariably provoke harsh judgments of ourselves.

4.  THE IMPOLITE.—­The impolite, impulsive man will, however, sometimes rather lose his friend than his joke.  He may surely be pronounced a very foolish person who secures another’s hatred at the price of a moment’s gratification.  It was a saying of Burnel, the engineer—­himself one of the kindest-natured of men—­that “spite and ill-nature are among the most expensive luxuries in life.”  Dr. Johnson once said:  “Sir, a man has no more right to say a rude thing to another than to knock him down.”

5.  FEELINGS OF OTHERS.—­Want of respect for the feelings of others usually originates in selfishness, and issues in hardness and repulsiveness of manner.  It may not proceed from malignity so much, as from want of sympathy, and want of delicacy—­a want of that perception of, and attention to, those little and apparently trifling things, by which pleasure is given or pain occasioned to others.  Indeed, it may be said that in self-sacrifice in the ordinary intercourse of life, mainly consists the difference between being well and ill bred.  Without some degree of self-restraint in society a man may be found almost insufferable.  No one has pleasure in holding intercourse with such a person, and he is a constant source of annoyance to those about him.

6.  DISREGARD OF OTHERS.—­Men may show their disregard to others in various impolite ways, as, for instance, by neglect of propriety in dress, by the absence of cleanliness, or by indulging in repulsive habits.  The slovenly, dirty person, by rendering himself physically disagreeable, sets the tastes and feelings of others at defiance, and is rude and uncivil, only under another form.