beautiful,” “too lovely for anything,” “hateful,” “horrible,” may constantly be heard in conversation upon trivial and unimportant subjects in companies of young people whose educational opportunities and social advantages would lead us to expect a very different style of conversation.  So of incongruous and inappropriate expressions.  “My grandfather and grandmother died on the same day of the year? wasn’t it funny?” said a young miss to a companion She meant that it was a strange circumstance or coincidence.  It was the wise remark of a great man that “culture kills exaggeration.”  True and careful culture should also weed out from our beautiful and expressive English language all such incongruities and blemishes of speech as I have indicated.

Referring once more to what I have said about obtrusiveness, forwardness, or boldness, being an unpleasant characteristic of the manners of many young people of the present day, I want to impress upon you that much of this boldness arises from lack of deference or reverence for parents, teachers, and older people.  This lack of deference is a great defect of character in any young person.  It is painfully noticeable in many homes where children never seem to think of paying any respect to the presence of their parents or older people; where they will monopolize conversation at table, interrupt their parents and guests to ask irrelevant questions or relate irrelevant incidents, enter a room abruptly, and, without waiting to learn whether any one is speaking, at once begin to speak of something pertaining to their own affairs.  All this is bad behavior and bad manners.  It is morally wrong as well.  God has commanded that we shall honor our father and mother; and one beautiful precept of scripture is, “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honor the face of the old man.”

To sum up in the short space of one letter the more important truths I would impress upon your mind in regard to behavior and manners, let me say this:  There are good manuals of etiquette and social form which should be read and studied by all young people.  There are, also, constant opportunities for observation of the conduct and manners of polite people, by which young people may and should profit and learn to observe the outward forms of society.  These are easily learned and practiced; but the finest, best, most genuine good manners can never be acquired except as they become the natural expression of gentleness, kindness intelligence, respect for parents and elders, and an earnest desire to do good to our fellow beings.  Strive, my dear child, to cherish these graces in your heart, and good behavior and good manners will naturally follow.

LETTER II.

Self-control and self-culture.