COURTESY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 143, 20 June 1925, Page 16

COURTESY

ITS DECLINE IN THE RUSH OF

LIFE.

It seems true enough that certain virtues are, in. any wide, application of tile word, the prerogative of certain eras, declares John Blunt in the "Daily Mail." True courtesy, for instance, is, I am afraid, dying out, as tho oldest generalion now living gradually passes from the stage. I don't mean that there are not 1 still a great many courteous people, but only that courtesy as a universal virtue seems to have required a quieter and. more spacious age for its development. We always think of courtesy as one of the traits of the "line old English gentleman," and I was reminded very strongly of this when I read of Mr. Baldwin's tribute to the venerable Lord Cov-' entry, when presenting him with a dia-mond-wedding gift. He spoke of Lord -Coventry's "exquisite courtesy," and it made me wonder of how many people, now in the height of their powers, whether famous or obscure, this same expression could justly be used. _ It seems to. me an infinite, pity that this charming quality, which does- so much to oil the wheels of life and helps to make existence more pleasant for us all, should be allowed to become blunted m the rush and hurry of to-day. Courtesy adds to the amenities. of existence and tends, in ifs very nature, to create a better atmosphere all round. And after all, it costs nothing. The only things necessary are an innate desire not to hurt other people's feelings arid a certain sense of human' solidarity. Courtesy has nothing to do with hypocrisy lho hypocrite pretends.to be polite because he wants to get something out of you; the courteous man is polite because he Wants to put you at your ease. He 'may entirely disagree with you and let j'ou know it, but ho never willingly wounds your feelings, for he always remembers that you are a human being like himself. °

1 here is.a land of idea abroad in the world that efficiency is often allied to rudeness. For all I know it may be true that many efficient people are rude ■ ■but it is certainly equally true that many efficient peple are polite. The rude efficient man is, 1 should suppose, less efficient than the polite efficient man tor the one puts people's backs up and the other wins them over to his side. But real courtesy' goes farther than mere pohteness. Politeness may be impersonal and cold, but courtesy gives you a feeling of personal warmth. The truly courteous man. is not content with fulfilling the letter of pohtness; ho endeavours to go farther and make you feel that he is really interested and would like to be of some help. And that, perhaps, is wliv courtesy, in the good old-fashioned sense is dymg out in a generation which seems cLus^ly 6 °St th° art °f d°ine thin S* g™-