THE CLEANER.

Evening Star, Issue 14185, 9 October 1909, Page 9

THE CLEANER.

[By Dcxcax Wright, Dunedin.] ' No. 121. . “BE YE COURTEOUS." Without courtesy life would be intoler- ■ able. The man who boasts of being blunt , and straight, and all the rest of it, ought i to know that secretly he is an offence to I > society, and is often not only detesled, but' , is shunned. TheXnian who glories in being i blunt ana outspoken becomes a nuisance, ; but not many of his friends have the couri 9ge to toll him his fault. * Shepherd, I take thy word, And trust thy honest offer’d courtesy, ’ Which oft is sooner found in lowly sheds, i With smoky rafters) than in tap’stry halls ‘ And courts of princes, where it first was i named, And yet is most pretended in a place ' Loss warranted than this or less secure, i It cannot ho that I should fear to i change it. —Milton. , ’ I would that you would all read, ladies 1 gentlemen, and consider well,” says , Kingsley, “ the traits of an opposite char- ' actor which have just come to light (to ’ mo, I am ashamed to say, for the first ; time) in the biography of Sidney Smith, s Tho love and admiration which that truly brave and loving man Avon from everyone, > ricli and poor, with whom he came in I contact, seems to me to have arisen from . tho one fact that, without having, perhaps, 1 any such conscious intention, lie treated > iich and poor, his own servants, and the i n °blcinen, his guests, alike, and alike cour--1 teously, considerately, cheerfully, affectionately; so leaving a blessing, and roap- '■ ln K blessing, wheresoever he went.” Without reserve of any‘sort I would hazard the opinion that the man who chums to be a Christian and a gentleman, and is habitually rude in speech and blustering and rough in manner, may pass muster amongst a certain class, but ho is absolutely found wanting according to the , °w Testament _ requirements. ‘' Finally be ye allot'one mind, having compassion one of anot/er, love as brethren, be pitiful be courteous.” The man in the street may be_ smait, but lie does not know everything. The late Queen, accompanied bv Lady ° nC f . visitin ß tl>o‘beautiful falls of Comomulzie. In crossing the high road which runs between the cottar grounds and the site of the fails (h e dTOV , e ,° f ca(tl ° comill K horn he Castleton market. The drover, a linolooking man iron. Athol, addressing lady : h ra Er>U " !’ leas °.' can you tell mo if the Queen is torward to-night?” Her round y n O r'i hoar<l T"cstion, turned round, and bestowed upon the stalwart Highlander a gracious bow and smile to and unbounded delight ’ word H S . be '” e o! j lsec l' | ious (a horrid ord, tidy), every true man and every -.incere Christian should flee from and abhor everything like snobbery, which too often looks down upon those who are, perSutadlv il ,°' VOI: grad ° th ° — 1 scale. of P,!? * t,,S 15 “ n fiffen “ in the eves of Cod and men, and a libel upon the Christianity of tho Bible. 1 IVere I so tall to reach the Pole Ur grasp the ocean with a span I must be measured by my ‘soul—the minds the standard of the man. History tells of one of the early Governor of Cn-gmia who war. conversion- with a merchant in the street, when aneuro slave saluted him. He politely returned the salutation; when the merchant asked : Uoes your Excellency condescend to bow to a slaver “To be sure,” said the Golf I should be soriy that a slave should be more civil than I.” Howe’er :t be, it seems to mo Ths only noble to bo good; Kind hearts are more than coronets And simple faith than Norman blood. Tersely an old writer puls the case this «ay, and I like it:—“As he is the best Christian that is most humble, so is he the truest gentleman who is most conrteous. Your haughty upstarts the French call gentle-villams.” GENERAL LEE was in the car going to Richmond, and was seated at the far end. The other seats were filled with officers and soldiers. An old woman of humble appearance entered at one of the stations, and, fincliim no seat, and none having been offered her* approached tho general. Ho immediately rose and gave her his seat. Instantly there was a general rising and offering of seats, but the general said calmly ; “Ko, gentlemen; ix there was no scat for the infirm old woman There can be no seat forme.’ 'I ho effect was remarkable. Very soon the general and the old lady were left alone :u the car. Coming nearer homo, did you observe last week, or this week, anything like this in the trains and tram-cars going north and south, on the levels, and on the hills? Did you observe lads and men elbowinowomen and working girls in search of the first seats and the best places? Great doors swing upon little hinges. Small tilings prove the gentleman, whether he wear a diamond *ing or patched garments. = " Hail, ye small, sweet courtesies of life ! for smooth do ye make the road of it, like grace and beauty ; 'tis ye who open the door and let the stinger in.”—Sterne. LORD CHESTERFIELD, an accepted authority on the subject of manners and the like', declares: “ Bowing, ceremonies, formal compliments, stiff civilities, will never be politeness—that must be easy, natural, unstudied, manly, noble; and what will give this but a mind benevolent and perpetually attentive to exert that amiable disposition in trifles towards all you converse and live with.” The rank is but the guinea's stamp. The man's tho gdwd for a’ that. Docs any icadm- wish lessons on polite letter-writing? Then road Paul's Epistle to Philemon. No one but a Christian gentleman -.cised in the little, but sweet, courtesies of life could ever have penned that noble production. No human intellect, unaided by the Holy Spirit of God, could ever have writ- [ ten the up-to-date twentieth century message which we accept as from Heaven concerning the man with the gold ring ■ and the fine clothing: “For if there come unto your assembly a man with a. gold ring, in goodly apparel', - and there came in also a poor man in vile ' raiment, and ye have respect to him that ’ wcarcth the gay clothing and say unto him. Sit thou here in a good place; and say to ths poor. Stand thou there or sit here under my footstool: “Are yo not then partial in yourselves and are become judges of evil thoughts?” But if my so-called reformer or advanced thinker tells me that lie did not know that these matters are dealt with in God’s Bock, then he should bo heartily ashamed of himself. The remedy of the cruel wrongs ot the world may he found there, but nowhere else. Give the Ten Commandments and the .Sermon on the Mo\il fair play for twelve months, and Paradise would he restored. The rich man was not sent to hell because he was rich ; to isay so is but- fooling. Tho poor beggar wae not sent to Abraham's besom because he was a beggar; not a bit of it ; to say so iy utter folly. Break the .shell and find the kernel in Ist Samuel xvi,, 7; •'The Ixnd seeth not as man eseth; for mm Icoketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord jacketh upon the heart.” When the Almighty speaks let tho earth tremble am! keep silence before Him. A BEDE SHOCK. | ’’Mnllon! yon man with a p.jl and flock, said a Brit’Gh officer, as lie brought hi.s fiery steed to a. .vtand in front of Governor Chiltencicndwelling : “can vou inform me whether His Honor the Governor of Vermont resides here;'' “ lie dece,” was tliu io-.pon.ie of the man. .-.till wending his way to the pig stve. "Is His Honor,at home?" contained the man of spu;s. “Moot certainly." replied the man of the frock. “Take my horse by the bit, then,” said the officer: " 1 have L-u-im.es- with vour inastcr.” Without a iH’-jond bidding the man did. N y requested, and the oflieer. having alighted, made h:.s way to the doer, and gave the panel several 'hearty rajs with his

whip; tor be it known that in the dpys of Republican simplicity knockers and belle, like servants, were in but liHle use. The good dame having answered the summons and seated the officer, and ascertained his desire to see the Governor, she departed to inform her husband of the guest’s arrval; but on ascertaining that tho officer had made a hitohing-posfc of her husband she returned and informed him that the Governor wgs engaged in the yard, and could not very well wait upon him and his horse ah the same time, When Adam delved and Eve span, Who was then the gentleman? If Hie grand old Book deals with the common, things of life, such as the washtub and the weekly collection, wo are poor simpletons if we foolishly refuse to be taught the need and the value of being courteous to all men and in all places.