PUNCTUALITY.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1885, 18 January 1875, Page 3

PUNCTUALITY.

"La Ponctualite c'est la Politesse dcs Hois " is an ©Id axiom, and one which, it must be confessed, the Kings and Princes of the earth have laid well to heart. Her Majesty's exactitude as to time is proverbial ; and her sons and daughters are little behind her in this respect. We wish the good example set by them exercised a more marked effect on Her Majesty's subjects, and that they would sometimes reflect on the extreme discourtesy which their disregard of it causes them to show to their friends and entertainers. Given any person, man or woman, in even moderately good health, no excuse which can be framed, no matter how ingeniously, can for one moment hold water in excusing chronic unpunctuality. Every one, not afflicted by_ illness, can be punctual if they choose; it is the will that is wanting, not the power. A proof of this is that people can always manage to be in time if they are quite certain they cannot get what they want without being so; it is only when the convenience of others is in question that they give themselves a most irritating latitude. Every one knows the impossibility of inducing dinner guests to make their appearance within any reasonable period of the time named for their arrival. Let them once be fully aware that, as is the case in one or two —alas 1: only in one or two —very great houses, no guest; whatever; his or her rank (Royalty, of course, exceptd), is allowed more than ten minutes' "law," and the most illbred and insouciant dandy, the most feather-brained £ne lady, who thinks it gives her importance to make everyone else uncomfortable, at once finds it convenient to arrive punjctually to the hour named. As a general rule it may be assumed that it is only the utterly idle who are ever late. It a man apologises for his unpunctuality by saying, "he was so busy," be sure he was leaning over the rails in the Park. People who have any thing really to do are far to well aware of the value of time to waste either their own or that of those with whom they come in contact. It; is not they who make an appointment with a busy man at eleven in the morning and saunter in, looking blissfully unaware of their unpunctuality, at halt-past twelve. No fc the man who dees this has generally been |kt his wits end to kill time'all the morning : but he preferred a cigar, or a visit to his stables, and his own pleasure was of far more consequence than a busy man's time; or else he fancied being late made him of some importance. This latter feeling is frequently indeed at the bottom of feminine want of punctuality. "Oh ! they must wait for a lady," we have heard it said, quite gravely, as the reason for a speaker coming in from her drive just at the hour when, fully dressed, she should have been stepping into her carriage to go out to dinner.—John Bull.