THE LITTLE “THANKYOU’S.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18188, 22 June 1927, Page 9

THE LITTLE “THANKYOU’S.”

To the Editor. Sir,—Seeing the joke in your paper, of the father asking his son about his school progress, and the boy replying he had learned to say please and thank you in French, the father remarking that it was more than he ever did in English, set me reflecting what undue importance some people attach to the small mannerisms of life. I mean to say that pleases and thank-you’s are often almost dispensed with among intelligent people, who take them for granted, like meeting minutes as read, without offence or prejudice, and with complete understanding. Of course, in early training one cannot do without them, any more than one can dispense with say, feeders in the nursery or one’s toothbrush, but as one progresses they semi-unconsciously find themselves really seldom requiring these passwords, except among strangers or new arrivals. Quite a good joke, as jokes go, and we are always given to understand the Latin races have survived in an excitable state in some lands, the rrenen habit of shoulder-shruggmg, for instance, suggests demonstrative excess, but English speaking peoples are more It reminds me of a very fussy little man I once knew. He happened to be of French extraction, too, who could neither rest himself nor let anyone else around him do so, his nervous agitation was almost a cult with him. Ido not remember his name, but he went by the appellation of Fussyboots, which stood-, doubtless because it suited lnm better than any other, but he was one of these born-marvellous brand of people who never think anyone ese could be. Somewhere in France—Pans I think-a good solid New Zealand youth, who was travelling at the time, beheld him and his weird gesticulations, and after watching his antics for one h cf the W^t r he W was a fhfnkin« abou/ so deeply “J™* the hal£ piece of a lady’s shoe-string, said the lad.— Yours. etL '- nEEPL Y INTERESTED.