CIVILITY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 856, 13 September 1878, Page 3

CIVILITY.

o - Civility is a beautiful word, coming from the old Latin cloi/in which means, relating to tlie community, or to the policy and government of the citizens and subjects of a State ; thus reminding us in its root idea of the fact that vie'arc- members of one another, that mere individual care and selfishness is not civil, and that we are related to those around us in multitudes of ways. A n uncivil man by his conduct says, “Your pleasure, your comfort of mind, is nothing to me. What care I whether you are happy or not?” But a civil man desires by his very conduct to Fee those around him in the enj lymeut of the pleasant sense of satisfaction and good-will. Thence it comes that civil-, in its secondary sense, means gentle, obliging, well-bred, affable, kind ; and—let this be a satisfaction to citizens—it means, having the habits of a city. This surely is one of the greatest compliments that can bo paid to those who have to endure the city’s smoke and noise, that they are supposed to ho especially civil. Certainly it is a sign of good-breeding to be civil. It manifests that delicate and instinctive appreciation of the feelings of others which is the essence of true gentlorhanliness. Manifestly there are dangers in this, as iu every other aspect of life and duty. We can easily understand in physics how too much of sweets nauseate instead of pleasing the palate, and so in morals we can quite well understand that there is a danger lest courtesy should merge into a ridiculous and empty excess of mannerism, There are rocks on either hand here as elsewhere, but there arc wide seas between in which we may easily steer our vessels ; and if wo are to be affrighted from one position because of its possible excesses, we had better confess at once our inability to steer between two extremes. Tbo danger of excess in this respect is not one-hundredth part so great as the danger of neglect. We are liable each day to be “put out” by so many tilings—to have the angry spirit, the grumbling spirit, the discontented spirit awakened in us—that it requires a marvellous amount of energy r.ot to put this essence of unpleasantness into our mannerisms towards others. Who has not felt it to be a great wrong that be should suffer Smith’s snappishness, because iu the morning Brown happened to be cross with Smith It is difficult indeed to rid ourselves of the feelimrs of the hour ; but if we all tried to be civil and courteous to each other, iu court and camp, and shop, in street, at homo, and abroad, we should cure the evil at a stroke ; and just iu proportion as wa personally cultivate a courteous spirit, do we diminish the discomfort of the world.— Popular Educator.