A BOY SAID “ SIR.”

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1086, 15 April 1913, Page 4

A BOY SAID “ SIR.”

Aa Australian writer illustrating the results of universal military training iy Australia quotes the following incident that came under bis own observation sitting in my office, a messenger came to me and said; “There is a lad here with a parcel for you, sir,” I replied; “All right. Send him in,” and a very dirty youth took off his bat at the door, and marched up to my desk very briskly, stood at attention, and handed me the parcel, saying : “ A parcel for you sir.” The word “ Sir ” in Australia cannot be considered to be a term of general use, and it is with a certain amount of difficulty that persons, lads, can be induced to make use of it. In older countries, of course, it is a common form of civility between all classes, but for spme reasog which I am unable to explain, |t is omitted from the vocabulary of the average Australian youth, so that when this lad said “ sir,” I was more than interested, and took special pains to find out who the boy was, and where he came from. I traced his locality to a very poor suburb, where fee W3 S employed in a faetpry, and I also ascertained that the officer' in charge of this district was in such close touch with the boys, and so much respected by them, that he had teen successful evep wis the m ßst difficult material 'in producing a highly satisfactory result.