POLITENESS WANTED.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8313, 17 December 1906, Page 3

POLITENESS WANTED.

THE GOVERNOR'S VIEWS.

His Excellency the Governor, Xord Plunkett, took advantage of the breaking-up ceremony in connection with the Wellington Boys' College on Friday, of the opportunity to say a few words to the boys on the question of politeness. His Excellency prefaced his remarks by saying that he had no doubt half the audience considered the boys were about as polite as -anything that could be desired. He was very glad to think that; but he wanted the boys to keep up to that standard, and to have the tone of the college polite in the best sense of the word. It Was difficult to distinguish wheie politeness ended and where affectation commenced. In the streets of Wellington some time ago he noticed a boy with a badge of a Wellington educational institution greet a young lady with "Hello." After conversing for a few moments he said "So long," and walked off. (Laughter). That was not right, Probably no '' disrespect was intended, but it was not politeness. He recognised that it was hard to get very nice manners such as were taught at Eton, Harrow, and Cambridge, but by the teaching of politeness between one generation and another the desired result would be obtained. - His Ex-

cellency appealed to the boys to encourage gentlemanly behaviour and nice maimers. He did not wish to be misunderstood. He did not wish it to be suggested that the boys should lend themselves to anything approaching the state of things noticeable in some foreign countries, where everything was politeness on the surface and anything but that underneath! Accordingly, with the permission of the head master, he proposed to give a prize for politeness. He would set the boys a short essay, which would be in terms of the word politeness. The chairman of the Board of Governors. Mr A. de B, Brandon, and the principal of the college, Mr Firth, said there would be keen competition for the prize he had so kindly donated.