OCR Text |
Show Teaching Youth Courtesy. I It Is true that the one-time honored "ma'am" has gone to voyage. Yet wait what takes its place? Sometimes nothing. Poor modern child I Little Willie, you see, is taught that "ma'am" is decidedly bad form, don't you know, a mode of address only to be used by servants, indeed, and so his youlhshlp comes out with an abrupt "No" or a brief "Yes," to old ladies and playmates alike, an exchange ex-change observes. The really correct thing for WilMe to be taught is that the name or relationship rela-tionship of the persons addressed must be given in place of that socially ostracized os-tracized "ma'am." He must say "Yes, mother," or "no, father" (if he has been taught not to use "sir"), or "No, Mr. Smith or Miss Jones," as the case may be. The mentioning of a person's name when speaking to him or her is always a pleasant little mark of courtesy, even from one older person to another, and is charming to hear from a child's lips. |