GOOD MANNERS.
The average young man scoffs a little at a chap who is noticeable for his good manners. Many a healthy boy thinks a certain roughness in speech or manner is a sign of vigor and manliness in contrast to the weak and womanly ways of one who is always bowing and scraping to the people whom he meets. There could not be a greater mistake; because, while an over-display of politeness is a sign of hypocrisy, natural courtesy will never permit boy or man to behave in any way except in the thoughtful, quiet, refined way which belongs to good manners. A rough, honest chap is better than a slippery, well-mannered, dishonest one, to be sure. That perhaps is the reason for so much of this deliberately rough way some of us adopt. But this does not prove that courteous behavior is wrong or to be avoided. It means that courteous behavior is sometimes used as a cloak for other motives.
There is no reason, therefore, why the average young man in school or college or business, in his daily occupation, or when he comes in contact with women or men, girls or boys, should not make it a point to be reserved, self-contained, tolerant, and observant of the little rules which every one knows by heart, and which go to make his company and companionship valuable to others. It is the same in his contact with men as with women. A systematic method of observing ordinary rules in such cases invariably has its effect. For example, you will see many a boy in some discussion among his friends talking all the time, demanding the attention of others, insisting on his views, losing his temper over a game of marbles and declining to play longer, or making himself conspicuous in a hundred other ways. He may be a very good chap, full of push and vigor, and so sure of his own views that in his heart he cannot conceive of any other person really having a different view of the subject. That is an estimable character for a healthy boy to have. Confidence in one's own ideas often carries one over many a bad place. But the fact that the boy has such a character and his disagreeable way of forcing it upon you are two entirely different things; and the difference of being confident and disagreeable and confident and agreeable is the difference between good and bad manners.
Besides, this aggressive confidence never has the weight that quiet belief in one's ideas has. It is a very familiar incident in the course of business men's meetings and of boys' meetings for one to propose something, the others to agree to it, and then for one quiet man to express his contrary views, and bring the assembled company over to the opposite side of the question. This reversal of opinion is caused by the fact that one man, who has been reserved until all the others have finished, has now by the force of his quiet confidence turned the whole tide the other way. Such quiet methods are real portions of good manners, and they act far more strongly than aggressiveness. The old proverb advising you to count ten before doing something on the spur of the moment is meant to prove the same point.
This Department is conducted in the interest of stamp and coin collectors, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question on these subjects so far as possible. Correspondents should address Editor Stamp Department.
E. L. Smith, 64 Sparks St., Cambridge, Mass., wishes to exchange stamps.
W. A. Wheeler.—I never heard of a "Walkers Penny Post." If it is on the original letter or envelope, I should like to see it.
R. Bowers.—The stamp Cerrado y Sellado is a Mexican "officially sealed" stamp. These are, properly speaking, labels, not stamps, and consequently are no longer catalogued.
W. M. Foord.—As the Olympian stamps are still in use they are worth face value only, if unused. Used they are very common.
J. Kranz.—All the leading dealers in New York sell stamps by auction at irregular intervals throughout the season. Catalogues are sent free on application.
H. Bunker.—Entire envelopes are collected by comparatively few compared with those who collect stamps. Envelopes can be bought for one-quarter, or in some instances one-tenth, the price which adhesive stamps of equal rarity would command.
F. X. Stahn.—Nova Scotia stamps are not being bought up by speculators. The fact is, no one knows how many were sold by the government to the syndicate now controlling the same. One set should satisfy you under these circumstances.
A. Lobenthal.—Join your local stamp society, if there is one. If not, then join the American Philatelic Association.
A. Howard.—Inverted centres on U.S. stamps are extremely rare. The price quoted by you is very reasonable if the stamp is in good condition.
A. Seng.—The Canadian new issue has not been definitely announced.
A. Thalman.—Philatelic literature is a feature in a few public libraries. Pittsburg set the example in this respect. It will pay you as an active collector to take the three periodicals mentioned.
J. J. Briggs.—Age does not determine the value of coins. It is altogether a question of supply and demand. If dealers have ten copies of a scarce coin and twenty collectors want them, the price will go up. If, on the other hand, there is little or no demand the prices will go down. As to U.S. coins in general I would say that the supply in the hands of the dealers is equal to any prospective demand. The immense quantity of old U.S. coins in the hands of the public will not command a premium. Coin-collecting to-day is very much what stamp-collecting was twenty years ago—that is to say, the speculative element is lacking.
W. Smithson.—Collect Seebecks all you want. No society or association can prevent you. The stamps are pretty in themselves, and they have undoubtedly been used for postal purposes.
G. H. Davis.—I never heard of the stamps issued by the "Stamp-Saving Society." They are interesting as curiosities.
Philatus.
Celebrated for its great leavening strength and healthfulness. Assures the food against alum and all forms of adulteration common to the cheap brands.
ROYAL BAKING POWDER CO., NEW YORK.
Arnold
Constable & Co.
SPRING IMPORTATIONS.