If you your lips would keep from slips,
Five things observe with care:—
To whom you speak, of whom you speak,
And how, and when, and where.
If you your ears would keep from jeers,
These things keep meekly hid,—
Myself and I, and mine and my,
And how I do or did.
9. Letters of Recommendation.
A gentleman advertised for a boy, and nearly fifty applicants presented themselves. Out of that number he selected one and dismissed the rest. “I should like to know,” said a friend, “on what ground you selected that boy, who had not a single recommendation.” “You are mistaken,” said the gentleman. “He has a great many. He wiped his feet when he came in, and closed the door after him, showing that he was careful. He gave his seat instantly to that lame old man, showing that he was thoughtful. He took off his cap when he came in, and answered my questions promptly, showing that he was gentlemanly. He picked up a book which I had purposely placed on the floor, and replaced it on the table; and he waited quietly for his turn instead of pushing and crowding, showing he was orderly and honorable. When I talked to him, I noticed that his clothes were brushed, his hair in order. When he wrote his name, I noticed that his finger-nails were clean. Don’t you call these things letters of recommendation?”—Selected.