But it is not only on board ship that it is necessary to be respectful; children should always remember to say "Sir" or "Ma'am" when speaking to a gentleman or lady, wherever they may be.
In France the word "madam" is used when addressing a lady, but in our country the "d" is mostly left out, and we say only "ma'am". (Show the two words, "madam" and "ma'am" on blackboard.)
No one thinks a boy or girl well-behaved who answers "Yes," or "No"; it is blunt and rude. You can always say "Sir" and "Ma'am," even if you do not know the name of the person to whom you are speaking, and in answering your father or mother you should always say "Yes, father," or "No, mother," as the case may be.
(Blackboard.)
To answer "Yes," "No"—it is blunt, and is rude,
But "Yes, sir" or "No, ma'am" are both right and good;
"Yes, father," "No, mother," polite children say,
And these are good rules to remember each day.
XLVIII. PUTTING FEET UP.
97. Alice and the Pink Frock.
You have often heard grown-up people say to little children, "Behave nicely," or "Mind your manners"; I wonder if you know just what they mean. There is a little word that describes people who have not nice manners—we say they are rude. Try to find out who was rude in this story.