Would we codify the laws that should reign in households, and whose daily transgres-
sion annoys and mortifies us, and degrades our household life, — we must learn to adorn
every day with sacrifices. Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices. Temperance,
courage, love, are made up of the same jewels. Listen to every prompting of honor.
"As soon as a sacrifice becomes a duty and necessity to the man, I see no limit to the
horizon which opens before me," says Ernest Renan. Of course those people, and no
others, interest us who believe in their thought, who are absorbed, if you please to say so,
in their own dream. They only can give the key and leading to better society: those
nvho delight in each other only because both delight in the eternal laws; who forgive noth-
ing to each other; who, by their joy and homage to these, are made incapable of conceit,
which destroys almost all the fine wits. Any other affection between men than this
geometric one of relation to the same thing, is a mere mush of materialism.
These are the bases of civil and polite society; namely, manners, conversation, lucrative
labor, and public action, whether political, or in the leading of social institutions. We have
much to regret, much to mend, in our society; but I believe that in all liberal and hopeful
men there is a firm faith in the beneficent results which we really enjoy; that intelligence,
manly -enterprise, good education, virtuous life, and elegant manners have been and are
found here, and we hope, in the next generation will still more abound.
EXTRACTS FROM EMERSON.
CONVERSATION.
Manners first, then conversation.
THE delight in good company, in pure, 'brilliant, social atmosphere; the incompar-
able satisfaction of a society in which everything can be safely said, in which every
member returns a true echo, in which a wise freedom, an ideal republic of sense,
simplicity, knowledge, and thorough good-meaning abide. — doubles the value of life. It is
this that justifies to each the jealousy with which the doors are kept. Speech is power:
speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. It is to bring another out of his bad sense
into your good sense. You are to be the missionary and carrier of all that is good and
noble. Virtues speaks to virtues, vices to vices — each to their kind in the people with
whom we deal. If you are suspiciously and deeply on your guard, so is he or she. If you
rise to frankness and generosity, they will respect it now or later.
In this art of conversation, woman, if not the queen and victor, is the lawgiver. If
every one recalled his experiences, he might find the best in the speech of superior women,
— which was better than song, and carried ingenuity, character, wise counsel, and afflic-
tion, as easily as the wit with which it was adorned.
Page 25
Presented as published in 1891. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Would we codify the laws that should reign in households, and whose daily transgression annoys and mortifies us, and degrades our household life, — we must learn to adorn every day with sacrifices. Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices. Temperance, courage, love, are made up of the same jewels. Listen to every prompting of honor. "As soon as a sacrifice becomes a duty and necessity to the man, I see no limit to the horizon which opens before me," says Ernest Renan. Of course those people, and no others, interest us who believe in their thought, who are absorbed, if you please to say so, in their own dream. They only can give the key and leading to better society: those who delight in each other only because both delight in the eternal laws; who forgive nothing to each other; who, by their joy and homage to these, are made incapable of conceit, which destroys almost all the fine wits. Any other affection between men than this geometric one of relation to the same thing, is a mere mush of materialism.
These are the bases of civil and polite society; namely, manners, conversation, lucrative labor, and public action, whether political, or in the leading of social institutions. We have much to regret, much to mend, in our society; but I believe that in all liberal and hopeful men there is a firm faith in the beneficent results which we really enjoy; that intelligence, manly enterprise, good education, virtuous life, and elegant manners have been and are found here, and we hope, in the next generation will still more abound.
EXTRACTS FROM EMERSON.
CONVERSATION.
Manners first, then conversation.
THE delight in good company, in pure, 'brilliant, social atmosphere; the incomparable satisfaction of a society in which everything can be safely said, in which every member returns a true echo, in which a wise freedom, an ideal republic of sense, simplicity, knowledge, and thorough good-meaning abide. — doubles the value of life. It is this that justifies to each the jealousy with which the doors are kept. Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. It is to bring another out of his bad sense into your good sense. You are to be the missionary and carrier of all that is good and noble. Virtues speaks to virtues, vices to vices — each to their kind in the people with whom we deal. If you are suspiciously and deeply on your guard, so is he or she. If you rise to frankness and generosity, they will respect it now or later.
In this art of conversation, woman, if not the queen and victor, is the lawgiver. If every one recalled his experiences, he might find the best in the speech of superior women, — which was better than song, and carried ingenuity, character, wise counsel, and affliction, as easily as the wit with which it was adorned.