Here is a true story. One summer day a steamboat stopped at Old Point, Virginia, and took on, among other passengers, quite a large number of young colored people of both sexes. Some of these went or* board loudlj talking and laughing, pushed their way up stairs to get th,e first places by the rail of the upper deck, from which they called and shouted to their friends onshore till the boat started; others, hurrying into the cabin, made for the best seats, lounging on the sofas, and exchanging free jokes with their companions in loud tones, till their behavior drew upon them the atten- tion of all the passengers within seeing and hearing distance. u ThaVs the beauty of educating Negroes," said one of a group of southern white gentlemen standing near, and his lip curled with disgust. "Sir,'' replied another, a man of high birth and standing in the State, u I have visited the Hampton Normal School, and I know its Principal, and have seen its students, and I'll wager you that there's not a Hampton student in that 70 OX HABITS AND MANNERS crowd, but those are some of them yonder, and there are some more, behaving like ladies and gentlemen. I can pick them out for you anywhere on the boat — so quiet and neat and well mannered that they haven't even attracted your attention." To confirm his words, this champion of Hampton students took pains during the trip to approach the different groups and talk separately with each individual, inquiring in his kind and fatherly way where they had come from and what were their plans for life. In uot one single case did lie find his first conviction a mistake, as he has since told not only the friends who were with him, hut more than one officer and teacher of Hampton Institute, very much to their gratification, as you may imagine. And some of them were gratified again, recently, by hearing from a northern lady visiting Hampton for a second time, that having no- ticed some quiet act of politeness to a stranger done by a young colored man of intelligent and pleasant appearance^ oti a railway train in Massachusetts, she had "wondered if he were not from Hampton Institute/*' knowing that its stu- dents had sometimes found work in that neighborhood, and on inquiry, found this to be the case. We tell 3^011 these pleasant incidents, assured that they will incite many of you to do all in your power to win the same good opinion for yourselves, and keep up the good reputation of Hampton students. ON HABITS AND MANNERS. 7 1 And what are good manners on the road? We have only to adapt to the special circumstances of travel the gen- eral rule with which we started, that politeness at its foun- dation is thoughtfulness for others and a proper sense of our own relations to our surroundings. All through life, as a poet has said, " We all are travellers who throng A thorny road together." To take the thorns out of others' way will make the road smoother for ourselves also, and let us not be a thorn in their way if we can help it.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Here is a true story. One summer day a steamboat stopped at Old Point, Virginia, and took on, among other passengers, quite a large number of young colored people of both sexes. Some of these went on board loudly talking and laughing, pushed their way up stairs to get the first places by the rail of the upper deck, from which they called and shouted to their friends onshore till the boat started; others, hurrying into the cabin, made for the best seats, lounging on the sofas, and exchanging free jokes with their companions in loud tones, till their behavior drew upon them the attention of all the passengers within seeing and hearing distance. "That's the beauty of educating Negroes," said one of a group of southern white gentlemen standing near, and his lip curled with disgust. "Sir," replied another, a man of high birth and standing in the State, "I have visited the Hampton Normal School, and I know its Principal, and have seen its students, and I'll wager you that there's not a Hampton student in that crowd, but those are some of them yonder, and there are some more, behaving like ladies and gentlemen. I can pick them out for you anywhere on the boat — so quiet and neat and well mannered that they haven't even attracted your attention." To confirm his words, this champion of Hampton students took pains during the trip to approach the different groups and talk separately with each individual, inquiring in his kind and fatherly way where they had come from and what were their plans for life. In not one single case did lie find his first conviction a mistake, as he has since told not only the friends who were with him, hut more than one officer and teacher of Hampton Institute, very much to their gratification, as you may imagine. And some of them were gratified again, recently, by hearing from a northern lady visiting Hampton for a second time, that having noticed some quiet act of politeness to a stranger done by a young colored man of intelligent and pleasant appearance, on a railway train in Massachusetts, she had "wondered if he were not from Hampton Institute," knowing that its students had sometimes found work in that neighborhood, and on inquiry, found this to be the case. We tell you these pleasant incidents, assured that they will incite many of you to do all in your power to win the same good opinion for yourselves, and keep up the good reputation of Hampton students. And what are good manners on the road? We have only to adapt to the special circumstances of travel the general rule with which we started, that politeness at its foundation is thoughtfulness for others and a proper sense of our own relations to our surroundings. All through life, as a poet has said, " We all are travellers who throng A thorny road together." To take the thorns out of others' way will make the road smoother for ourselves also, and let us not be a thorn in their way if we can help it.

On habits and manners