On habits and manners

However unimportant an action may seem to you, however small the thing to be done may be, it is always better to be right than wrong about it, and I want to speak to you now of a few, at least, of these daily habits of yours, in which you are especially likely to fall into error. I have already spoken of the rudeness of mimicking, ridiculing, or in any way "making fun" of people in an unkind spirit, and I want you to understand that it is not only rude but also really wrong, as are all words and actions whereby you unnecessarily wound the feelings of others. Try at all times and in every way to be considerate, remembering that deep injury and grief may be inflicted by what you may only think "a little thoughtlessness ;" and to show you how far such thoughtlessness may go, and how serious its results may be, I want you to ask yourselves a few questions about your consideration for the rights of other people in respect to their personal property, which is certainly a serious matter. Do you not frequently borrow from your friends and schoolmates articles of clothing, books, or even money, which you forget to return? Do you not sometimes even take such u little things," as you probably consider them, without asking leave of their owner, and although at the time you undoubtedly mean to return them, do you not sometimes find that you are unable to do so, and thus actually end by committing a dishonesty ? This carelessness in regard to other people's property is, I fear, not an uncommon fault among you, and it is only too true that, while you would perhaps never do deliberately dishonest things, you are, nevertheless, sometimes led into violations of the eighth commandment through simple thoughtlessness, or want of consideration for the distinction of mine and thine. 9° Now, I think that you must see for yourselves that if you do not overcome this fault in early life, it will inevitably grow upon you as you grow older, and cannot be otherwise than harmful in its effects upon your moral nature, so that your duty is to put strict guard upou yourselves in this respect at once and constantly. Do not take anything which belongs to another person, without first asking that person's leave, and not even then unless you are sure of your ability to return it or its equivalent. Do not get into the habit of borrowing, even from members of your own family, for such a habit tends very surely to encourage thriftlessness and imprudence, and you will find that in the end you are very seldom the better for borrowed things, however tempting they may be at the moment. If you make strict honesty the habit of your lite you will soon discover the result to be an independence and self-respect which is of infinite value to the -man or woman who has rightfully earned it. In the preceding chapters, upon your behavior in general society, I omitted to speak to you in regard to certain matters of politeness, because they are also, and, I think, primarily, matters of morality, and one of these omitted subjects is the reading of other people's letters or papers. You know, of course, that few things are meaner or more dishonorable than to open any letter, paper, or package, which is addressed to anybody else ; but I am not sure whether you