MAKING HOME ATTRACTIVE. 77 



sincerely kind ? Do I know her well enough to make her a member of 

 my family ? Have I a right to give her the prestige of my name and 

 family, which she will receive if known as my protegee ? " 



We have dwelt but little on the duty which every head of a family 

 owes to herself, her family, and the outside world, in allowing no scandal 

 to be talked at her table or by her fireside. 



The character of some houses in this respect is fearful. " Ye who enter 

 in, leave all hope behind "; for your flesh will be pecked from your very 

 bones. Some families have a keen wit, impinging tempers, sharp speech, 

 and an omnivorous appetite for unhandsome traditions of their neighbours. 

 They batten on human character, and to dilate upon the many stories 

 AS inch float around concerning everybody is their best amusement. A 

 * mauvaise langue" is a fearful gift. It makes a woman powerful but 

 hated. " She is a great gossip, she is a talker," is the worst of all re- 

 putations in a neighbourhood. 



It is difficult for the mother of bright and witty young people to keep 

 them from the over-exercise of their tongues. They catch the grotesque 

 1 funny side of things intuitively. They are not too particular as to 

 what they say of their companions ; and there is nobody who can not be 

 ridiculed. Therefore they grow into scandal -mongers innocently at fir-', 

 and regard the amusement of making people laugh at their friends as an 

 : i lent of being agreeable. This grows into bitterness, and the attri- 

 buting of ignoble motives as they grow older, on the part of those who 

 find life disappointing, and whose experience does not tend tosoften them. 

 Therefore a rule, formed early in life, to not speak ill of anybody, no 

 matter what the provocation, would be most useful and beneficent. 



Children and young people should be warned against the dangers of 

 mimicry. It is an amusing but a dangerous gift; and he \vh> nilth 

 it will sooner or later get into difficulty. 



" \Vhat--\vr - form manners or to finish men ha 



K\vrv one who has tasted the delights of friendship ^ "ill respect e\ 

 i;il iniard which our manners can establish tmdi: ore us [ 



M of frivolous and distasteful people. The jealousy of 

 class to guard itself is a testimony to the reality they have found in life. 

 When a mai knowa that he has done justice to himself. K-t him dis- 



miss all terrors of aristocracy as superstitious, so far as i 



,ould put. a ' social guard " around her home. She can 



not r as to the aeijuaintamvs whom her da may 



octas then intimate friends ; and <he should cultivate 



