There is one great thing that will carry you comfortably through life,
and that is a nice, gentle manner. I see you all have nice, gentle
manners, and what I ask you to do is to carry them outside the school,
and retain them when you are on the roads or in the fields, or in your
own homes. I ask the boys to cultivate the same language outside as
inside the school, and the girls the same manners.
_School Prize Distribution, Rhiwderin,
April 24th, 1891._
Bad language is unnecessary. Bad words are used by some people in
every other sentence, without any necessity at all, and they mean
nothing. If you can only learn to drop those disagreeable words you
will be much more pleasant members of society. I like to see boys
lively, spirited, and anxious to amuse themselves whenever they can.
But they should be kind and gentle to their mothers and sisters. It
is the nature of boys to be tyrannical to the other sex, but they will
lose nothing by being as kind and gentle as they can be.
_Boys' Brigade Inspection, Newport,
April 19th, 1894._
[Illustration: "_It is the nature of boys to be tyrannical to the
other sex._"]
It has been well said that good manners are something to everybody,
and everything to somebody. Some people will not take anyone into
employment unless they have good manners. As an old soldier, I know
the value of _esprit de corps_. A hundred soldiers with the spirit of
their corps are worth two hundred who do not care a straw about the
regiment.
_Pontywain School,
December 15th, 1909._
Mr. Labouchere has said he would rather have a gentleman of bad morals
who voted right, than a gentleman whose morals were right but who
voted wrong. Well, I would rather have a gentleman whose manners are
good, even though he votes wrong, than one who votes right and whose
manners are bad.
_Licensed Victuallers' Dinner,
July 13th, 1891._