[Sidenote: Accidental Injury]
Robert and Josiah Nash are thirteen-year-old twins. Their present sport
is kite flying. Yesterday they were intently gazing skyward and backed
up into Mrs. Scudder’s star flower-bed on the north side of her house.
The quickest way out was to continue their backward course. They left a
path of destruction as they emerged on the opposite side.
Mrs. Scudder saw them as they left the premises, and was thoroughly
angered with them as she rushed to view the remains of her precious
flowers.
The boys were too much concerned with their fun to attend to the damage
they had done, but just before supper time, the two appeared at Mrs.
Scudder’s front door. Her face fell into a troubled appearance at once,
but the boys got in the first words:
“We came to settle for the damage we did this afternoon,” was their
first sentence. “How much do we owe you?”
“Now, would you think it damage! I should say there is damage! I saw you
boys go on and I thought that was the last I’d see of you. Come out here
and I’ll show you.”
All of their courage fled for a moment at these words. But they
obediently followed her, not knowing what next to expect. The three
stood about the beautiful flower-bed, as Mrs. Scudder resumed.
“Now you boys have done the manly thing and I am going to meet you more
than half way. Let us all quickly straighten up these poor trampled
things and water them. If you’ll help me do that, I shall thank you very
much, and we’ll consider everything square.”
The task was soon accomplished. On the way home the boys vowed that they
did not wish to be so careless again since Mrs. Scudder had, after all,
shown such a good spirit toward them.
In a system of schools organized with any approach to thoroughness the
most serious problems of politeness have been solved long before the
grades are completed. Repeated associations and the formation of
friendships with persons of dignity, refinement and culture, no doubt
will necessitate more adjustments as time goes by. How to acquire the
manners of a new environment, and the necessity for so doing are fully
worked out in the grades. But too often, something remains for the high
school to do in the direction of training in good manners.