If you are talking to a person of title, do not keep repeating the title. You can express all the deference you desire in voice and manner; it is unnecessary and snobbish to put it in words.

Temper has much more to do with good breeding than is generally supposed. The French are allowed to be the most polite people in the world, when they are really only the most amiable.

People must remember that they must give as well as take in this life, and that they must not hesitate to go to a little trouble in those small observances which it is so pleasant to accept.

Neither a gentleman nor a lady will boast of the conquests he or she has made. Such a course would have the effect of exciting the most profound contempt for the boasters in the breasts of all who heard them.

Punctuality is a most admirable quality. The man or woman who possesses it is a blessing to his or her friends. The one who lacks it is wanting in one of the first requisites of good-breeding.

The young of both sexes would find it an inestimable advantage through life to cultivate from the outset a clear intonation, a well-chosen phraseology, a logical habit of thought, and a correct accent.

A rich person should be careful how he gives to the poor, lest he hurt their pride, while a poor person can only give to those of greater wealth something that has cost only affection, time or talent.

We should not neglect very young people in our homes. If we wish our children to have polished manners, and to express themselves well, we must lead them to enter into the conversation that is going on.

When walking with a lady, it is etiquette to give her the wall, but if she have your arm it is quite unnecessary to be changing at every corner you come to. After one or two changes the habit becomes ridiculous.

The art of giving and receiving presents is not always an intuition. A generous person may unwittingly wound where he intends to please, while a really grateful person may, by want of tact, appear to deprecate the liberality of his friends.

If a person of greater age than yourself desire you to step into a carriage or through a door first, it is more polite to bow and obey than to decline. Compliance with, and deference to the wishes of others, is always the finest breeding.

If you present a book to a friend, do not write the name in it unless it be requested. By doing so you are taking for granted that your present will be accepted, and also that a specimen of your penmanship will give additional value to the gift.

Learn to make small sacrifices with a good grace; to accept small disappointments in a patient spirit. A little more of self-control, a little more allowance for the weaknesses of others, will oftentimes change the entire spirit of a household.

A well-educated person proclaims himself by his simple and terse language. Good and clear Saxon is much to be preferred to high-sounding phrases and long words; it is only the half-educated who imagine such a style is elegant.

In entering an exhibition or public room where ladies are present, gentlemen should always lift their hats. In France a gentleman lifts his hat on entering a public omnibus, but that is not necessary according to the American code of etiquette.

Married people are sometimes guilty of the vulgar habit of speaking of each other by the initial letter of their first name, or the wife of her husband as "Jones," omitting the "Mr." This denotes very ill breeding, and should be strenuously avoided.

We are not to be polite merely because we wish to please, but because we wish to consider the feelings and spare the time of others - because we wish.to carry into daily practice the spirit of the precept, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

To yawn in the presence of others, to put your feet on a chair, to stand with your back to the fire, to take the most comfortable seat in the room, to do anything in fact that displays selfishness and a lack of respect for those about you, is unequivocally vulgar and ill-bred.

Never employ " extravagance in conversation." Always employ the word that will express your precise meaning and no more. It is absurd to say it is " immensely jolly," or "disgustingly mean." Such expressions show neither wit nor wisdom, but merest flippancy It is a duty to always look pleased. It is likewise a duty to appear interested in a story that you may have heard a dozen times before, to smile on the most inveterate proser; in short, to make such minor sacrifices of sincerity as one's good manners and good feelings may dictate.

It is in bad taste to undervalue a gift which you have yourself offered. If it is valueless, it is not good enough to give to your friend; and if you say you do not want it yourself, or that you would only throw it away if they did not take it, you are insulting the person whom you mean to benefit.

When in general conversation you cannot agree with the proposition advanced, it is best to observe silence, unless particularly asked for your opinion, in which case you will give it modestly, but decidedly. Never be betrayed into too much warmth in argument; if others remain unconvinced, drop the subject.

Never indulge in egotism in the drawing-room. The person who makes his family, his wealth, his affairs or his hobby the topic of conversation is not only a bore but a violator of good taste. We do not meet in society to display ourselves, but to give and take as much rational entertainment as our own accomplishments and those of others will afford.

A gift should always be valuable for something besides its price. It may have been brought by the giver from some famous place; it may have a valuable association with genius, or it may be unique in its workmanship. An author may offer his book or an artist his sketch, and any one may offer flowers, which are always a delicate and unexceptional gift.

Boasting is one of the most ill-bred habits a person can indulge in. Travelling is so universal a custom now that to mention the fact that you have been to Europe is to state nothing exceptional. Anybody with wealth, health and leisure can travel; but it is only those of real intelligence that derive any benefit from the art treasures of the Old World.

Never refuse a gift unless you have a very good reason for so doing. However poor the gift, you should show your appreciation of the kindness of heart which prompted it. All such deprecatory phrases as " I fear I rob you," or " I am really ashamed to take it," etc., are in bad taste, as they seem to imply that you think the giver cannot afford it.

Always look at the person who is conversing with you, and listen respectfully. In answering try to express your thoughts in the best manner. A loose manner of expression injures ourselves much more than our hearers, since it is a habit which, once acquired, is not easily thrown off, and when we wish to express ourselves well it is not easy to do so.

A good memory for names and faces, and a self-possessed manner, are necessary to every one who would make a good impression in society. Nothing is more delicately flattering to another than to find you can readily call his or her name, after a very slight acquaintance. The most popular of great men have gained their popularity principally through the possession of this faculty.

No lady of good breeding will sit sideways on her chair, or with her feet crossed or stretched apart, or hold her chin in her hands, or twirl her watch chain, while she is talking; nor does a well-bred gentleman sit astride of his chair, or bite his nails, or nurse his leg. A man is always allowed more freedom than a woman, but both should be graceful and decorous in their deportment.

Shyness is very ungraceful, and a positive injury to any one afflicted with it. It is only allowable in very young people. A person who blushes, stammers and fidgets in the presence of strangers will not create a very good impression upon their minds as to his personal worth and educational advantages. Shyness may be overcome by determined mixing in society. Nothing else will have an effect upon it.

A foreigner should always be addressed by his full name; as Monsieur de Montmorenci, never as Monsieur only. In speaking of him, give him his title, if he have one. For example, in speaking to a nobleman you would say, Monsieur le Marquis; in speaking of him in his absence, you would say, Monsieur le Marquis de Montmorenci. Converse with a foreigner in his own language. If you are not sufficiently at home in the language to do so, apologize to him, and beg permission to speak English.

No one can be polite who does not cultivate a "good memory." There is a class of absent-minded people who are to be dreaded on account of the mischief they are sure to create with their unlucky tongues. They always recall unlucky topics, speak of the dead as though they were living, talk of people in their hearing, and do a hundred and one things which, in slang parlance, is "treading on somebody's toes." Carelessness can be carried to such a pitch as to almost amount to a crime. Cultivate a good memory, therefore, if you wish to say pleasant things and to avoid disagreeable ones.