ife; and
although of late years one sees the same sort of writings advertised
in England, they have certainly not as yet produced any apparent
effect upon us--perhaps from being written by incompetent people, or
perhaps from the author dwelling too exclusively upon usages which
change with the fashion of the day, instead of being based upon right
and kind feelings, or, at anyrate, the appearance of them. I have
lately met with a little French book, entitled _Manuel Complet de la
Bonne Compagnie, ou Guide de la Politesse, et de la Bienseance_,
which, amid much that is, according to our ideas, unnecessary and
almost ridiculous, contains a great deal we should do well to
practise.

It begins with treating of the proper behaviour to be observed in
churches of all denominations and forms of faith. Keep silence, or at
least speak rarely, and in a very low tone of voice, if you positively
_must_ make a remark: look grave, walk slowly, and with the head
uncovered. Whether it be a Catholic church, a Protestant temple, or a
Jewish synagogue, remember that it is a place where men assemble to
honour the Creator of the universe, to seek consolation in affliction,
and pardon for sin. When you visit a sacred edifice from curiosity
only, try to do so at a time when no religious service is going
forward; and beware of imitating those Vandals who sully with their
obscure and paltry names the monuments of ages. Do not wait to be
asked for money by the guides, but give them what you judge a
sufficient recompense for their civility, and this without demanding
change, with which you should on such occasions always be provided
beforehand. Whether you give or refuse your mite to a collection, do
so with a polite bow, and never upon any account push or press forward
in the house of God, or shew by your manner that you hold in contempt
any unaccustomed ceremony you may happen to witness. Never in
conversation ridicule or abuse any form of belief; it grieves the
sincerely pious, gives rise to the expression of angry feeling in
those more fanatical or prejudiced, and offends even the sceptic as a
breach of good manners in any one--but in a woman peculiarly
disgusting--even when the listeners are themselves deficient in
Christian faith.

In speaking of family duties, persons who have had educational
advantages beyond those of their parents, are particularly recommended
never to appear sensible of their superior cultivation, and to be even
more