Life — December 2, 1897 — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

463 Degeneracy of a Boston Parent. CORRESPONDENT of the Bos- ton Transcript wails in that jour- nal about the modern degeneration of table manners. He says he is the father of a family and has to carve for it, and he notes the disappearance of an old custom which provided that everyone at table should wait until all the carving was done and all the dishes passed before begin- ning to eat, so that the carver might start even with the rest and gobble in concert with them. Nowadays, this complainant says, the carver is lucky if he gets anything tocat. He would 7 i p not have the old custom back, ‘ % for, as he justly notes, it is con- Ba el JON E P ducive to cold food, but he thinks the carver should have special provision made for him, and be suffered to take his meals separate from his family. These are indeed degencrate times, when a man whocan pro- vide meat for his family makes such an ado because he has not yet been able to escape the obli- gation of cutting itup. But let the old gentleman take courage. It pays to raise a family, even though one has to carve for it. As this Bostonian's debility in- creases, the strength and skill of his offspring also increase. His sons and daughters will presently be cutting up his food for him, even as now he cuts up theirs. Meanwhile, let him note that if anything ails con- temporary table manners it is not because children are over- bold, but because parents are limp. If his children fail to show him due consideration he ought to be ashamed, not of them, but of himself. It was his lookout to teach them man- ef ce ners, If he has neglected to do CA Yuna it he has no occasion to attribute ‘ - the consequences of his own fault to “the times.” Besides, if he will only stick to beans, as Bostonians should, carving will A LIVING REMINDER, bevessy: