r< i BE kind, and to treat politely the persons with whom we are immediately associated, is not all, nor should civility cease with the casual intercourse between neighbors; it should go beyond. We should regard the rights of the individual. Were all to do so, mankind would take a long stride in advance of the present selfish and thoughtless conduct which too often actuates even those who arc reputed to be good and respectable. This want of regard for the rights of others is shown in many ways. To illustrate:

The individual who will conduct a house or an establishment that is unpleasant, injurious to health, or detrimental*to the community, evinces a disregard for the courtesy that is due to his neighbors.

The parents who allow children to annoy their neighbors, are always a most undesirable people to have in the vicinity.

The people of a community who will deliberately turn horses, cattle and hogs into the street, entirely disregarding the fact that the animals are liable to do much damage to others, demonstrate a lack of regard for neighbors which is inexcusable, and can only be explained on the ground that the hahit is so common that they do not realize the injury they are doing.

The fact that we accosted Mr. Jones politely, and said pleasant things in his presence, was good so far as it went, but the further fact that we

turned our cattle into the street, well knowing they were liable to trample Mr. Jones' sidewalk to pieces, and break down his trees, demonstrates that, while we are very agreeable to his face, we care but little what we may do behind his back.

This utter disregard for the wants of others causes people generally to become suspicious of their neighbors. It is true that this suspicion is gradually becoming lessened. The time was when the inhabitants built a ca*tle as nearly as possible impregnable; around that was built a high enclosure, and still outside of that was a canal with a drawbridge. Gradually the fact has dawned that we need not be thus suspi

ctons. We need not build a house of stone, we need not construct m canal, but we still adhere to the high wall or fence, as we are oftentimes compelled to because of the disposition of the neighbor to trample upon our rights by allowing his animals to destroy our property.

The reader has doubtless seen a town in which the people allowed their domestic animals to run at large, the hogs to root the turf to pieces by the roadside, the cattle to destroy sidewalks, to break through fences and to tear down trees. This want of courtesy is not uncommon. In short, it is altogether too common in many towns of the country, and upon the part of the owners of animals it shows a complete disregard of the rights of those who would beautify their homes, and thus correspondingly beautify the town.

The code of etiquette should not alone apply among individuals when

directly associated together. It should extend further. It should go out and permeate a neighborhood. It should diffuse itself throughout a town. It should bind together the people of a S I ■ I - — of a nation. It should be a rule of action among all nations. Already the evidences of courtesy among nations begins to manifest itself. The International Congress is based upon this princi* pic. The idea of friendly association of the representatives of nations for mutual adjustment of differences, is the beginning of a recognition ol the rights of each other.

The shore Illustration represents a common scene. The neighbors suspect each other, and tfaej destroy the beauty of their around* In the attrmpt to >hut each other out. Suspicion and selfishness rule. Regardless of the rights of

others, animals are allowed to trample to pieces the sidewalks, to destroy shade trees and to despoil the neighbors This is evidence of yard. Inharmooy, disorder, sod Ill-feeling among the peo- a higher civilization. pie are characteristics of the neighborhood. When we can rise superior to selfishness, when we are willing to consider the rights and the requirements of others, when we are governed by the generous spirit of doing unto others as we would that they should do unto us, then we are directed by a power that will make an entire people, as a whole, what the laws of etiquette determine they shall be individually, in their intercourse with each other.

The illustration (Fig w) upon this page represents a scene which may be observed in many villages or cities — a group of residences, modern and beautiful in architecture, surrounded and disfigured by high inclosures put up to guard against people who allow their cattle and other animals to destroy their neighbor's property.

181

IE fences shown upon the opposite page, separating houses and lots, often prevent acquaintance with neighm bors being made. The result of this non-intercourse l_L.£-i«^^^£ is usually a suspicion that the neighbor is unworthy of confidence, an opinion which is never overcome except by interchange of civilities which would show each the worth of the other. Unacquainted with his neighbors, the resident, ceasing to consider their rights, grows careless of his obligations toward others, and consequently becomes a less worthy citizen.

The illustration upon this page (Fig. 23) represents the scene very much changed. Again we have the same residences, and the same neighbors, who have become acquainted and have learned to value each other. The result of this social intercourse and evident observance of the rights of others has wrought a vast change in the appearance of the homes, which is manifest at a glance.

It is plainly apparent in the scene that a higher civilization pervades the neighborhood. The animals, that broke down the trees and devastated the sidew:tlks and grounds, have been withdrawn by their owners, and sent to pastures, where they belong. This of itself is evidence of decided advancement.

This Illustration represent! a neighborhood where the penpie evidently do unto others M th« v with others to do unto them. They trust each other. The barriers between them are removed. No animal la allowed to do injury. Enjoying

Examine the scene further. The fences have disappeared, save a low coping that determines the outer edge of the lot. In

this alone a heavy item of expense has been removed, while with it has come the enlargement of grounds, which, studded with finely trimmed trees, and intersected with winding pathways, surround every residence with a most elegant park. That this improvement is enjoyed, is shown in the congregating of the neighbors together in the shady nook, the gambols of the children on the lawn, and the promenade of the ladies and gentlemen throughout the beautifully embellished grounds. All delight in the scene, and all are made better by it While the resident could be coarse and selfish in his own little lot, he is now thrown uprn his good behavior as he mingles with others on the beautiful grounds, and thus

all are improved. Even the cat and dog that quarrelled In the former scene are now acquainted with each other, and happily play together. To maintain pleasant relations among neighbors, there are a few things which the citizen must avoid. Among these are the following: Never allow children to play upon a neighbor's grounds or premises unless they are invited and made perfectly welcome by the neighbor.

Never allow fowls or animals of any kind, which you have control over, to trespass upon the premises or rights of other people.

Never borrow of neighbors if it be possible to avoid it. It is better to buy what you need than to frequently borrow. There are a few things which a neighbor should never be expected to lend. Among these are fine-edged tools, delicate machinery, and any article liable to easily get out of order. The less business relations among neighbors, the better.

Never fail to return, with thanks, any article borrowed, as soon .is you have finished using it, and see that it is in as good or bette r condition than when you received it.

Articles of provisions which may be borrowed should be very promptly returned in larger quantity, to pay interest, and better in quality if possible. In no way can a neighbor lose character more effectually in business dealing than by the petty mean • ness of borrowing and failing to pay, or by paying with a poorer quality and in less amount.

Avoid speaking evil of your neighbor. As a rule it is only safe to compliment and praise the absent one. If any misunderstanding arises between yourself and a neighbor, endeavor to effect a reconciliation by a full explanation. When the matter is fully understood you will very likely be better friends ever afterwards. Nrver fail, if the grounds run together, to keep your premises in as good order as your neighbor's. Should you own the house and grounds, and others occupy the same, you will do well to arrange to keep the exterior of the premises in order at your own expense, as tenants have not the same interest The improvements of grounds among neighbors thus will always be kept up; you will be compensated by securing the b*»t class of tenants, and the neighborhood will be greatly improved.

182

officer of the law you may be, and it becomes you to care for the prisoner in vour charge. While law should be enforced, for the good of the criminal as well as the protection of society, it does not become you to be unkind. Perhaps investigation may prove that your prissoner is innocent and has been wrongly arrested. But if guilty, at most he is simply unfortunate. He had no power to say what qualities of mind he should inherit, what his temperament should be, or what training he should receive in infancy; all of which are usually determining causes that fix man's destiny in after-life.

He stands before you largely the victim of unfortunate circumstances. He lacks the moral strength which others possess, and hence his weakness and his errors. True, he must pay the penalty of his transHi CM Ion, bat you can temper the administration of your government with such justice as will tend to the improvement and, possibly, the reformation of the criminal. Whatever the conduct of the prisoner, you should always rise superior to the feelings of passion or revenge.

In a thousand ways our paths in life will be crossed by those who commit errors. It will be easy to find fault; it will be natural to blame. But we must never forget that further back, far beyond our sight, lie causes that tended to produce these results.

Well may the mother look with deep anxiety upon the infant, wondering what destiny lies before it. Alas! that a mother's hopes and prayers often do not avail. Drifted away from parental control, the footsteps fall amid temptation, and a life of sorrow is the result

We should never forget, in our treatment of the erring, that, were the mother present, she would plead with us to deal gently with her child. Very touchingly does the following poem ask that we be lenient for her sake:

Some Mother's Child.

r home or away, in the alley or street.
Whenever I chance in this wide world to meet
A girl that is thoughtless, or a bov that is wild.
My heart echoes sadly, " 'T is some mother's ch ild *"

And when I see those o'er whom long years have rolled.
Whose hearts have grown hardened, whose spirits are cold—
Be it woman all fallen, or man all defiled,
A voice whispers sadly, "Ah! some mother's child!"

No matter how far from the right she hath strayed;
No matter what inroads dishonor hath made;
No matter what element cankered the pearl —
Though tarnished and sullied, she's some mother's girl.

No matter how wayward his footsteps have been; •

No matter how deep he is sunken in sin;

No matter how low is his standard of joy —

Though guilty and loathsome, he's some mother's l>oy.

That head hath been pillowed on tenderest breast:
That form hath been wept o'er, those lips have been pressed;
That soul hath been prayed for in tones sweet and mild;
For her sake deal gently with "some mother's child."

WHILE error must be deplored and virtue ever commended, w« should deal carefully and considerately with the erring, ever remembering that a myriad of untoward circumstances are continually weaving a network around the individual, fettering and binding a soul that otherwise would be white and pure.

It is a most fortunate circumstance for the child to be born of an excellent parentage, to be reared amid kindness, and to be guided in youth by wise counsels. Given all these favoring circumstances, and the chances are that the pathway in life will be honorable. Deprived of these advantages, the individual is likely to fall short in excellence in proportion as the circumstances have been unfavorable.

There are those who seemingly have only a smooth pathway in life. They were so fortunate as to be born with an excellently balanced organization of mind. They have no passion unduly in excess. They have no abnormal longings, no eccentricities, no weaknesses. Roses strew their way, and they live a life well rounded out and full of honor.

But while there arc those who are apparently exempt from temptation, all are not so fortunate in ability, in strength of purpose and in power of will which may enable them to resist evil. Some are liable to easily err, and it will take, possibly, but a trivial circumstance to carry them aside. In the transgression they will get their punishment — they will suffer sufficiently. It does not become the more fortunate, therefore, to take too much credit to themselves for being more virtuous and free from error. It is vastly more noble and charitable to extend sympathy and compassion. This sentiment is well expressed in the following poem, by Millie C. Pomeroy:

You Had a Smooth Path.

NE morning, when I went to school.
In the long-vanished Yesterdav,
I found the creek had burst its hanks,
And spilled its waters o'er my wav.
The little path was filled with mud;
I tried to cross it on a log;
My foot slipped, and I, helpless, fell
Into a mass of miry bog.

Mv clothes were pitiful to see;
My hands and face were covered quite.
The children laughed right heartilv,
And jeered me when I came in right
Sweet Jessie Brown, in snow-white dress,
Stood, smiling, by the teacher's desk.
The while he, gravelv as he might.
Inquired the secret of my plight.

Then Jessie shook her snow-white dress.
And said, '* What will you give to me
For coming here so nice and clean?
Mv verv shoes from dirt arc free."
The tutor frowned, and answered her,
"You merit no reward to-dav;
Your clothes and hands are clean, because
You had a smooth path all the way."

183

■N the transaction of business, it becomes necessary for all persons to occasionally write various business forms. Among those in most frequent use are Receipts, Orders, Bills of Articles Purchased, Promissory Notes, Checks, Drafts, etc.

To better understand these, it is well to be acquainted with the meaning of the various commercial terms to be constantly seen in our general reading.

Definition of Commercial Terms.

$ means dollars, being a contraction of

U. S., which was formerly placed before any denomination of money, and meant, as it means now, United States Currency.

£ means pounds, English money.

@ stands for at or to. lb for pound, and bbl. for barrel; ^ for per or by the. Thus, Butter sells at 20@30c $) lb, and Flour at $8@12 $ bbl.

% for per cent and t£ for number.

May 1.—Wheat sells at $1.20@1.25, "seller June." Seller June means that the person who sells the wheat has the privilege of delivering it at any time during the month of June.

Selling short, is contracting to deliver a certain amount of grain or stock, at a fixed price, within a certain length of time, when the seller has not the stock on hand. It is for the interest of the person selling "short," to depress the

market as much as possible, in order that he may bu}r and fill his contract at a profit. Hence the "shorts" are termed "bears."

Buying long, is to contract to purchase a certain amount of grain or shares of stock at a fixed price, deliverable within a stipulated time, expecting to make a profit by the rise of prices. The "longs "are termed "bulls," as it is for their interest to " operate " so as to " toss" the prices upward as much as possible.

Promissory Notes.

A promissory note is a promise or engagement in writing to pay a specified sum at a time therein limited, or on demand, or at sight, to a person therein named, or his order or assigns, or to the bearer. The person making the note is called the drawer or maker.

A note is void when founded upon fraud. Thus, a note obtained from a person when intoxicated, or obtained for any reason which is illegal, cannot be collected.* A note given upon Sunday is also void in some States.

Notes bear interest only when it is so expressed; after they become due, however, they draw the legal rate of the State, f Notes payable on demand or at sight, draw no interest until after presentation or demand of the same has

* If, however, the note is transferred to an innocent holder, the claim of fraud or no value received will not avail. The party holding the note can collect it if the maker is able to pay it.

t If it is intended to have the note draw more than the legal rate of interest, after maturity, the words should so specify in the body of the note as follows: "with interest at the rate of per cent until paid.

been made, unless they provide for interest from date on their face; they then draw the legal rate of interest of the State.

If "with interest" is included in the note, it draws the legal rate of the State where it is given, from the time it is made.

If the note is to draw a special rate of interest higher than the legal, but not higher than the law allows, the rate must be specified.

If the note is made payable to a person or order, to a person or bearer, to a person or his assigns, or to the cashier of an incorporated company or order, such notes are negotiable.

When transferring the note, the indorser frees himself from responsibility, so far as the payment is concerned, by writing on the back, above his name, "Without recourse to me in any event." *

When a note is made payable at a definite period after date, three days beyond the time expressed on the face of the note (called days of grace) are allowed to the person who is to pay the same, within which to make such payment. Notes payable on demand are not entitled to days of grace.

If a note is payable at a bank, and is held there on the day upon which it falls due, until the usual hour for closing, ready for receiving payment thereon, no further demand upon the maker is necessary, in order to charge the indorser. The demand must, in all cases, be made upon the last of the days of grace; a demand

before that time passing for nothing as against the indorser.

The days of grace, which must be computed according to the laws of the State where the note is payable, are to be reckoned exclusive of the day when the note would otherwise become due, and without deduction for Sundays or holidays; in which latter case, by special enactments in most of the States, notes are deemed to become due upon the secular day next preceding such days. Thus, a note, due upon the twenty-fifth day of December, is payable on the twenty-fourth, as the day when due is Christmas day; if the twenty-fourth chance to be Sunday, it is due upon the twenty-third.

In order to charge an indorser, the note, if payable at a particular place, must be presented for payment at the place upon the very day it becomes due; if no place of payment be named, it must be presented, either to the maker personally, or at his place of business, during business hours, or at his dwelling house, within reasonable hours; if payable by a firm, a presentment may be made to either of the partners, or at the firm's place of business; if given by several persons jointly, not partners, the demand must be made upon all. If the note has been lost, mislaid, or destroyed, the holder must still make a regular and formal demand, offering the party, at the same time, a sufficient indemnity in the event of his paying the same

•The simple indorsment of the name of the person selling the note, which serves as a transfer, upon the back of the same, is not in some States a guarantee for the payment of the note at maturity. When il is designed particularly to be a guarantee, il should be so stated on the back of the note, an follows:

RICHARD ROE.

"For value received, I (or v>e) hereby guarantee the payment oj the

within note at maturity, or at any time thereafter, with interest at

per cent, until paid; and agree to pay all costs or expenses paid or incurred in collecting the same."

RICHARD ROE.

To avoid the danger of the signer of the guarantee claiming at a future time that said guarantee was written above his name without his knowledge, It is best to have his signature written twice, once above the guarantee, to serve as a transfer, and once below to serve as the guarantee, as shown above.

Negotiable Note.

With interest at legal rate per cent, from date.

$500. Chicago, Iii, Jan. 1,18—.

Three months after date, for value received, I promise to pay Charles Mtx, or order, Five Hundred dollars, -with interest.

ORSON KENDALL.

Negotiable Note.

With interest at ten per cent, after maturity, until paid.

$100. Des Moines, Ia., April St, 18—.

For value receizvd, ninety days after date, I promise to pay Orlando Warner, or order. One Hundred dollars, -with interest at ten ter cent, after m turity, until paid.

CHES ER BUTTERFIELD.