Digging through an unorganized pile of some of my books, I found one I’d forgotten I had, titled Mr. Manners: A Manual of Good Manners, by Rose Henniker Heaton. It was published in 1932 by Burns Oates & Washbourne, London. The title page continues: “for Good Children, together with AWFUL EXAMPLES of WILD MANNERS and WILD CHILDREN.” There’s not much more description than that, other than a chart of The Manners Family: Father, Mother, Nicky (aged 9), Jane (aged 8), Simon and Simonette (twins, aged seven), Toby (aged 6), and Petronella (aged 4). Hmm, Father and Mother must have been quite the busy couple.
Here’s an example of how this little book reads, from a section titled “Manners to all Kinds of Things”:
~
MANNERS TO BOOKS
“Books,” said Mr. Manners, “should be treated like friends.” But alas!
NICKY scribbled little men in blue chalk over his.
JANE bent the covers backwards.
SIMON upset his milk over his while reading at table.
SIMONETTE turned down the corners.
TOBY left his in front of the fire in the winter, and on the lawn in summer,
but
PETRONELLA took care of hers so that she would be able to show them to her great-great-grandchildren when she was an old lady.
~
Go Petronella!
what kind of a name is Petronella?
Hmm. I had no idea, so I looked it up. Apparently it has something to do with rocks and being a female form of Peter.
It’s also not terribly popular these days!