Good Manners the Expression of Benevolence in personal Intercourse—Serious Defects in Manners of the Americans—Causes of peculiar Manners to be found in American Life—Want of clear Discrimination—Necessity for Distinctions of Superiority and Subordination—Importance that young Mothers should seriously endeavor to remedy this Defect while educating their Children—Democratic Principle of Equal Rights to be applied, not to our own Interests, but to those of others—The same Courtesy to be extended to all Classes—Necessary Distinctions arising from mutual Relations to be observed—The Strong to defer to the Weak—Precedence yielded by Men to Women in America—Good Manners must be cultivated in early Life—Mutual Relations of Husband and Wife—Parents and Children—The Rearing of Children to Courtesy—De Tocqueville on American Manners 260 CHAPTER XIV. THE PRESERVATION OF GOOD TEMPER IN THE HOUSEKEEPER. Easier for a Household under the Guidance of an equable Temper in the Mistress—Dissatisfied Looks and sharp Tones destroy the Comfort of System, Neatness, and Economy—Considerations to aid the Housekeeper—Importance and Dignity of her Duties—Difficulties to be overcome—Good Policy to calculate beforehand upon the Derangement of well-arranged Plans—Object of Housekeeping, the Comfort and well-being of the Family—The End should not be sacrificed to secure the Means—Possible to refrain from angry Tones—Mild Speech most effective—Exemplification—Allowances to be made for Servants and Children—Power of Religion to impart Dignity and Importance to the ordinary and petty Details of domestic Life 274 CHAPTER XV. HABITS OF SYSTEM AND ORDER. Relative Importance and Difficulty of the Duties a Woman is called to perform—Her Duties not trivial—A Habit of System and Order necessary—Right Apportionment of Time—General Principles—Christianity to be the Foundation—Intellectual and social Interests to be preferred to Gratification of Taste or Appetite—Neglect of Health a Sin in the Sight of God—Regular Season of Rest appointed by the Creator—Divisions of Time—Systematic Arrangement of house Articles and other Conveniences—Regular Employment for each Member of a Family—Children—Family Work—Forming Habits of System—Early Rising a very great Aid—Due Apportionment of Time to the several Duties 280 CHAPTER XVI. HEALTH OF MIND.