There is one great thing that will carry you comfortably through life, and that is a nice, gentle manner. I see you all have nice, gentle manners, and what I ask you to do is to carry them outside the school, and retain them when you are on the roads or in the fields, or in your own homes. I ask the boys to cultivate the same language outside as inside the school, and the girls the same manners. _School Prize Distribution, Rhiwderin, April 24th, 1891._ Bad language is unnecessary. Bad words are used by some people in every other sentence, without any necessity at all, and they mean nothing. If you can only learn to drop those disagreeable words you will be much more pleasant members of society. I like to see boys lively, spirited, and anxious to amuse themselves whenever they can. But they should be kind and gentle to their mothers and sisters. It is the nature of boys to be tyrannical to the other sex, but they will lose nothing by being as kind and gentle as they can be. _Boys' Brigade Inspection, Newport, April 19th, 1894._ [Illustration: "_It is the nature of boys to be tyrannical to the other sex._"] It has been well said that good manners are something to everybody, and everything to somebody. Some people will not take anyone into employment unless they have good manners. As an old soldier, I know the value of _esprit de corps_. A hundred soldiers with the spirit of their corps are worth two hundred who do not care a straw about the regiment. _Pontywain School, December 15th, 1909._ Mr. Labouchere has said he would rather have a gentleman of bad morals who voted right, than a gentleman whose morals were right but who voted wrong. Well, I would rather have a gentleman whose manners are good, even though he votes wrong, than one who votes right and whose manners are bad. _Licensed Victuallers' Dinner, July 13th, 1891._ REVERENCE FOR RELIGION. As I grow older I find that the younger people are the less they like advice, and the less likely they are to take it. But I hope you will henceforth be good citizens of this great country. In your Brigade you are taught to have reverence for religion and respect for authority, which are great principles to get on with. _Boys' Brigade Inspection, April 4th, 1895._ THE TEACHING OF REFINEMENT. There has been a great deal of talk lately about education. We have had board schools and national schools, and we are now going to have technical schools. But there is one point we have not yet arrived at--the teaching of refinement. I look upon the Eisteddfod as encouraging literature and music and art, as one of the great institutions for the encouragement of refinement in general life. We may become very well educated and very scientific, but unless there is refinement among us in general life, we will naturally tend towards roughness of manners. _Brecon Eisteddfod, August 18th, 1889._ IN PRAISE OF HOSPITALS.