George Washington’s Fourth Rule “Humm Not”

24^th March 2012

Dear Cassi,

Today I commit to memory George Washington’s fourth rule of civil conduct: “In the Presence of Others Sing not to yourself with a humming Noise, nor Drum with your Fingers or Feet.” This rule is again a simple one to understand. It means don’t make noises that bother others.

       

This includes the aforementioned but also would cover cracking your knuckles and the like. I know this bothers some people and apparently it is also considered rude. Well, one should probably keep from doing those things to avoid rudeness.

       

This would be akin to walking into a movie theater with your cell phone on. We all know how annoying that can be. Moreover, any of those actions would imply that you are not giving the party your full attention. This too would be rude.

       

So another way of saying this would be ‘when in company offer no distraction to yourself and be attentive to those around you.’ The actions of a man alone are not the actions of a man in company. After all, we wash ourselves with the door shut for good reason.

Stay safe, little sister

Richard Leland Neal

Also updating today!

Random Street Theater a Comic

http://randomstreet.blogspot.com/