31st March 2012
Dear
Cassi,
Today I
commit to memory George Washington’s fifth rule of civility and decent
behavior: “If You Cough, Sneeze, Sigh, or Yawn, do it not Loud but
Privately; and Speak not in your Yawning, but put Your handkerchief or Hand
before your face and turn aside.” Again
this is a rule that can be taken at face value but still a rule I have broken
more than a few times. Mostly in yawning.
In Washington’s time
dental hygiene was less advanced and so a man’s breath was rather foul. Now
days it is rude to breathe on folks because we know it spreads disease.
Washington himself had one tooth left in his head and was known for short
speeches as result.
I can’t imagine what
his breath must have been like, but I know I would never want a person with so
rotted a mouth breathing on me. I imagine that now we can add to this rule
“keep your mouth clean. Brush your teeth before leaving the house, and at very
least chew gum after eating.”
Stay away from
stinkers, little sister
Richard Leland Neal
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