Friday, May 18, 2007

A Lady is sweet.....

I found the below quotation here, via The New Beginning's very thorough post on manners. It is from another century, but not without value for women of today. Reading it, I can see that I would have been considered very wayward by the standards of yesteryear (as my husband would agree. Holding the tongue and restraining the temper are not among my strong points.)

A lady is sweet, even-tempered and kind, never shying away from her Christian duty to any in need. A lady is always properly and nicely dressed, be she tending the sick, having tea or attending the ballet. A lady never raises her voice, for a show of temper is unsightly in a woman. A lady is meek and humble, never seeking to raise herself with words, but always to extol others’ virtues and accomplishments. A lady never knows more than a gentleman on any given subject, and if she does, she is obliged to hold her tongue. A lady never fails to be polite to anyone, be he or she queen or a beggar, a widow or a child. A lady offers everything of herself and her home to any who asks it of her. A lady never seeks the company of a gentleman, and is never alone with a gentleman who is not her relation, husband or fiancé. A lady seeks to give pleasure to those around her, through her words and deeds. A lady never runs, never exerts herself. A lady is generous yet economical. A lady knows when to speak, to add to the conversation with her gentle views, and she knows when to be silent, for men always know the world far better than a woman. A lady is a teacher and a student, imparting lessons of virtue to her children, yet learning obedience and honesty from God. She is always virtuous, always temperate, never rude nor angry. A lady is the morality of the world. Share

8 comments:

Ginny said...

This is beautiful!..... and so very true. I would love to get this framed to put up in my home and to give to some people I know.

Anonymous said...

Well, I cannot agree with all these.

For example I do not agree with the statements below:
1. A lady never knows more than a gentleman on any given subject, and if she does, she is obliged to hold her tongue.
2. A lady knows when to speak, to add to the conversation with her gentle views, and she knows when to be silent, for men always know the world far better than a woman.


Elena, my dear friend...I think that one should take what is good from the past, but not all.

I do not want to be a THIS kind of lady who is holding her tongue anyway. :-).
I think that the model of woman which Edith Stein or JPII propose is closer to what I want to be.

elena maria vidal said...

"1. A lady never knows more than a gentleman on any given subject, and if she does, she is obliged to hold her tongue.
2. A lady knows when to speak, to add to the conversation with her gentle views, and she knows when to be silent, for men always know the world far better than a woman."

Ha, ha! Yes, dear, those are the things that do not sit too well with me either. As I said, it is from another century, and we take the things that are good from it and discard what is not so good. I do think that as far as married women go, however, it is not good in a marriage for a wife to be correcting her husband's errors all the time, especially in front of other people, which can be demeaning to a man. And vice versa, a husband should not belittle his wife either, especially before others. Such courtesies also are little acts of charity and make for a successful relationship.

Anonymous said...

Yes, very much agree.:-).

Anonymous said...

I like best the last line: A lady is the morality of the world.

elena maria vidal said...

Yes, me too!

Anonymous said...

I often told my daughters that Women are the civilizing force of the world. But, Oh, how often I fell short of being a lady without realizing that it is an ideal toward which to strive. There was a time when young ladies were reminded quite frequently by their mothers when they were not behaving in a ladylike fashion. Also the mother was a good model having been taught by HER mother. Manners was one of the ways one could detect the class and upbringing of a person, however since the revolutions of the 19th and 20th Century which brought an equalizing force to Western societies, breeding and manners fell by the wayside.

elena maria vidal said...

Great points, alaughland! I think also we need to see being a lady as an imitation of Mary, in her meekness and humility, in her strength and courage and steadfastness.