Tea at Trianon: Manners for Fun

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Manners for Fun

Emily's Everyday Manners is more than an etiquette book for children; it entertains as well, according to the following review:

What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this is a funny little book to teach kids about good manners.
Families can talk about good and bad manners. Can you think of times when you had nice manners and times when you didn't? What happened when you didn't? Parents might also want to arrange a social time for kids to practice good manners, like a tea party with a friend or a special outing with a beloved relative.

Common Sense Media Review
The spirit of manners maven Emily Post lives on in the efforts of her family. Great-granddaughter-in-law Peggy Post and great-granddaughter Dr. Cindy Post Senning take their family heritage seriously, but with a liveliness that suits a kids' picture book.

Emily and Ethan are best friends with a passion for etiquette. Throughout their day -- swinging on the playground, eating cookies, and even visiting the president -- they remember to say "please" and "thank you" and when to use a napkin.

There's a lot of information here, and not every child is going to grasp all of the lessons. But the book has enough entertainment value to be read just for fun, too.

Cheery pen-and-ink illustrations keep pages busy and engaging, and lots of dialogue moves the book along quickly. Children will like identifying with familiar situations. They will also get a kick out of "Emily's Don'ts" -- small pictures that show up in the corner occasionally illustrating Emily getting it wrong.