Good Manners

GOOD MANNERS

J.C.HILL

Introduction

Good manners is an essence from John C. Hill's (1888-1943) book titled 'An

Introduction To Citizenship'. The essay Good Manners is a how-to guide on proper

social behaviour. J C Hill was born into a comfortable middle-class family and

acquired his education at Horrow and Trinity College. He became a priest and

committed his life to serving humanity.

Manner is a method of doing things, a way of acting towards others, and the author

provides us an account of excellent manners and ideals that are fading in today's

society.He emphasises the significance of moral ideals and good manners as aspects

of one's personality

Good Manners

J. C. Hill

TEXT

There was once a young man who was strong and healthy and enjoyed his work. In

every way he felt on top of life, and had no sympathy for the uninteresting folk who

seemed to form such a large proportion of the population. One day he got an attack

of influenza. He had had it before and paid little attention to it, but this time he

developed pneumonia and was dangerously ill. When he recovered he could only

move slowly. He was easily tired and life became difficult for him. When he was well

enough to go to work he found the journey home very trying. He looked at the young
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men sitting comfortably in the train or bus, and he was feeling tired himself, he

noticed how tired some of the older people who were standing beside him looked.

Gradually he got strong again, but when he was in a train or bus he now looked

round to see if there was any older person in need of a seat, and if there was he gave

up his. 'I've got my strength back now,' he said to himself; ‘these older people will

never have their strength again.'

When you are cycling and see an old man hesitating on a crossing, don't call him an

old fool. He may not hear very well, or he may not see clearly, or he may have become

tired with walking. Perhaps he was a famous soldier in the War and his wounds are

still painful, or perhaps he has an artificial leg. One day you may go to a war and be

severely injured. What will you think if schoolboys make fun of you because you can

only move slowly?

One of the things all boys and girls are going to learn before very long is that they are

fragile little things in a dangerous world. Your parents and your teachers and all

older people have had some severe blows already. They get more severe blows every

year. Most of them would give all the money they have to get your health and

strength, your good teeth and nice hair. You have no idea how tired they are at times,

but because they do not complain you think everything is all right. Well, try to make

life easy for them so far as you can, and when it is your turn to suffer you will feel

happier for having helped when you could.

Good manners are also important when you are with your own friends. When you

speak to anyone, speak clearly and sufficiently loudly for the person to hear. It is an

insult to a person to ask his attention and then speak so that he does not understand

you. And remember it is your responsibility to make yourself understood. An

American writer called Thoreau said, 'It takes two to speak the truth-one to speak,

and another to hear.' This is a very the truth important saying, and it would save a
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great deal of argument and annoyance in life if people paid attention to it. “It takes

two to speak the truth.' You cannot speak the truth by saying what think is the truth.

You have to express it differently for different people. To some people 'socialism'

means taking money from those who have money and giving it to those who have

none. To other people, ‘socialism' means State control of industry and commerce. To

others we cannot tell a man ‘the truth about socialism' until you know what he

understands by the term to you say, 'I believe in socialism', and he understands that

you mean you believe in robbery, you must not be surprised if he takes a dislike to

you; and if that is not what you mean, you did not speak the truth. If a man says to a

friend, ‘Good morning, Mr. A.', and the friend replies, 'It's not a good morning at all,

is that the truth, even if the morning is bad?

Sometimes people ask very tiresome questions and we like to make a joke about it.

Are you a Boy Scout?' said a lady to a boy wearing shorts, a jersey with badges, a

Scout's hat, and carrying a Boy Scout pole. “No,' said the little fellow, I'm two eggs on

toast.' The lady only meant, however, 'How nice you look in your uniform; that is the

Scout uniform, isn't it?' and there was really nothing silly in her remark.

It is only stupid people who take remarks too literally, as we say; that is, who do not

look for the real meaning in the statements people make. Thus, when a friend says,

'You will not be going past the post office, will you?' he may mean, 'I should be

grateful if you would post a letter for me if it is not too much trouble. If you say 'No'

to the question because you are not going past the post office, it means to your friend

that you are not willing to go out of your way even a little to oblige him.

It is not always easy in company to speak frankly, and if you don't want to be

considered a bad-mannered person, you have watch constantly for signs. It is not

easy, for example, to listen to long to any one person. Try in company to take only a

fair s of the conversation. If there are two of you, take half of it. W you have said a
Good Manners
little, keep quiet, and give your friend a chance say something. If he does not talk, he

probably does not want you to talk either. Many a young man or woman talks away,

thinking the company is delighted to hear him or her, and everyone is really

exhausted and angry.

Don't think you can say unpleasant things about someone behind his back and not be

found out. It is surprising how the remarks usually find their way to the person with

your name watched, so to speak. Whatever you say, always assume that the person

may overhear, and adjust your remarks accordingly. All experienced people act in

this way.

Now here is one of the most surprising things in life: no man really understands

himself. What a lot of argument and anger we should be saved if people would only

understand this! Suppose, for example, you saw a motor accident and were giving

evidence about what happened. You would feel perfectly confident, perhaps, that the

car which knocked the boy over was a blue car; another person would be equally

confident that it was a grey car; and someone else that it was a black car.

Experiments are sometimes made by experts to find out how many errors people do

make in their statements. Here is one experiment which was tried. Some students at

a university were shown on a screen a picture of a bull-fight. They were then asked to

write a short account of what they had seen. When this was finished they were told to

put a number on every statement made—1. if they thought so; 2. if they were fairly

sure about it; 3. if they were quite sure and 4. if they were prepared to swear to the

statement on oath. Every student had at least ten per cent errors in the statements he

was prepared to swear to an oath, and considerably more than ten per cent in all the

other groups.

Now how does this happen? Here, for example, was one mistake. A student saw the

bull having its tongue out. He was quite sure about it. Yet when he was shown the
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picture again, he saw that the bull's mouth was closed, but that, because its head was

turned to the side, the ear looked like the tongue. So whenever you are arguing with

someone about a point, remember that there is quite a good chance that you are

wrong, however confident you feel about it.

Good manners come from having sympathy with others and understanding our own

limitations. “The truth' is too big for any one of us to understand. “The truth' as we

see it is only our truth and part of a larger truth. We should always realise that we are

humble, unimportant little people on this earth and try to help the world as much as

we can in our short time here. ‘I expect to pass through this world but once. Any

good, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature,

let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.'

-J.C.Hill

GLOSSARY

Strong and healthy – Energetic

Felt on top of life – Happy and satisfied in life

Uninterested folk– Common men who are dull and boring.

Gave up – Abandoned

Hesitating – pausing a little

Wounds – Injuries

Severely – very badly

Little attention – no care

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Fragile – delicate

Severe blows – harsh knocks or experiences

Complain – not satisfied or to grumble

Make fun of – laugh at

Thoreau – A well known American writer

Argument – heated exchange of views

Annoyance – displeasure

Literally – According to the actual meaning of word/expression

Silly – foolish Remarks , comments

Exhausted – Tired

Assume – Suppose

Unpleasant things – Talk bad about somebody

Account – Description

Swear to an oath – To promise publicly that you are telling the truth

Knocked over – Hit with a vehicle

Evidence – Something that gives a reason for believing something.

Good Chance – Considerable possibility

Jersey – Knitted woollen or cotton clothing with long sleeves and no buttons for the

upper part of the body

Limitations – What we cannot do/constraints

Realize – Understand Humble – Showing that you are less important

Defer – delay
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Neglect – No due consideration/attention

Summary

Sympathy is a virtue not weakness

This essay good manners starts with story of a young man. He was strong and

healthy and loved his work. He felt on top of the world in every sphere of life. But at

the same time he had absolutely no sympathy for the people around him. He holds

the opinion that the people around him are dull and boring people. One day he fell

ill. He was down with influenza which eventually developed into pneumonia and was

bed-ridden. Even after recovering from his illness, he became very weak and frail. He

could hardly walk and would easily get tired. It became extremely difficult for him to

manage his life smoothly. When he joined his work he found the journey home very

painful and tiresome. He observed that strong and healthy young men sitting

comfortably in the train or bus. He saw that the old men standing near him were very

tired and helpless. The incident of falling ill and feeling helpless changed him

completely. His illness changed his perception of seeing things around him. He

became strong again but with a new vision and attitude. He became humble, kind

and considerate. He used to offer his seat to anyone else in the train or bus. He said

that he had got his strength back after illness but the older people would never get it

back.

 Stay humble and polite with old fellows

In another instance, author gives an account why we should be humble and polite

with old fellows. When we see an old man stopping or moving unsteadily on a

crossing, we should not call him an old fool. There may be some reasons like he may

have his powers of hearing or seeing damaged or weakened due to old age or he
Good Manners
might have got tired with walking. It is possible that he was a famous soldier in the

war and his wounds are still painful to him. Or he might be having an artificial leg. It

is also possible that anyone of us might have to fight in a war in the future and we

could be badly wounded. It is therefore bad and unwise to make fun of those who

walk slowly.

 Respect your parents, teacher and elders

Young generation doesn’t to what extent our teachers, parents and all the older

people might have suffered. They already have faced some severe blows in their lives.

And each year of old age is a challenge. Our parents sacrifice their comfort to make

us feel better and comfortable. They receive more severe setbacks in each stage of

life. Most of us would be willing to give everything they want to get their health and

strength back. Since they do not complain, we think that everything is fine with

them. We must try our best to make their life comfortable. They deserve more care

and respect than we think. When it comes to our turn to suffer, we will feel happier

for having helped when we were in a position to do so. The author says we must

realise that our existence is delicate and may not last forever.

 It takes two to speak the truth

J. C. Hill explains the importance and necessity of good manners when we are among

our own friends. When we speak to anyone, we must speak clearly and loudly so that

others can hear us and understand us. It would be an insult to a person if we invite

his attention and then speak in a way that he does not understand us. It is our

primary duty to make ourselves understood by our listener.

Hill quotes Thoreau, an American writer, who once said ‘‘It takes two to speak the

truth-one to speak and other to hear’’ .It takes two to speak the truth means truth
Good Manners
survives in mutual agreement of speaker and listener. Both have to agree on a

particular statement. More over there should be clear communication between them.

If we follow Thoreau’s quotation, we would save much argument and displeasure in

life. One cannot speak the truth by saying what one thinks is the truth. The thought

process may vary from person to person. One has to express it differently for

different people. One’s six could be somebody else’s nine. For some people the

meaning of socialism is taking money from those who have plenty and distributing

the same to those who do not have it. To another set of people, socialism means state

control of industry and commerce. So, one’s socialism can be other’s robbery. We

therefore cannot say that we have spoken the truth about socialism, unless we know

what the person we have spoken to, understands by it.

 Remarks should not be taken too literally

If a man says to a friend, “Good morning, Mr. A, and the friend in reply says, it is not

a good morning at all.” The man has not spoken the truth as the listener does not

understand the man. Remarks should not be taken too literally. Those who take them

with their basic meaning often make mistakes in understanding them. Only stupid

people fail to find the exact notion in other’s statements. Your friend asks you that he

will be thankful if you post a letter for him if you were going past the post office. If

you say not to the question your friend may think that you were not willing to oblige

him.

 Good manners come from the realisation of our own limitations

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Author argues that good manners come from the realisation of our own limitations.

Good manners come from having sympathy with others and understanding our own

limitations.

 Pay attention to the gestures while speaking in company.

In a company, we often find that it is not easy to speak frankly. One must watch for

response .There are sharp chances that you will be considered ill -mannered. At the

same time it becomes hard to go on listening to one person for long. Instead of

monopolising the conversation, we need to take care that everyone should get a

chance to speak. If someone keeps quiet, it means he wants you also to keep quiet. It

is not worth to talk endlessly. J. C. Hill also point outs the problem of back-biting.

Saying irritating or bad things behind someone’s back is not ethically correct.

Moreover, we will be found out. When we say something about someone, we must

always assume that the other person will come to know about what we have spoken

against him. One must change one’s remarks accordingly. This is what we have to

learn from experienced people how they act. No man is able to understand himself. It

is one of the most surprising things. But if we are able to understand ourselves, much

of the argument and anger could be avoided. It is often observed that people often

make wrong statements and consciously or unintentionally we become a part in

spreading rumours.

Illustrating the example of students shown a bull-fight on the screen, they

make errors in their description of account of the bull-fight. So whenever we

are arguing with someone on a point, we should always bear in mind that we

can be wrong. There are always two sides of a single coin. Good manners are

ways of behaving or speaking, especially when they are full of politeness and
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courtesy. They come from having sympathy with others, from understanding

our own limitations. We should know that we are little people on this planet

for a little time and our existence is temporary. It becomes our duty to be

sympathetic, polite and humble to fellow men as we are to pass our existence

in this world only once. So we must try to do good to others.

Questions and answers

Short Answer type

 There is a phrase used by author in the essay ‘On top of life’ .What

does it mean?

When someone is in youth he is supposed to be on top of life .The energy, the

enthusiasm and the vigour he owns, remains at peak in the young age. “On top of

life” means having all the positive aspects at a peak and to deal with life in a

successful manner. It gives him the feeling of strong and healthy and he finds

himself on top.

What did the young man feel about the people around him? Did the

young man show sympathy for them?

Young man shows no sympathy for the people around him, to whom he finds

‘uninteresting folks’. The young man feels these uninteresting folks are dull and

boring and are of no importance.

 What according to the author young people should do for their

parents, teachers old people in the society?

Author says in the essay it is the duty of young people to make life easy and

comfortable for the older people, including their parents and teachers. These older
Good Manners
people including our teachers and parents have sacrificed a lot to make us able to live

happy and prosperous life. In the old age they are in dire need of support and

attention from young people at this crucial stage of their life.

How can we save a lot of argument and anger?

It’s an old saying that ‘‘a good speaker is a good listener’’. We could save a lot

of argument and anger if we speak and listen wisely. If we understand that

different people have different opinion on a single subject. Somebody’s nine can

be other’s six. We cannot speak the truth by saying whatever we know is the

truth. Comprehension is the key to any conversation. By knowing the both sides

of coin we can save a big deal of argument.

 What are the guidelines that author lays down while speaking to

anyone?

We should speak clearly and loudly so that the listener understood us. It is our

responsibility to make ourselves understood. It would be an insult for the listener

if we fail to make him understand what we are speaking.

Textual questions

 What is the significance of the story of the young man at the

beginning of the essay?

J.C. Hill teaches us the moral values via the illustration of a young man’s story in the

beginning. During his happy hours, the young man did not care at all for others. He

was apathetic to the people around him especially old people. But then he fell ill due

to influenza and pneumonia. He became very weak. During his period of illness he

realised how insensitive he was. His illness brought about a great change in his way

of thinking. It was a kind of moral awakening. He began to show sympathy for the
Good Manners
old. Whenever he saw an old man in need of a seat in a bus or train, he would offer

his own seat to the old man. The story of the young man gives us a useful lesson.

Young men and women should treat the old people with sympathy and

consideration. They should realize that the old people will never get back the strength

of their youthful days.

 Why are good manners important?

Good manners are identity of a person and are an essential part of one’s personality.

A man’s image is drawn as per the way he behaves. So, good manners play an

important role in shaping human character. Young people in particular must

cultivate good manners so that they become useful members of the society. They

must treat the old and physically or economically weak members of society with

special care and sympathy. All it is possible if we grow good manners. Good manners

teach young people to be full of consideration. The virtue of kindness must. Young

people must learn to be caring and thoughtful. Good manners teach us empathy for

people around us especially elderly people.

 What, according to the author, is the common factor about all boys

and girls?

The common factor about them is that they often remain unaware to their own

limitations. They have absolutely no sympathy for elderly people. For young

generation old men are worthless, useless, and boring. They have forgotten that it is

their duty to take care of people around them. They must learn about the need for

service, empathy and consideration. It is most important task to cultivate good

manners within us.

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 What is the difference between literal meaning and real meaning?

Which one is to be considered according to the author?

J. C. hill states that only stupid people fail to find the exact notion in other’s

statements. Literal meaning of any word or phrase may be different from the surface

meaning. When we speak to someone, we expect listener to take the surface meaning

of our words. But if the listener takes the meaning so literally there are sharp chances

that he will misunderstand us. He will miss the exact meaning of our words which is

real meaning. The meaning intended by the speaker is the real meaning. The author

is of the view that the real meaning should be considered as of greater importance

than the surface or literal meaning. Only the real meaning enables us to understand

the truth.

 What does the author say about speaking the truth? How does he

support his statement?

The author of the essay J. C. Hill quotes American writer Thoreau’s statement ‘‘it

takes two to speak truth-one to speak other to hear’’. In the words of the author, it

takes two to speak the truth. One cannot speak the truth by saying what one thinks is

the truth. One has to express it differently for different people. He supports his

statement by the example of two different people discussing the idea of socialism,

Read the text carefully and answer the questions that follow.

 It takes two to speak the truth-one to speak, and another to hear.”

What does the writer wish to convey through this remarks made

by Thoreau.

we can save a great deal of argument and annoyance in life if we listen carefully to

someone and response patiently. Hill quotes Thoreau, an American writer, who once
Good Manners
said ‘‘It takes two to speak the truth-one to speak and other to hear’’. It takes two to

speak the truth means truth survives in mutual agreement of speaker and listener.

Both have to agree on a particular statement. More over there should be clear

communication between them. If we follow Thoreau’s quotation, we would save

much argument and displeasure in life. One cannot speak the truth by saying what

one thinks is the truth. The thought process may vary from person to person. One

has to express it differently for different people. One’s six could be somebody else’s

nine. For some people the meaning of socialism is taking money from those who have

plenty and distributing the same to those who do not have it. To another set of

people, socialism means state control of industry and commerce. So, one’s socialism

can be other’s robbery. We therefore cannot say that we have spoken the truth about

socialism, unless we know what the person we have spoken to, understands by it.

 “It is not easy in company to speak frankly.” Why not?

In a company, we often find that it is not easy to speak frankly. One must watch for

response .There are sharp chances that you will be considered ill -mannered. At the

same time it becomes hard to go on listening to one person for long. Instead of

monopolising the conversation, we need to take care that everyone should get a

chance to speak. Moreover, we have to speak clearly and loudly so that our hearer

understands us. It is an insult to a person if we invite his attention and then speak to

him so that he does not understand us. It is our responsibility to make ourselves

understood..

 “Now here is one of the most surprising things in life.” What is

most surprising? Why is it so?

Good Manners
The author feels that most surprising statement is that no man understands himself.

But if we only try to understand this fact, we can save a lot of argument and anger.

The author explains it by giving an example of a motor accident is seen by you. You

would give a description of the accident which not be correct for other viewers.

Everyone gives his own version of the incident. Another person or a third person

would give another version. Experiments are sometimes made to find out how people

make mistakes in their statements.

 “The truth is too big for any of us to understand.” What is the

truth? How is it related to good manners?

A man said to have good manners if he shares mutual feelings of fellow beings.

Good manners come from having sympathy with people around us. if we understand

our own limitations and have sympathy for the world around we certainly become

good person with a pure heart. This is the ‘truth.’ It is so big that none of us can

understand it. We should always realize that we are petty, unimportant, small people

of this planet. We should try to help the world as much as we can in our short stay on

this earth. It has connection with good manners. We cannot a moral character and

good manners without having due consideration for others.

Answer the following questions in 250 words each

.(Examination oriented questions)

 “No man really understands himself.’ Explain.

The author feels that most surprising statement is that no man understands himself.

But if we only try to understand this fact, we can save a lot of argument and anger.

The author explains it by giving an example of a motor accident is seen by you. You
Good Manners
would give a description of the accident which not be correct for other viewers.

Everyone gives his own version of the incident. Another person or a third person

would give another version. Experiments are sometimes made to find out how people

make mistakes in their statements. The writer describes one experiment which was

tried. Some students at the university were shown pictures of a bull-fight. When this

was finished they were instructed to put a number on every statement made. They

had to put number- 1 if they thought so; number 2- if they were fairly sure about it

and number 3- if they were quite sure and number 4- if they were willing to swear to

the statement on oath. It was found that every student had at least ten percent error

in the statements. A student saw the bull with his tongue out. He was quite sure

about it. When he was shown the picture again, he saw that the bull’s mouth was

closed. Thus they made mistakes. From this one thing becomes clear. Whenever we

are arguing with someone about a point, there is every possibility that we are wrong

even if we are very confident about our remark.

 Why does one have to express the truth differently to different

people? Give reasons for your answer with suitable examples from

the text.

We need to understand that different people have different opinion on a single

subject. Somebody’s nine can be other’s six. We cannot speak the truth by saying

whatever we know is the truth. Comprehension is the key to any conversation. By

knowing the both sides of coin we can save a big deal of argument. The author

of the essay Good manners helps us to understand this notion by illustrating the

example of people’s opinion on socialism. To some people socialism means

taking money from those who have it and giving it to those who have not means.

To other people socialism means State control of industry and commerce. We

Good Manners
cannot tell a man about socialism until he understands what socialism is. If we

say that we believe in socialism, and he understands that we mean we believe in

robbery, he would not like us. Sometimes people ask very teasing questions and

we like to make a joke about it. A lady saw a boy in shorts, a jersey with badges, a

scout’s hat, and carrying a boy scout’s pole. The little boy told the lady, “I am two

eggs on toast”. The lady simply made a remark to the effect that the boy looked

very smart in his scout’s uniform. There was nothing silly in her remarks. It is

only foolish or silly people who take remarks too literally without looking for the

real meaning in the statements that people make.

 Bring out the significance of good manners in life with Hill’s views

in mind

Good manners are identity of a person and they form an essential part of one’s

personality. A man’s image is drawn as per the way he behaves. So, good manners

play an important role in formation of human character. Young people in particular

must cultivate good manners so that they become useful me This essay good

manners starts with story of a young man. He was strong and healthy and loved his

work. He felt on top of the world in every sphere of life. But at the same time he had

absolutely no sympathy for the people around him. He holds the opinion that the

people around him are dull and boring people. One day he fell ill. He was down with

influenza which eventually developed into pneumonia and was bed-ridden. Even

after recovering from his illness, he became very weak and frail. He could hardly

walk and would easily get tired. It became extremely difficult for him to manage his

life smoothly. When he joined his work he found the journey home very painful and

tiresome. He observed that strong and healthy young men sitting comfortably in the

train or bus. He saw that the old men standing near him were very tired and helpless.
Good Manners
The incident of falling ill and feeling helpless changed him completely. His illness

changed his perception of seeing things around him. He became strong again but

with a new vision and attitude. He became humble, kind and considerate. He used to

offer his seat to anyone else in the train or bus. He said that he had got his strength

back after illness but the older people would never get it back. Young generation

doesn’t to what extent our teachers, parents and all the older people might have

suffered. They already have faced some severe blows in their lives. And each year of

old age is a challenge. Our parents sacrifice their comfort to make us feel better and

comfortable. They receive more severe setbacks in each stage of life. Most of us

would be willing to give everything they want to get their health and strength back.

Since they do not complain, we think that everything is fine with them. We must try

our best to make their life comfortable. They deserve more care and respect than we

think. When it comes to our turn to suffer, we will feel happier for having helped

when we were in a position to do so. The author says we must realise that our

existence is delicate and may not last forever. Good manners are ways of behaving or

speaking, especially when they are full of politeness and courtesy. They come from

having sympathy with others, from understanding our own limitations. We should

know that we are little people on this planet and here for a short stay.

How did the attack of influenza change the young man’s attitude towards

old men?

This essay good manners starts with a story of a young man. He was strong and

healthy and loved his work. He felt on top of the world in every sphere of life . But at

the same time he had absolutely no sympathy for the people around him. He holds

the opinion that the people around him are dull and boring people. One day he fell

ill. He was down with influenza. He developed pneumonia and was bed-ridden. After
Good Manners
recovering from his illness, he became very weak and frail. He could hardly walk and

would easily get tired. Life became difficult for him. When he joined his work he

found the journey home very painful. He observed that strong and healthy young

men sitting comfortably in the train or bus. He saw that the old men standing near

him were very tired. He became strong again but he became very kind and

considerate. He used to offer his seat to anyone else in the train or bus. He said that

he had got his strength back after illness but the older people would never get it back.

 What precautions one should take to speaking in company?

Ans. The manners of speaking at differ according to situation, occasion or event. One

is required to express the truth differently to different people. The reason is simple.

We cannot speak the truth by saying what we think is the truth. The listener must

also understand us so that he is able to catch our intended meaning to take an

example from the text, to some people socialism means taking money from those

who have it and giving it to those who have not means. To other people socialism

means State control of industry and commerce. We cannot tell a man about socialism

until he understands what socialism is. If we say that we believe in socialism, and he

understands that we mean we believe in robbery, he would not like us. Sometimes

people ask very teasing questions and we like to make a joke about it. A lady saw a

boy in shorts, a jersey with badges, a scout’s hat, and carrying a boy scout’s pole. The

little boy told the lady, “I am two eggs on toast”. The lady simply made a remark to

the effect that the boy looked very smart in his scout’s uniform. There was nothing

silly in her remarks. It is only foolish or silly people who take remarks too literally

without looking for the real meaning in the statements that people make.
Good Manners