And it is well worth striving for.
COURTESY IN CONVERSATION
A Crow Indian once said to Dr. Lowie, "You Whites show no respect to your
sisters. You talk to them." Other instances of how respect and courtesy
can be shown in conversation, is found in the traditions and present-day
practices of other countries.
In China, for instance, a young man will not introduce into conversation,
a topic which has not already been touched upon by his elders. On the
Fiji Islands, a woman does not talk to her mother-in-law, and among the
Sioux, a young man does not talk at all unless someone else addresses
him. These signs of courtesy in conversation have a certain distinct
significance in the countries where they are practiced.
Courtesy is the very foundation of all good conversation. Good speech
consists as much in listening politely as in talking agreeably. Someone
has said, very wisely, "A talker who monopolizes the conversation is by
common consent insufferable, and a man who regulates his choice of topics
by reference to what interests not his hearers but himself has yet to
learn the alphabet of the art.
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