Awkwardness In Society

Nothing tends to make people so awkward as too much auxiety to ploase others. Nature is graceful ; and affectation, with all art, eau never produce anything half so pleasing. The very perfeotion ot' eleganoo is to imítate as closely as possible; and how muoh botter it is to have the reality than the iraitation. We shall probably be remindcd that the best and most unaffected poople are constrained and awkward in company to which they are accustomed. Wo answer, the reason is they do not act themselvos, they are afraid they shall not act right, and that very fear niakes them do wrong. Anxiety about the opinión of others fetters the freedom of nature. At homo, whoro they act from within themselves, they would appear a thousand times bettor AU would appear well if they did nol try to assume-what they did not possess Everybody is respectable and pleasing so long as he is perfectly natural. We will make no excoption - naturo is always graceful. The most secluded and the most ignorant have some charm about them so long as they affect nothiug ; so long as they speak and act from the impulses of their own honest hearts, without any anxiety about what others think of it. Coarsoness and vulgarity are the effect of education and habit ; they cannot be charged upon nature. Truo politeness may be cherished in the hovel as well as in the palaoe, and the most tattered drapery cannot conceal its winning charms. As far as consistent with your situation and duties, early accustom your children to an intercourse with strangers Wo have seen young persous who were respectable and polite at home, seized with the most painful and unbecoming bashfulness as soon as a guest entered. To avoid this, allow your childron to accompany you as often as possible when you make calis and social visita. Occasional interviews with intelligent and cultivated individuals have gieat influence on early characters and manners, particularly if parents evidently placo a high value upon acquaintances of that description. We haveknown thedestiny of a whole family greatly changed for the better by the friendship of one of its members with a person of superior advantages and correct principies.