AS a matter of fact, it is never too early to begin to acquire the
technique of correct eating, and the nursery is the best possible place
for the first lessons in dining-room behavior. Children should be taught
at an early age the fundamentals of "table" manners in such a way that
by the time they have reached the years of manhood the correct use of
knife, fork, spoon and fingerbowl is to them almost second nature. But
the parents should remember, above everything else, to instruct their
children in such a way that the pupil takes pleasure in his lessons.
This is the method which is employed today in every successful school
or "kindergarten"; this is the method which really produces satisfactory
results.

Thus, for example, if you are a father and your boy Edward persists in
bringing his pet tadpole to the table in a glass jar, you should
not punish or scold him; a much more effective and graphic method of
correcting this habit would be for you to suddenly pick up the tadpole
one day at luncheon and swallow it. No whipping or scolding would so
impress upon the growing boy the importance of the fact that the dinner
table is not the place for pets.

Another effective way of teaching table manners to children consists
in making up attractive games about the various lessons to be learned.
Thus, whenever you have guests for dinner, the children can play "Boner"
which consists in watching the visitor closely all during the meal in
order to catch him in any irregularity in table etiquette. As soon as
the guest has committed a mistake, the first Child to discover it points
his finger at him and shouts, "Pulled a Boner, Pulled a Boner!" and the
boy or girl who discovers the greatest number of "Boners" during the
evening is rewarded with a prize, based on the following table of
points:

If the guest has dirty hands, 5 points.
If the guest uses wrong fork or spoon, 5 points.
If the guest chokes on bone, 8 points.
If the guest blows on soup, 5 points.
If the guest drops fork or spoon, 3 points.
If the guest spills soup on table, 10 points.
If the guest spills soup on self, 1 point.

Of course it is often well to tell the guests about the game in advance
in order that they may not feel embarrassed but will enter thoroughly
into the spirit of this helpful sport.

A CHILD'S GARDEN OF ETIQUETTE

Children can also acquire knowledge more easily if it is imparted to
them in the form of verse or easy rhymes, and many