Temper, Temper, Temper!

the girl with a bad temperQ Dear Miss Abigail:

Is it polite to throw things at people?

Signed,
Miss Kate

A Dear Miss Kate:

Hmmm . . . why do I think you already know the answer to this question? But just in case you need a refresher course in common sense, I’ve located the following excerpts: the first is from Arlene Francis and her book titled That Certain Something: The Magic of Charm (1960). The other, found in Charm for Young Women, was written by Anne Culkin a few years later. I think they serve as a fine reminder of some of the troubles we may face as we try to stay on the path to Charm City.

Oh, Kate? Before we continue, would you do me a favor? Would you mind putting down that knife?

1960: Think About Someone You Dislike ~ And Wish Him Well Even If It Kills You

Our own pettiness and hatreds detract from charm much more seriously than we’re inclined to think. When I get letters (I resent letters that are anonymous) that tell me I make the viewer sick and why don’t I drop dead, I envision the mean, tight, little mind and soul that would prompt such an unpleasant attack, and know what a miserable life such a person must lead. To constantly slander those whom you dislike is to eat away at your own spirit. Inner harmony has for its outward expression grace and felicity, and while that may sound a little like Pollyanna at a picnic, it’s a darned sight easier to live with than hatred, which Byron so succinctly called ‘the madness of the heart.’

Source: Francis, Arlene. That Certain Something. New York: Julian Messner, Inc., 1960.
~ p. 139 ~

1963: Temper

The person who loses her temper loses much! The harsh words that cannot be recalled, the emotional outbursts that frighten as well as repel, prompt one to ask: ‘What is ever gained by it?’ If, prior to explosion, she were to ask herself this question instead of counting to ten as often recommended, the uncontrollable temper would soon be brought under control; and once again, or perhaps for the first time, the girl with a bad temper would be thought of as a lady!

Source: Culkin, Anne. Charm for Young Women. New York: Deus Books, 1963.
~ pp. 135-36 ~