"On Saying Please" Learn how to behave in the society in lesson

 I may be as uncivil (bad) as I may please (I may feel) and the law will protect me against violent retaliation (take revenge, बदला लेना). I may be haughty (having a high opinion of oneself and often A low opinion of others/ घमंडी). or  boorish (rude) and there  is  no penalty (fine/ दंड; जुर्माना; सजा )  to pay   except  the penalty of  being  written  down (become famous)  an ill-mannered  fellow . The law does not compel me to say “Please” or to attune my voice to other people’s sensibilities (the ability to experience deep feelings) any more than it says that I shall not wax my moustache or dye my hair or wear ringlets (घूँघराले बाल ) down my back. It does not recognize laceration (damage/ hurt) of our feeling as a case for compensation. There is no allowance (fee, payment, भत्ता) for moral and intellectual (mental) damages in these matters.

      This does not mean that the damages (amends) are negligible (neglectful/ तुच्छ; नगण्य). It is probable (likely) that the lift-man was much more acutely hurt (damage/चोट) by what he regarded as a slur (insult, बदनामी; दाग) upon his social standing (socially / social image) than he would have been if he had a kick on the shins, for which he  could have  got a legal redress (justice, समाधान). The pain(a blow with the foot)(ache/ दर्द) of a kick on the shins soon pass away (stop)  but the pain of a wound (injury on the heart, घाव; ज़ख़्म; चोट) to our self-respect (dignity. आत्म-सम्मान) or our vanity (pride, अस्मिता) may poison (spoil/ खराब करणे) a whole day. I can imagine that lift-man, denied ( not got) the relief of throwing the author of his wound out (mind) of the lift, brooding (thinking) over the insult by the hour, and visiting his wife in the evening as the only way of restoring (getting) his equilibrium (balance/ calm mental state/  plural noun: equilibria). For there are few things more catching than (attrctive) bad temper (mood स्वभाव) and bad manners (आदत). When Sir Anthony Absolute bullied (threaten, धमकाना; सताना) Captain Absolute, the latter went out and bullied his man, Fag, whereupon Fag went out downstairs and kicked the page- boy (helper) . 

Probably the who said "Top” to liftman-man was really (actually) only getting back (reply) on his employer (boss) who had not said “Good morning” to him because he himself had been henpecked (dominated) at breakfast by his wife, to whom the cook had been insolent (rude) because the housemaid had “answered her  back”.  We infect the world with our  ill-humours (bad nature). Bad manners probably do more to poison the stream (flow) of the general life than all the crimes in the calendar (in the year). For one wife who gets a black eye from an otherwise good- natured husband there are a hundred who live a life of martyrdom (torture शहादत) under the shadow of  A  morose (bad)  temper.  But all the same the law cannot become the guardian (protector संरक्षक) of our private manners (personal life).

No Decalogue (Ten Commandments given in the Bible, दस धार्मिक उपदेश) could cover the vast area of offences (crime) and no court could administer (manage/run/व्यवस्था करना) a law which governed (control/ नियन्त्रित करना) our social civilities (politeness/ शिष्टाचार), our speech, the tilt (turn/ एक तरफ झुकना) of our eyebrows and all our moods and manners.

                   But  though  we  are  bound (tied)  to  endorse (agree/ support)   the  verdict (judgment/ निर्णय; फैसला) against  the  lift-man,  most  people  will  have certain sympathy ( companion/pity/ सहानुभूति; हमदर्दी ) with him. While it is true that there is no law that compels (obligate / मजबूर करना) us to say “please”, there is a social practice (Pattern/ आदत) much older and much more sacred (spiritual /पूजनीय) than any law which enjoins (tell/command/लागू) us to be civil.

And the first requirement of civility is that we should acknowledge (admit/ स्वीकार करना; मान लेना) a service. “Please” and thank you”  are the small change with which we pay our ways as social beings. They are the little courtesies (respectful remark शिष्टाचार) by which we keep the machine of life oiled and running sweetly. They  put  our  intercourse (conversation)  upon  the basis of a friendly co-operation (दोस्ताना), an easy give- and- take, (good-natured exchange (as of ideas or comments))instead of on the basis of superiors (senior) dictating (order हुक्म चलाना; आदेश देना) to inferiors (Junior). It is a very vulgar (impolite/ असभ्य) mind that would wish to command where he can have the service for asking and have it with willingness and good-feeling instead of resentment (anger/ नाराजगी)   I should like to feature (present/tell/  पेश करना) in this connection my friend, the polite conductor. By this discriminating (differentiate/ दोष दाखवनारा शब्द) title I do not intend to suggest a rebuke (blame/oppose/ डांट-फटकार) to conductors generally.    

    On the contrary, I am disposed (likely /willing/  प्रवृत्त) to think that there are few classes of men who come through the ordeal (test / कठिन परीक्षा /परख) of a very trying calling better than bus conductors do. Here and there you will meet an unpleasant specimen (people/नमुने) who regards (consider) the passengers as his nature enemies (foe/ दुश्मन; शत्रु) –as creatures (people) whose chief (main/  प्रमुख) purpose on the bus is to cheat him, and who can only be kept reasonably honest  by a loud voice and an aggressive manner. But this type is rare-rarer than it used to be. I fancy (imagine/ like) the public owes (be obliged repay /expect/  आभारी होना; ऋणी होना) much to the Underground Railway Company, which also runs the buses, for insisting ( take a firm stand/ ज़ोर देना) on a certain standard (level) of civility (good behavior)  in  its servants and taking care that standard is observed. In doing this it not only makes things pleasant (joyful) for the travelling public, but performs an important social service.    

 It is not, therefore, with any feeling of unfriendliness (bad thinking/गलत सोच) to conductors as a class (society/community) that I pay a tribute (appreciation / प्रशंसा; आभार) to a particular member of that class. I first became conscious (aware/ realize/ अवगत)  of  his existence one day when I jumped on to a bus and found that I had left  home  without any  money  in  my  pocket. Everyone has had the experience and knows the feeling, the mixed feeling, which the discovery (finding /feeling) arouses (evoke/create). You are annoyed (irritated / परेशान) because you look like a fool at the best and like a knave (cheater/  धोखेबाज़) at the worst. You would not be at all surprised if the conductor eyed (looked) you coldly (displeasure) as much as to say, “Yes, I know that stale (common/ general/बासी; पुराना) old trick. Now then, off you get.’’ (get you down) And even if the conductor is a good fellow and lets you down easily, you are with the necessity of going back (need to go back home), and the inconvenience (trouble/hassle/ परेशानी; तकलीफ़), perhaps, of missing your train or your engagement (meeting appointment).     

Having searched my   pockets   in vain (Useless बेकार में  /व्यर्थ में) for stray coppers (coins), and having found I was utterly (totally)  penniless (without a penny / coin of a paisa/ cent ), I told the  conductor  with as honest a face as I  could assume (think) that I couldn’t pay the fare (ticket/ charge/ किराया), and must go back for money. “Oh you  needn’t  get off: that’s all right,” said he.  “All right,” said I, “but I haven’t a copper on me.” “Oh, I’ll book you through,” he replied. “Where d’ye (would you) want to go?” and he handled his bundle of tickets with the air of a man who was prepared (ready) to give me a ticket for anywhere from the Bank to Hong Kong. I said it was very kind of him, and told him where I wanted to go, and as he gave me the ticket I said, “But where shall I send the fare?” “Oh, you’ll see (meet) me some day all right,” he said cheerfully, he turned to go. And then, luckily, my fingers, still wandering in the corner of my pockets lighted on (got) a shilling the account was squared (Equal).  But that fact did not lessen the glow (shine)  of pleasure (joy/ happiness) which  so good-natured an action had given me.

         A few days after, my most sensitive (delicate/नाजूक) toe was trampled (injured/ fallen on कुचलना( on rather heavily as I sat reading on the top of a bus. I looked up with some anger (outrage / गुस्सा; /संताप) and more agony (pain) and saw my friend of the cheerful countenance (face/ शक्ल .) “Sorry, sir,” he said. “I know these are heavy boots. Got’ em because my own feet get trod (tread/ step on/ fallen)  on so much, and  now I’m treading (पांव रखना ) on other people’s. Hope I didn’t hurt (injury/ चोट पहुंचाना) you, sir.” He had hurt me but he was so nice about it that I assured (ensure /विश्वास दिलाना) him he hadn’t. After this I began to observe him whenever I boarded (get on / enter / चढ़ना; सवार होना) his bus and found a curious pleasure in the constant good- natured of his bearing (manner / conduct/ आचरण; व्यवहार;).  He seemed to have an inexhaustible (unlimited अपार; बेशुमार) ) fund  of (lot of) patience and a  gift  for making his passengers comfortable (pleasant/ easy/ सुखद; आरामदायक)  I noticed that if  it was raining he  would run up the stairs to give someone the tip (suggestion)   that there was “room inside”.

With old people he was as considerate (kind/ thoughtful) as a son. And with children as solicitous (loving/careful) as a father. He had evidently (clearly/ obviously) a peculiarly (particularly) warm (loving) place in his heart for young people, and always, indulged (involve in enjoy/ मौज-मस्ती के लिए किसी काम में लिप्त होना ) in some merry jest (मजेदार मज़ाक) with them. If he had a blind man on board it was not enough to set him down safely on the pavement (footpath). He would call to Bill in front to wait while he took him across the road or round the corner, or otherwise safely on his way. In short, I found that he irradiated (created/enlighten/ जगमगाना; चमकाणा) such an atmosphere of good-temper and  kindliness that a  journey  with  him was a lesson  in natural courtesy and good manners.

    What struck (impress/ affected/ प्रभावित करणा) me particularly was the ease with which he got through his work. If bad manners are infectious (infective/ संक्रामक/ फैलने वाला) so also are good manners. If we encounter incivility most of  us are apt (likely) to  become  uncivil,  but  it  is an usually uncouth (impolite)  person  who  can  be disagreeable (not to be ready to affect)  with  sunny (pleasant /happy) people.

           It is with manners as with the weather (manners is like the weather). ‘‘Nothing cares up (brighten/make cheerful/ शुद्ध करना) my spirits (mood/ temper/  आत्मा) like  a  fine day,” said Keats, and a cheerful (happy) person descends (create an effect) on even the gloomiest (depressed/सबसे निराशाजनक) of us with something of the (like) benediction (blessing/ आशीर्वाद) of a fine day.  And so it was always fine weather on the polite conductor’s bus, and his own civility, his conciliatory (compromising/ friendly/ मैत्रीपूर्ण) address and good-humoured bearing ( good conduct आचरण; व्यवहार ) infected his passengers. In lightening their spirits, he lightened his own task. His gaiety (happiness/ प्रसन्नता;  खुशी; आनंद) was not a wasteful luxury (pleasure), but a sound investment.

I have missed  him  from  my  bus  route  of late (many days);  but  I hope that only means that he has carried his  sunshine (happiness) on to another road. It cannot be too widely diffused (spread) in a rather drab (gloomy) world. And I make no apologies (excuse/ माफीनामा) for writing a panegyric (a piece of writing to praise someone highly/ praiseful words/ प्रशंसा) on an unknown bus conductor. If Wordsworth could gather (get/ learn) lessons  of  wisdom (intelligence/ विद्वता; ज्ञान) from  the  poor  leech-gatherer (leech-parasite/ खून चूसने वाला कीड़ा) on the lonely moor (wet land/ दलदल युक्त बंजर भूमि) I see no reason why lesser people should not  take lessons in conduct from one who shows  how a very modest calling may be  dignified (grand)  by good-temper and kindly feeling.

It is a matter of general agreement that the war has had a chilling (shocking) effect upon those little everyday civilities (politeness/ सभ्यता) of behavior that sweeten (more pleasant ) the general air (atmosphere) . We must get those civilities back if we are to make life kindly and tolerable (fair/acceptable) for each other. We cannot get them back by invoking (appealing/ taking the help of / की सहायता लेना) the law. The policeman is a necessary  symbol and the law is a necessary institution for as society that is still some-what lower than the angels (impolite/ less than perfect). But the law can only protect us against material (physical) attack. Nor will the lift-man’s way of meeting (facing) moral affront (insult) by physical violence help us to restore (recover / reconstruct) the civilities. I suggest to him, that he would have had a more subtle (clever) and effective revenge if he had treated the gentleman who would not say “please” with elaborate (careful) politeness.

He would have had (got) the victory, not only over the boor (rude insensitive person / गंवार), but over himself, and that is the victory counts (matter/consider). The polite man may lose the material advantage, but he always has the spiritual victory. I commend (deliver/ told) to the lift- man story of Chesterfield. In his time the London streets were without the pavements of today, and the man who “took the wall” had the driest footing. “I never give the wall to a scoundrel (rascal/ बदमाश)” said the man who met Chesterfield one day in the street.  “I always do,” said Chesterfield, stepping with a bow into the road. I hope the lift-man will agree that his revenge was much more sweet than if he had flung (throw) the fellow into the mud. [/expand]