Civility is a fortune.
--Civility is a fortune itself, for a courteous man always succeeds well in life, and that even when persons of ability sometimes fall. The famous Duke of Marlborough is a case in point. It was said of him by one contemporary, that his agreeable manners often converted an enemy into a friend; and by another, that it was more pleasing to be denied a favor by his grace, than to receive one from another man. The gracious manner of Charles James Fox preserved him from personal dislikes, even at the time when he was, politically, the most unpopular man in the kingdom. The history of the world is full of such examples of success obtained by civility. The experience of every man furnishes, if we but recall the past, frequent instances where conciliatory manners have made the fortunes of physicians, lawyers, divines, politicians, merchants, and indeed, individuals of all pursuits. To men, civility is what beauty is to women; it is a general passport to favor, a letter of introduction, written in language that every one understands. Of two men, equal in other respects, the courteous one has twice the chance for fortune.
