3. JOURNALIST
• Alfred George Gardiner was one of the most
delightful essayists of the twentieth century.
• He wrote under the Pseudonym Alpha of the
Plough.
• As a journalist, he started his career on the staff of
the Essex Country Chronicle and rose to be the
editor of The Daily News in 1902.
4. EDITOR
• He is well-known for his reflective essays on
contemporary life and for several biographical sketches.
. For seventeen years he was the editor of The Daily News.
• He received recognition for his services to journalism in
1915,when he was elected President of the Institude of
Journalists.
5. GENTLE HUMOUR
His writing is
marked by a deep
concern for fellow men,
unobtrusive preaching
and gentle humour.
Gardiner writes about
very ordinary matters
with an engaging dignity
and charm.
6. ESSAYIST
Alfred George Gardiner was one of the most
delightful essayists of the twentieth century.
The facility of expression is combined with a
sparkle of good humoured wit in his essays.
In this essay On Saying Please, Gardiner deals
with the rude behaviour of thoughtless people in
their social dealings, and stresses the need for civility
in every day life.
7. ON SAYING PLEASE
• A.G.
Gardiner deals
with the
behaviour of
people in their
social life.
• Once a
passenger
entered a lift
and said,
“Top”. The
liftman threw
him out of the
lift. Because the
liftman
demanded
“Top, please”.
• Discourtesy
is not a legal
offence.
8. LITTLE COURTESIES
• Bad temper and bad
manners are infectious.
• There is no law that
compels us to say
‘Please’.
• But there is a social
practice which insists
on civility.
• The first requirement
of civility is that we
should acknowledge a
service.
• ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’
are the little courtesies
which make life run
smoothly.
9. GARDINER’S EXPERIANCE
• Gardiner gives an example of a polite conductor.
• Once Gardiner entered a bus and realized that he had
no money in his pocket.
• He told the conductor the truth.
• The conductor allowed him to travel and gave him a
ticket.
• And the author found a shilling in his pocket and
settled the account.
10. GOOD NATURE
• The conductor was a man of good nature.
• He was patient with every passenger , and made
everyone comfortable.
• He was considerate with old people, youngsters and
blindman.
• Politeness brings sunshine into the lives of those
who offer it.
