I am gradually adding to my Lulu pages Victorian items that you won't find anywhere else.
I found Table Manners For Little Folks in a hand-written book of verse and other items. An item nearby in the book is dated 1870 so I guess that this verse was written around the same time. I say "written", but of course the unknown writer of the verse in my book is unlikely to have been the original author of the verse. There is a different version on the web called "Table Rules for Little Folk".
Here are some extracts.
In silence I must take my seat,
And give God thanks before I eat;I must not scold, nor whine, nor pout,
Nor move my chair, nor plate about;With knife, or fork, or napkin ring,
I must not play nor must I sing;
I must not speak a useless word -
For children must be seen - not heard -
I must not talk about my food,
Nor fret, if I don't think it good,
