Book Review – The Correct Thing

Authored by Miss Lelia Hardin Bugg
Introduction and notes by Mrs. Colleen M Hammond

There are plenty of etiquette and manners books available, but how many are exclusively for Catholics? How many focus on the fact that manners are morally good inner character traits that are exhibited in an outward manner?

Our lives are full of moments when we are not sure how to handle a certain situation. These occasions of uncertainty and discomfort could be everyday activities or special events that only happen once a year.

This practical book is the perfect guide to help you learn to do the correct thing in any situation — at Catholic Sacramental functions, in public, or in the home.

In addition to basic behavior for Sacramental events, this little handbook offers a wide range of advice and addresses such topics as:

• What to say and do (and what not to say and do!) when visiting convents
• How to greet a bishop or religious, and addressing ecclesiastics
• Appropriate dress and grooming for various functions
• The correct thing regarding Faith in the workplace
• Responsibilities of a Catholic in respect to civic duty
• Cultivating engaging and appropriate conversational skills
• How to have a happier home life
• The physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of education
• Picking proper entertainment, as an index of character
• Obligation of Catholics when traveling.

Etiquette is not something that is turned on and off. Good manners, decorum,and charity benefit not only us personally, but the entire society. Good manners show an inner character that the ancients called virtues — those morally good inner character traits that are exhibited in an outward manner. That is why there really is no such thing as company manners.

The Correct Thing is the perfect guide for parents — as well as religious — who want a practical guide to help mind your manners in any situation, and to foster morally good inner character traits that will be exhibited in an outward manner.

Another Review:

5.0 out of 5 stars

A Timeless Guide, March 26, 2014

By Elena Maria Vidal

This review is from: The Correct Thing (Paperback)

It is with pleasure that I review the informative and inspiring guide to Catholic living entitled The Correct Thing by Lelia Hardin Bugg, with Introduction and notes by Colleen Hammond. This charming vintage book, written by a Catholic spinster in Wichita, Kansas in 1881, was something Mrs. Hammond came upon by chance. In spite of the quaint style, Colleen could see that the book is a gem of wisdom, with advice just as relevant for our time as it was when first published. Not only do I find it of historical interest, but it is a practical guide as well, fraught with both common sense and devotion.

What makes this book unique is that at a time when such books for Catholics were usually composed by nuns or priests, this one was written by a laywoman. Miss Lelia can be viewed as a forerunner of the many Catholic laywomen who write today. Her zeal for propriety and manners as an outer manifestation of the virtue of charity help us to realize our good intentions fall short if not communicated effectively. Also, the reader can see that there were abuses and rudeness then as there are now. People talked in church and spoiled children misbehaved in public. There was gossiping and scandal, although no where near the degree of contemporary manifestations.

Colleen is known as the author of the best-seller Dressing with Dignity, a book which over the years has helped many Christian women achieve a more feminine manner of dress along with a restoration of their self-respect. In bringing Miss Lelia’s The Correct Thing to the public, she is helping all of us find a restored sense of human dignity. There is something in the book for everyone; I have certainly already learned a lot from it and I hope I find the courage and the fortitude to make the needed self-corrections.

You can purchase the book here:
The Correct Thing

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