When the two boys were asked to demonstrate how to behave when a lady enters the room, each one snapped to attention, keeping his shoulders straight and back stiff.
 

One of the boys politely bent his arm and wrapped it around the young girl's before escorting her to her seat. The other boy pulled out the girl's chair and stood behind her as she took her seat.

The three Roswell children had just completed a recent four-day etiquette course for children 5 to 12 years old at the 163-year-old Bulloch Hall in Roswell. The course was taught by Linda Barnwell and Karen Avery of the Barnwell School of Etiquette.

The hall will host another round of manners classes Monday through Thursday and again Aug. 4-7. The classes cost $125 per child.

In an age where public discourse and behavior can be as rough an an Eminem lyric and, thanks to e-mail, thank-you letters seem like a nicety of a bygone era, Barnwell trains children, and some adults, in all things proper.

"We have covered everything from party manners to how to be seated to when to write a letter," Barnwell said. "All through your whole life, whether you're 40 or 80, these are skills that you will need."

And parents shouldn't worry about seeming out of touch or old-fashioned if they want their children to attend, Barnwell said, because she has noticed that young people want to learn to behave properly.

"I am seeing a yearning from younger people, teenagers especially, wanting this," Barnwell said.

The children, Zoe Orlans, 10, wearing a purple and white flowered dress, Avery Orlans, 7, wearing a blue suit and tie and Ian Phillips, 7, wearing a red-and-white-striped shirt and tie, were all smiles and eager to show what they learned.

"Ian, when would you write a thank-you note?" Avery asked.

"If it was for a birthday gift, to let the person know that gave it to you that you actually got it," a smiling Ian said.

"Zoe, do you know another reason why you would write a letter?" Avery asked.

"If you were staying as a house guest or if you went to a house party, you would send a thank-you note," Zoe said as her cheeks turned red.

These days, thanking someone for a gift can be as quick and simple as a few mouse clicks, but Barnwell emphasized to the children that when they want to thank somebody, the human touch is irreplaceable.

"I remind them that e-mail is a machine. E-mail is wonderful, but it's still a machine," she said. "Hand-to-hand and heart-to-heart is always the best form."

The children were joined at Bulloch Hall by their parents for tea. Well, it wasn't really tea. It was pink lemonade, and it was served in glass cups on a small glass tray.

The children came over to the linen-and-lace-draped table and calmly picked up grapes, cheeses, crackers, pastries and assorted candies before returning to their seats.

The parents seemed to enjoy the event as much as the children.

"This is fun, and we thought it would be something interesting for them to learn," said Jerry Orlans, the father of Zoe and Avery and a member of the Roswell City Council. "My wife is very good to constantly remind them to say 'sir' and 'ma'am.' We were already trying to create the environment, and this is a formal way to introduce them to it."

So, have the parents noticed a difference in their children? Do they have mini Mr. and Miss Manners running around the house?

"Yes. He corrected us on the proper way to set a table," said Ian's father, Joe, who came with his wife, Susan, and 2-year-old daughter, Alexa. "The first shock was Tuesday when he opened the car door for me."

> To register for classes, call Bulloch Hall at 770-992-1731. The hall is at 180 Bulloch Ave. in Roswell.