By George: Mr. Washington's Guide to Civility Today

Rudeness. Crudeness. Thoughtlessness. Uncivilized behavior is everywhere. From the boss who publicly chews out her assistant and the student who bullies his professor to the sports fan who yells obscenities at the ballgame, there's little doubt that we live in an increasingly barbaric world.

When author Steven Selzer was researching the subject of civility, he found that George Washington had written 110 rules of civility and decent behavior at the age of 14. Although these guidelines are ...