Why “Decor’um”?
A Story from Decor’um owner – Leo Murtagh.
First of all, I must tell you a little about my father – he was a loyal and trustworthy person, and that trait has been passed down through our family. So, when he spoke, you tended to listen.
I lived in Crumlin for most of my growing-up life. One day, my father said to my brother as we were playing football on my road, “Laurence, are you coming for a walk?” My brother was embarrassed because all of our friends were there. So, my brother turned to my father and said something smart.
“Laurence,” my father said, “use a bit of decorum and take yourself off the street.”
Now, I was blown away by how he said it, and I had never heard this word before. “Decorum? What does it mean, and when do I use it?” This was a Saturday, and I could not wait to go to school on Monday to ask the teacher of my English class what the word meant.
Monday came all too quickly, and I was up before the alarm. I threw on my clothes as quickly as I could and off to school I went. But this time, I was on a mission to discover the meaning of this new word.
The first class was not English; it was math, not my best subject. I loved English, but I was dyslexic, and when I was going to school, the teachers did not know how to solve my problem in English. I was just classed as slow, and nothing could be done.
The first class was over, and on to English. I ran straight up to the teacher, and as quickly as I could, I spoke, “Can you tell me what this word means, ‘decorum’?”
He was a very clever teacher and said to me, “No, I will not tell you, but I will give you a book of words, and you can find it.”
That dictionary became my best friend. Anytime I came across a word I did not know, I could look it up. Now, it is even easier; all you have to do is speak into your phone, say the word, and it appears.
To finish the story, the teacher said, “At the back of the classroom, there is a book called the dictionary. Find it and look up the letter ‘D,’ then sound the word out.”
I thought the next letter was ‘A,’ and he said, “Think again; you’re not sounding it out right. The next letter is ‘E.’ Now, say the word again, ‘decorum.’ It is how you sound it out.”
It was easy after that. Decorum. Behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety. That is a word I never forgot and why I use it today.
