The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1856-03-29
An Css0D.
Written FOR The Cecil Wing.
The Dignity 81 E4atsDr.

HE SESkgty Gg EAaHhS.
Gcntility consists in wearing fine coat, in
having soft hand, and in accepting the
creed that, to eat one IS bread in the sweat of
his face is dishouorable. Tocut wood in the
cellar, black your DO OTIS behind the door. or
kindlc your fire with closed shutters is not
unsenteel; but to split wood, with your coat
of, i'll the front yard, to black your boots on
the door step, or to remove the ashes from
your stove and build Il fire with shutters open
and blinds drawn is decidedly vulgar.
SO teacheth Popular Error. And so the
mass Of the community believe, for the be-
lief is educated into them. Our children are
taught from their infancy that Doctors, Law
yers, Preachers, etc, are more respectable
and gcntcei than those who go sin homcspun
holden grey and earn their bread by la
boring at, what are impudcntly styled,
mental cmploymcnts; and the consequence
is that thousands Of young men are yearly
deserving the plough, the plane, the lap-stonc
and the anvil to enter the, so called,
learned professions, and thousands Of young
women are yearly sacrificing their comfort
nj happiness, by describing .well-to-do
mechanics and s.sctting their cups'' for pro
iCssional advcnturcrs without either property
or prospects,. We lave nothing to say, at
present, against young men entering the
over crowded professions or against young
women setting their caps for and marrying
professional characters; but against their
doing so under the mistaken idea that gen
tilty demands such Il course of them, we
enter Il sincere and hearty protest.
Tue gentility attaches to the man and not
to the calling.
Tho rank is but the guinca's stamp
The mans the gold FOR a that
and it is hi,h time it was distinctly under
stood by all classes that the farmer, the
mechanic, the artisan, education and accom-
plshmcnts being the same, are equally as
respectable and gcntccl us the lawyer. the
doctor, or Tic divine. 1t is high time, too,
it was distinctly understood that man, no
| matter what his station or standing in society,
may split his own wood, kindlc his own fire,
| black his own boots or 10 wha tsovcr labor he
Wishes publicly: and not he degraded or
rendered vulgar thereby. The sooner these
truths are understandable sooner we cease
| to bow down and do reverence to profc Ssion-
| al mc,l-and tic sooner we uproot the pres.
! ent land marks Of a false gentilty the better
it will be for the cause Of humanity.
.'But, says trembling conservatism, sssuch
| agrarian doctrines are highly prrnicious, and
| tend to the subycrson Of all social distinc-
ton" Yes, good friends, thciE tendency is
to subvcrt all fictitious social distinctions,
and for that reason are they the very reverse
pcrnici,us. Recognizing the dignity Of
labor, and declaring honest toll Of every
kind highly honorable they enable every
one 10 stand upon his own iudi, idual merit,
| regardless Of his vocation, and, thus far.
place all classes upon an equality. And
while under their lcalthiul influence, ntclli-
gencc and ignorance, and virtue and vice are
more widely associated than at present, the
| professional man is prevented from saying to
the artisan: s.Stand asde--I am better than
thou;" and the man whose hand is horny
with toll and whose brow is brown with
exposure, ceases to took upon his calling as
amenial one and train up his children to that
belief. But standing erect in the strength Of
lis manhood feels his nobility, and with
Lonsiellow's blacksmith,
Looks the world in the face,
And fears not any man.