, 1865-05-12
4 FEW WORDS ABOUT A
WORD.


| trlou tHe new ORE Evening Poak1
We frequently read or hear some robel and
| p1ished gentleman, a cIivalfous gentleman, O
cultivated gentleman, OF southern gentle.
| man. This is done sometimes bY mrn VIM
use language care1eeslY, and do not noticei It's
| nice distinctions sometimes, however, 1t ia
done b persons Who evidently give parttc-
to Eay few words. a gentleman Is, ACCORD
irg to eomc, O. man pure, unseltish, faithful,
soneE, honest, honorable, charitable, humane !:
acc cording to .gome Others, q gentleman is d
person Y no has received q collegiate educa-
tien, md enough lessons in department from
ciety. Some think OF Colonel Newcome as
gentleman, others OF Major Pendennis.
Now dispute ABOUT tho definition Of q
word Ia likely to be endless: a word has the
meaning which general custom assigns to 1t.
"CleEcr" meana IN one part Of this country,
dsxtrons or skllfnl, ID another, .foollshiy:
good natured. So the term gentlEman seems
TO mean with BONE a man of honor, and with
come simply q person # emooth and polished
exterior. We do not intend to quarrel with
the latter, OF to charge them with mlsusing
word bur We think 1t useful to point out
their meaning; When they speak Of the rebel
be deeentlS educated aud easy hammered no
mnre.
There Is q once coulmon phrase which will
help us to point this dist{nction-it WAS
custom to speak Of a man as "a gentleman
and scholar" This supposed that be might
be gentleman. and yet have small knoWl-
edge Of books. So those who now term the
chief rebels gentlemen evidently need some
qualify ing adjective to denote the real char-
acter Of the perfon spoken Of md this ought |
gard should be called "a gentleman and q !
liar;' the Hon. Wigfall, Of Texas, is " a gen
tlfman and 2 ewindier," or "a gentleman
and murderer;' the late John B. FLOYD was
"a gentleman and a thtef;' Governor
Letcher is ~ gentleman and drunkard -
Jef!. Davis is "a gentleman and bank rob
ber';''' Pickens, Of South Carolina, who tsWas
born insensible to fear" might be called ia
gentleman and fool;" Governor: wise, Of
ls "a gentleman and brageart.h
Then there Is Benjamin, whom bis Ya1e
College friends would call gentleman and a
pickpocket George N. Sanders, who is gen
I'cnan I3c and md delaql.er; Gen; Forrest, gen
gentleman and q horse-thief. Then there is
Gtn. Lee, who Is q gentleman and dese1ter,
u gentleman and peIjurer; OF, remem
bering that under his eye and by his conniY-
Lu1ed to doath by starvation and exposure at
Belle Isle, Gen. Lee might appropriately be
:a1led gentleman and toIturer, or gen
1Cman and IN cxecutloncr-just as Wilkes
3ooth would be called gentleman and m +
ssassin. Gen. Winder was a gentleman and
brute Gen. Breckenridge, Who set ire TO
is gentleman and house burn
+; Capt. semmcs is q gentleman and q
irate md any one who has seen the scars
n The backs Of colored women In south
;arolina Will naturally think Of cotton
'lanter as gentleman and woman -whipper,
five 60 from particulars to generals, we
lay sPeak Of spy one Of the rebel leaders Us
gentleman and . traitor, gentlemen and q
'efjurer, or.:to put It mildly, o gentleman
~ lusitlVe lrom Justice. Only, II NE thus
n;3i nn;d3iiscslminately apply term like this. It
" ", soon. case to BE- thought complimentary;
~ =, atf1at msn o. 9onor will presently think 1t
3en,nci. i - o,< oe called gentleman, as In
- raii = g,an q. useq M % % thought slanderous
cnied howeyer nasiohal, ~. th " Is not TO be