Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-01
THE POLISHED GENTLEMAN.
Gen. JaeksOn's Manners and Charac-
ter indicated.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April q.
The Baltimore Gazette, in an article
abiding to the treatment by Gen
Grant of the New York and Boston
money bags, had occasion to refer to
Gen. Andrew Jackson's reception of a
similar deputatiOn in the interests of
the National Bank forty years ago. 1t
says:
"Andrew Jackson was a rugged
frontiersman, with no professional mil
itary training and not much education
of any kind, a self-willed, Imperious,
out spoken man, of violent temper and
no cultiUated GneRity Of manner, but of
perfectly irreproaehable personal char
acter and entire disintenderness."
The Gazette IS vastly mistaken In be-
ieving that Gen. jackson, chad no cul-
tivated amenity of manner" On the
contrary, we never had a President
whose manners were finer, mOreelegant
and dignifed than the Hero of New
Orleans. In his costume, in his ap-
pearance, in his manners, he
was one of the best represen-
tatiyes of the real old-school
gentleman that this country has ever
produced. We have had no President
who has received as many testimonials
in regard to his superior department as
Andrew jackson. For this he was COM
plimented by the celebrated French
philosopher, DeTocqueville, who visited
this country while jackson was Presi-
dent, and was presented to him. A dis
tinguished foreigner who was present
at the party given by John Quincy
Adams Just after his election by the
House of Representatives, but before
his Inauguration as President, drew
a favorable contrast between the
splendid manners of jackson,
who was there as a defeated
candidate, over Mr.. Adams, his sue
cessful competitor. Yet Mr.. Adams
had been from his earliest youth edu-
Gated and brought up in the best
schools and best society Of Europe and
America. For a quarter of n century
he had been our Foreign Minister at
the greatest of the European Courts.
| But after all he was not the polished
gentleman that Gen. Jackson was, and
could not begin to make so decided
sensation in that respect. 1t is true
that jackson had had few OPP
portunities. but he had an amen
ity Of manner which seemed to be in
born with his disposition and charac-
ter. 1t is not true that she had
not much education of any kind" On
the contrary, he had that practical ed
ucation derived from extensive assocla-
=. IL 10 Ina
than the mere education of the schools
Nor was Jackson altogether unread.
He was a lawyer by profession He
made a very good Juds e Of the Court
in Tennessee. He had had a large
political experience before hewas chosen
President. He had twice been elected
| United States Senator. He hal been
| Military Governor of Florida. He was
offered a position in the Cabinet OF
President Monroe, and that no man
was more consulted by that
distinguished statesman than An
drew Jackson their lengthy cor
respondenee between each other tests.
The best written and most eloquent
State papers ever sent to Congress or
made to the American people were
Jackson's. They may, and probably
did, receive some rhetorical polish from
others, but their style and tone, as
well as the points involved, were his
own. There is not line that he ever
wrote that has not a JacksOnian ring
so peculiar that it could not be coun-
terfeited. The style was never mis-
taken, and it demonstrated beyond all
doubt that he was the author of the
messages and proclamatiOns which
bear bis name, which were so consls-
tent with all his former and later COM
munieatiOns.