The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-08-29
Our clio.


gentlemen fposition, gentlemen OF means,
gentlemen Of the press, commercial and
sporting gentlemen, etc. It was not in
this vague sense that the word was used
by James the First, who, when his nurse
entreated him to make her son gentle.
man, replied that he could make him a
lord, but that it was out Of his power to
make him gentleman. The word does
not now bear the Interpretation it formerly
did in England. While, at one time, it
expressed the idea which the term gentil-
hOnme does in France-where it retains
It's original significance to designate the
members Of caste, distinct and apart--it
has, in successive periods, been applied to
degrees more widely extended All classes
now associate more freely than would have
been tolerated in previous generations, and
men no longer dress, either really or fgur-
atively, in buckles and buckram. The
garb of the Puritan-despised in the days
when it was the fashion for man to be-
dizen himself in rufiies and lace Is now the
rule, and is appreciated for its plainness,
its comfort, and its practical utility. The
ordinary costume of gentlemen--free, easy,
and devoid Of outward show and pretence
is an index Of their mental condition.
They eschew stiffness, they abhor formali-
ty, they despise all seeming. Their man.
nerS, though refined, are simple.
The gentleman is representative char
acter-a reflection of his era. We may
trace the manners Of the times in their
various types in the warlike and semi
barbarous, the chivalrous and romantic,
the efFcminate and ornate, the soldierly
and scholarly, down to the earnest, accom-
plished, and practical specimen in our own
day. As now understood, the term is in
dicative of conduct rather than lineage
Of character rather than position--of the
instrinsic qualities that contribute to its
formation as much as their manifestation
in the life. A gentleman is something
unique, apart from any consideration of
rank, education, or pursuits, The late
Justice Talfourd, in his charge to hejury
in an action wherein it was alleged that
the defendant had said to the plaintiff -
'Do not speak to me. am a gentleman.
You are tradesman," took occasion to
observe :---"Gentleman Is term which Is
not confined to any station. The man Of
rank who deports himself with dignity and
candor, the tradesman who discharges his
duties with integrity, and the humblest
artisan who ful6ls the obligations incum-
bent upon him with virtue and honor, are
alike entitled to the name Of gentleman,
in preference to the man, however high
his station, who INDUCES in ribald and Of.
fensive remarks"
We may have a correct conception of
the character without being able to enter
into an analysis of it. Courtesy and sim
pliclty are Its leading features. The most
highly cultivated men are ever the least
conceited, and we generally find that the
pedantic are men of small understanding
Chesterfield embodies its constituent ele-
ments in the term "politeness," which he
defines as benevolence in triAes, or a
preference Of others to ourselves in the
ordinary occurrences Of life. Gentleness,
the foundation Of the character, implies a
reserved power, and is to be distinguished
from weakness, as it is from a passive
tameness Of spirit and an unreasonable
compliance with the dictates or the will Of
others. II renounccs no just right from
the fear Of their frown, and yields no I'm
portant truth to their fattery. A promi-
nent feature of the character is consider
ateness, which may be said to consist in
delicacy in the use of power-physical,
moral and social. Forbearance and wis.,
dom in the exercise Of this power-of that
which the husband exercises over the wife,
the father over his children, the teacher
over his pupils, the old over the young,
the strong over the weak, the master over
his hands, the rich over the poor, the ed
ucated over the ignorant, the experienced
over the con6ding--mark the gentleman,
Bashfulness is not inconsistent with the
character, and VIC are surprised that so
rare a quality is not more highly appre-
ciated, The thoughts and feelings Of the
retiring in disposition are not less refined,
although they may not be expressed with
the gracefulness Of the ready speaker or
the impetuosity Of the rattle-pate. This
disposition frequently arises from the mind
running in channels other than the CON-
monplaces Of ordinary conversation, and a
consequent consciousness Of inferiority in
the art Of pleasing The assumption Of
the character is often but a stimulation Of
the more agreeable habits Of society. and
only the veneer which hides depraved
tastes and. vicious propensities. Nothing
more displays frivolous, selfish and vulgar
mind than inattention to the simpler cour-
tesies Of life, and without this even pro-
found learning is no more than tircsome
pedantry. A person Of this description
says he can be gentleman when he
pleascs. A true gentleman never pleases
to be anything else, aud never, by any ac-
cident, dcrOgates from this standard. He
cannot stoop to a mean thing. He never
struts in borrowed plumage. He never
stabs in the dark. He Is not one thing 10
a mans face and another behind his back.
Papers not meant for his eye are sacred.
Bolts aud bars, locks and keys, bonds and