Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1878-11-21
A Gentleman.

II is common in our day to speak oI
gentlemen Of position, gentlemen ol
means, gentlemen Of the press, COM
mercial and sporting gentlemen, etc.
It was not in this vague sense that the
word was used by James J., who, when
his nurse entreated him TO make her
son a gentleman, replied that he could
make him lord, but that il was out OF
his power to make him a gentleman.
The word does not now bear the inter-
probation il formerly did in England.
While at one time il expressed the idea
which the term genfiLiomme does in
France-wherei il retains its original ii Y
nificance 10 designate the members Of a
castle, distinct and apart-it has, in sue
cessive periods, been applied TO degrees
more widely extended. All classes
now associate more freely than would
have been tolerated in previous gener-
ations. and men no longer dress, either
really or figuratiyely, in buckles and
buckram. The garb OF the Puritan
despised in the days when il was the
fashion for a man to bedizen himself IN
TufEles and laee--is now the rule, and is
appreciated for its plainness, its COM
tort. and its practical utility. The or
dinary costume of gentlemen-free,
easy, and devoid Of outward show and
prelense--is an index of their me eDtai
condition. They eschew stiffness, they
abhOr formality. they despise all SEEM
ing. Their manners, though refined,
are simple.
The gentleman is n representative
character-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 ro-
mantic, the eiFeminate and ornate, the
soldierly and scholarly, down to the
earnest, accomplished and practical spe-
men in our own day. As now under
stood, the term is indicative of conduct
rather than lineage-of character rather
than position-of the intrinsic 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, educa-
fion or pursuits.
There are many men Of plain man.
ners and limited means as thorough
gentlemen as any noble IN the land.
The late Justice Talfourd, in his charge
60 the jury in an action wherein it was
alleged that the defendant had SAID 10
the plaintiff, do not speak to me.
am gentleman. You are tradesman," +"
took occasion TO observe: Gentleman
is a 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 fulfills the obligations incumbent
upon him with virtue and honor, are
alike entitled to the name OF gentleman,
in preference 10 the man, however high
his station, who INDUCES in ribald and
offensive remarks"
We may have a correct conception oi
the character without being able to en-
ter into an analysis oft. Courtesy and
simplicity are its leading features. The
most highlv-cultiyated men are ever the
least conceited, and we generally find
that the pedantic are men Of small un-
derstanding. Chesterfield embodies its
constituent elements in the term ''po-
liteness," which he defines as benev-
olence in trifles, or preference Of 9TH
ers to ourselves in the ordinary occur
rences Of lie. GeRtleness, the foen-
dation oi the character, implies a re-
served power, and il is to be distin-
guished from weakness, as it is from a
passive tsmeness OF spirit and an unreal
sonable compliance with the dictates or
the will OF others. II renounces no Just
right from the fear oil their frown, and
yields no important truth to their ilatte-
Fy. A prominent feature Of the char
acter is couSiderateness, which may be
said 10 consist in delicacy in the use OF
power-physical, moral and social.
Forbearance and wisdom in the exer-
else 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 educated Over the ignorant, the ex-
perienced over the confiding-mark the
gentleman.
Bashfulness is not inconsistent with
the character, and we are surprised that
so rare quality is not more highly ap-
preciated. The thoughts and feelings
of the retiring in disposition are not less
refined. although they may not be ex-
pressed with gracefulness OF the ready
speaker or the impetuosi.y Of the rattle
pate. This disposition frequently arises