The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-08-15
The True Lady and Gentleman.

There are some men who by their manners
land lives give the stupidest OF their fellow
beings glimpse of the Almighty himself
They are called gentlemen. The title has
been misused great deal. but it never had
Gbut one meaning. 1t means man who has
the instincts and practice of gentility. The
mere word man means all that is manly
strength, earnestness, fortitude-when to
all this you add gentility, you get all that
humanity can carry without tumbling up-
ward and disappearing within the gates of
heaven. Clothes do not make the gentle
imam, although some silly women and other
fools seem to think so. A ''swelI' is not
gentleman, for his manners are only skin
deep, and he has barely enough for use
among his own acquaintances whereas the
genuine article is a gentleman at heart, and
consequently cannot help being gentleman
ito everybody. No unfortunate accident of
birth or fortune can keep true gentleman
from living according to his character.
Sometimes he is millionaire, and is named
lin the newspapers as giving great parties
land receptions; but such streaks of luck do
not prevent his speaking civilly to his EN-
ployes, and raising his hat to his old colored
nurse il he chances to meet her in the street.
Sometimes he is so poor that he has to be
policeman or drive a street car, or tramp
about as an agent for the sale of laundry
soap, but in any case he tells the truth,
@rObs no one, and is civil to everybody. He
QVnrVhnHX w n
knows him admits his superiority. He is
always wOrshiper of women, but none of
This acquaintance ever venture to introduce
Him to women who are not all they should
8be. On the other hand. women with whom
4Other men try in vain to become acquainted
+ will take pains to be introduced to a true
gentleman. | have seen rich gentleman
stop his carriage, while riding for pleasure,
. to take in a poor WaSherWOman who was
carrying a bundle greater than her strength.
have seen poor gentleman. riding in a
y horse car, with bundle of tools in one
hand and bundle of scraps Of wood in the
other, give seat to a lady, while lot of
well-dressed fellows buried their faces in
the evening papers. Neither the rich gen
&tleman or the poor one got any pay for their
courtesy, nor did they expect any, but it is
a comfort to remember that God has keen
III,
the lack of the feeling that one ought to
have some recOmpense for his good deeds
that distinguishes the gentleman from the
common people; he never is anxious to have
people know who or what he is; without
being cOnceited, he knows that character
and conduct will introduce him in time, and
do the business more thoroughly than any
amount of talk can do.
If the attributes alluded to do
not seem enough to some the young fellow
who wants to be absolutely perfect let him
carefully read Paul's first letter to the Cor
inthians. The Corinthians put On more style
than any other people who lived in Paurs
day. so the old missionary, who knocked
about the world great deal. until he knew
who was who and what was what, thought
he would put the finishing touch upon some
of them who were fully respectable. And
! he did it.
The true lady differs from the gentleman
only as sister from brother and all that is
said above applies as well to her. Shabby
clothes, poor fare, hard work, and a house
with bare walls sometimes combine to let a
woman down, but they never change the
character of that blessed creature to whom
we allude when in earnest we say lady"
and should it ever be our fortune to
meet her and the gentleman in the better
world which we all hope in some way to
enter, we will probably find them looking
and acting just as they do on earth, for
they are everybody's good angels. G. M.
The Accurate Boy.
There was young man once in the Office