Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-06
THE TRUE GENTLEMAN.
AS he Was Understood by Cardinal
NaUp,on

Newman.
This is Cardinal Newman's definition of
a gentleman. The remarkable passage
occurs in his ok. Discourses Addressed to
the Catholics in Dublin :"
1t is almost definition of gentleman
to say that he is one who never inflicts
pain. This description is both refined and,
so far as 1t goes, accurate. He is mainly
occupied In merely removing the obstacles
which hinder the free and unembarrassed
action of those about him, and he concurs
in their movements rather than takes the
Initiative himself. His benefits nav be
considered as parallel to what are called
comforts or conveniences in arrangements
of personal nature-like an essy-chair or
good fire. which do their part in dis
peliing cold and fatigue, though nature
provides both means for rest and animal
heat without them. The true gentleman,
IN like manner, carefully avoids whatever
may cause a jar or a jolt in the minds of
those with whom he is cast-all elashing
of opinion, or collision of feeling, all re-
straint, or suspicion, or gloom, or resent
ment; his great concern being to make
every one at their ease and at home. He
has his eyes on all his company; he is
tender toward the bashful, gentle toward
the distant, and merciful toward the alb
surd. He can recollect to whom he is
srea'ling; he guards against unreasonable
illusions, or topics which may irritate; he
IS seldom prominent in conversation, and
never wearisome. He makes light of
favors when he does them, and seems to be
receiving when he is comforting.
ID never speaks of himself except when
compelled, never defends himself by a
mere retort; he has no ears for SANDER or
gossip, is scrupulous in imputing motives
to those who interfere with him, and in
terprets everything for the best. He is
never mean or little in his disputes, never
takes unfair advantage never mistakes
personalities or sharp sayings for argu-
men, or insinuates evil which he dare not
say out. From a long-sighted prudence
he observes the maxim Of the ancient sage,
that we should ever conduct ourselves to-
ward our enemy as if he were one day to
be our friend. He has too much sense to
be afironted at insults; he is too well en-
ployed to remember injuries and too indo-
lent to bear malice. He is patient, for
bearing and resigned on philosophical
principles; he submits to pain because it is
inevitable to bereavement, because it is
irreparable, and to death because it is his
destiny. Ii he engages in controversy of
any kind, his disciplined intellect pre-
serves him from the laundering discourtesy
of better, perhaps, but less educated minds,
who, like blunt weapons, tear and hack
instead of cutting clean, who mistake the
point in argument, waste their strength on
trifies, misconceive their adversary and
leave the question more involved than
they find it. He may be right or wrong
In his opinion, but he is zoo clear-headed
to be unjust; he is as simple as he is fore
ible, and as brief as he is decisive.
Nowhere shall we find greater candor
consideration, indulgence; he throws him
self into the minds of his opponents, he
accounts for their mistakes He knows
the weakness of human reason as well as
Its strength, its province and its limits. If
he be an unbeliever, he will be too pro-
found and large-minded to ridicule religion
or to act against it; he is too wise to be a
dogmatist or fanatic in his infdelity. He
respects piety and devotion; he even sup
ports institutions as venerable, beautiful or
useful, to which he does not assent; he
honors the ministers of religion, and it
contents him to decline its mysteries with
out assailing or denouncing them. He is
a friend of religious liberation, and that
not only because his philosophy has taught
him to look on all forms of faith with an
impartial eye, but also from the gentle
ness and etfeminacy of feeling, which is
the attendant on civilization. Not that
he may not hold religion, too, in his
own way, even when he is not a Christian.
In that case his religion is one of magma
ton and sentiment; it is the embodiment
of those ideas of the sublime, majestic and
beautiful, without which there can be no
large philosophy.
Sometimes he acknowledges the being of
God, sometimes he invests an unknown
principle or qualities with the attributes
of perfection. And his deduction of his
reason or creation of his fancy he makes
the occasion of such excellent thoughts,
and the starting point of so varied and
systematic teaching, that he even seems
like disciple of Christianity itself. From
the very accuracy and steadiness of his
logical powers he is able to see what senti-
ments are consistent in those who hold any
religious doctrine at all, and he appears to
others to feel and to hold whole circle of
theological truth, which exist in his mind
not otherwise than as a number of dedue-
tions.
Such are some of the lineaments of the
ethical character which the cultivated in
tellect will form, apart from the religious
principle They are seen within the pale
of the church and without it, in holy men
and in prohigate; they form the beau ideal
of the world; they partly assist and partly
distort the development of the Catholic.
They may subserve the education of St.
Francis de Sales or Cardinal Pole; they
may be the limits OF contemplation of a
Shaftesbury or a Gibbon Basil and Julian
were fellow-students at the schools of
Athens; the one became the saint and
doctor Of the church, the other her scott
ing and relentless foe.