Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-09-17
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN GENTLE


There are two great defects In the
working Of the English theory that a
gentleman must never, under any cir
cumstances, have worked with his hands.
The first Is that 1t handicaps every one
who has so worked, and makes It harder
for him, even In the American sense, to
be a gentleman. People are very apt to
be what Is expected Of them. Assume
that whole class will be clowns, and
they are more likely to be so; assume
that they are to be gentlemen, you re-
move half the obstacle to their success.
Hence much of the fiexibility of Ameri-
can character, It's ready adaptation.
Since 1t made no difference TO anybody
else that Whittier had been in youth q
farmers boy In summer and In winter
shoemaker, II made no difference to him
and nobody stopped to ask whether he
had sustained, In childhood, the same
refining influences with Longfellow and
] oyell. In New York, In Washington,
one often encounters men who have In
early life worked with their hands. In
England, these men would have carried
for life the stamp of that experience
some misplaced b, some Yorkshire burr
would have stamped them forever. In
America the corresponding drawbacks
have been eflaced and swept away. No
doubt climate and temperament have
something to do with this difference,
but the recognized social theory has
more. 1t grows largely out OF the chang
ed definition Of the word gentleman"
In America the changed definition has
let down the bars. The word gentle
man" denotes class that Is hencefor-
ward accessible to merit.
The other defect OF the English stand
ard Is that 1t perpetrates, even inside
those who rank as gentlemen, perpetu-
al feudalism, wholly artificial standard
OF social subordiDation. This lasts even
to the present time. In the autobiog-
raphy of Anthony Trollope there IL an
especial chapter on the question, "Ilow
a literary man should treat his social
superiors"-a chapter which Is, to an
American literary man, first ludicrous
and then pathetic. Walter Besant in
his Fifty Years Ago enumerated the list
of eminent authors and scientists OF the
Victorian period, and pointed with pride
TO the fact that they had had nothing to
do with the court Of Victoria. Now
that he has been knighted, he Is de-
scribed as wearing his title with an ex-
altation that rather amuses his friends.
But the browning illustration OF the Gu
rious attitude given by belated feudal-
ism TO the author Is TO be found In the
lately published letters OF Sir Walter
Scott. They are delightful In all re-
spects but one--the absolute self-subor-
dlnstion, the personal prostration, with
which he writes to every titled nonentity
about him. Men younger than himself,
uow utterly unknown 10 the world az
large, were treated by this leading
Scotch intellect OF his day as II they con-
ferred honor by letting him write TO
them; and the very grace and natural
ness with which IL Is done shows how
iugraln II Is. To the chief OF his clan,
especially, Scott Is the humble minstrel
for whom Il Is honor enough 10 sit In the
doorway OF his liege and amuse that
august leisure. That this attitude was
not necessary we know by the very diff
ferent tone OF Burns; but the facility
with which Scott fell into II shows the
strength Of the feudal tradition; while
the attitude OF Trollope and Besant
shows that II still survives.-Harper's
Bazaar.