The herald., 1896-06-28

ognize the fact. AS the Roman ''vlr"
had by the term itself the qualities
which virtus implied, so our gentleman
has all the qualities which in medieval
theory or fancy went with gentle"
blood. This can be seen by the quail
ties left out, as well as by those in
cluded. Virtues peculiar to women are
not "connoted;" 1t has been very Justly
said that a woman cannot by any pos
sibility have the feelings of q gentleman.
1t Is a mans ideal, and 1t Is not alto
gether an ideal of moral perfection by
any means.
If there were in any country any nu-
merous body of men Of this sort in con-
troll of the government, the question
could hardly arise whether they had
qualities adapted to make their services
in politics valuable. Inasmuch as they
represent the ideal Of a race held up to
be admired for generations by its bards.
philosophers. romancers and historians,
there can hardly be too many of them
in any government. A celebrated lord
chancellor, asked by some one what
principle he adopted in selecting judges
for nomination, said: I always pick out
gentleman, and II he knows q little law,
was that learning could be acquired,
but the qualities Of character which con-
stitute our ideal must be there always.
Unfortunately, however, the gentleman
of actual social existence means sOme-
thing very different from this. 1t Is im-
possible to define the word exactly, but
for practical purposes it means any man
who either shares in or is recognized as
fitted to share In the society which Is
generally regarded in any community
as the best. The qualifications for ad-
mission are so different at different times
and in different places that 1t Is impos-
sible to enumerate them. In one place
family alone will answer; in another
mere wealth, accompanied by very
slight modicum of manners, will be
enough: in all occupation counts. but
very differently in different countries.
We rarely meet apothecaries or dentists
in society. In Austria, however,
country governed in great measure by
an aristocracy. we have known an apoth-
ecary at the head of Spa administra-
ton, and an officer compelled to fight a
duel with another apothecary-gentle-
men ALL In many places in England the
local school teacher is not q gentleman.
Used in this sense, the word means
nothing but certain social distinction.
which is far removed from indicating
with any certainty the possession IT
qualities specially adapted for the dis
charge of political trusts. On the con-
trary, 1t indicates almost nothing with
regard to character. In the course of a
year every one meets dozens OF gentle
men who have hardly n moral quality
or popularity in common. They may be
brave or cowardly truth-tellers or liars,
faithful or unfaithful man may be
a ruffian among his wife and daughters.
treacherous, a miser corrupt, and still
pass in society for a gentleman, If he
has never done anything for which this
society itself looks askance at him. In
fact, gentleman remains a gentleman,
no matter what he does, until something
or other happens which makes 1t neces-
sary for society. as a matter of self pres
ervation, to eject him. Formerly, no
doubt, birth was essential; but, even in
those remote days, gentleman by birth
was not ipso facto a Col. Newcome in
character. George w. Sheridan, Byron
and Talleyrand himself were all gentle
men. The mad king Of Bavaria, who
bankrupted his kingdom for the sake of
art, was a gentleman, though very fond
of the society of those who were not. In
New York conviction of crime will rule
a man out in most cases.
If what we have said is true, there can
hardly be a presumption that q man
recognized among his fellows as gen.
tleman for social purposes will there
fore probably make good legislator.
cabinet minister or governor. So far as
he has the qualities with which we en-
dow our manly ideal in song and story,
he is indubitably qualified AS test Of
fitness. the fact that a man is a gentle
iran WM II WwR Mt in ao rarppsds II p9scs snsineerng
surgery, law, architecture or art. The
standard has the defect of having little
or no intrinsic value, except for the pur-
pose for which it is used--which is pure
ly social-New York Post.