The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1896-12-03
LADY AND GENTLEMAN.


There are some men who by their I
and lives give the stupidest of
their fellow beings a glimpse of the
Almighty Himself. They are called
gentlemen. The title has been mis-
used great deal, but it never had but
one meaning. 1t means man who
has the instincts and practice of gen.
tilitv. The mere word man means all
that is manIy-strength, earnestness,
fortitude- to all this you add
gentility, you get all that humanity
can carry without tumbling upward
and disappearing within the gates of
heaven. Clothes do not make the gen
tleman, although some silly women
and other fools seem to think so. A
"swell" is not gentleman, for his
manners are only skin deep, and he
has barely enough for use among his
own acquaintances, whereas the gen.
uine article is a gentleman at heart,
and consequently can not help being a
gentleman to everybody. No unfortu
nate accident of birth or fortune can
keep a true gentleman from living
according to his character. Sometimes
he is millionaire, and is named in
the newspapers as giving great parties
and receptions; but such streaks OF
luck do not prevent his speaking
civilly to his employees, and raising his
hat to his old colored nurse if he
chances to meet her in the street.
Sometimes he is so poor that he has to
be policeman or drive 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 never puts on airs, yet
everybody who knows him admits his
superiority. He is always worshiper
of women, but none of his acquaint-
ances ever venture to introduce him to
women who are not all they should be.
On the other hand, women with whom
other men try in vain to become ac-
uuainted will take pains to be intro
duced to a true gentleman. l have
seen rich gentleman stop his carriage,
while riding for pleasure, to take in a
poor washerwoman who was carrying
bundle greater than her strength. l
have seen a poor gentleman, riding in
horse car, with bundle of tools in
one hand and a bundle of scraps of
F wood in the other, and give seat to a
lady, while lot of well dressed fell
, lows buried their faces in the evening
papers. Neither the rich gentleman
or the poor one got any pay for their
courtesy, nor did they expect any, but
, it is comfort to remember that God
has keen eyesight and long memory
Indeed, it is the lack of the feeling that
one ought to have some recompense
for his good deeds that distinguishes
the gentleman from the common peO
y pie: he never is anxious to have people
o know who or what he is; without being
Il conceited, he knows that character anC
n conduct will introduce him in time
O and do the business more thorough!
than any amount of talk can do.
+ If the attributes alluded to do mo-
T. seem enough to the young fellow
T. who wants to be absolutely perfect, le
n him carefully read Pauls first lette
o to the Corinthians The Corinthian
r. put on more style than any other peo
# pie who lived in Pauls day, so the OLE
q missionary, who knocked about tn
ar world great deal, until he knew VIII
" was who and what was what, though
"a he would put the finishing touch upol
n some of them who were fully respecta
4. BILE. And he did it.
a The true lady differs from the ger
A. tleman only as sister from brother, an
o. all that is said above applies as we'll t
" her. Shabby clothes, poor fare, har
h. work and a house with bare wall
p. sometimes combine to let wOma
down, but they never change the cha
acter of that blessed creature to whol
d. we allude when in earnest we sa
no "lady;" and should it ever be our for
I'd une to meet her and the gentleman
Id the better world which we all hope