Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-29
DEFINITION OF GENTLEMAN.
Meaning of the Term Traced from
other Days.
Cincinnati Commercial Gazctte.)

Cincinnati Commercial Gazotte)
There IS great discussion which
periodically reviyes9 II Is this: What con-
sututes a genueman7 1t has broken out
anew in the last issue Of Scrlbnegs
Magazine, with no very striking resuits.
Now, a clever man once made a speciality
or collecting definitions Of the word
gentlemen" and gave a. his cynical
reason that such revelations of tho IDEA
which the men who made them had OF
themselves. you see" lie said, "every
man feels called upon to define gentle
man so as TO include himself" The
cynicism is not undesoryed. in this coun-
try at least about everybody has q firm
conviction that whatever else he may be-
he IS as good a gentleman as any other.
Therefore, most OF the on-hand defni<
tons Of the word have next TO no value.
They resolve themselves into ceaselesx
repetitions OF the pronoun Il"
Bat IS there no hope that we may ever
establish true baAi5 for tho definition OF
this most invaluable idoa2 It Is case In
which mere language viii help US little.
IN origin the word gentleman" relates To
the gems" IN it's Oldest meaning thu
word signifies a man OF good famll, tho
more ethical signihcances which nova
days, 10 greater or less extent, II IN
doubtedly bears have come later. But
even this primitive meaning which still
survives IN more places and with snora
persistence than some people like TO adj
mt-may be made to YIELD up the clue
70 the evolution OF It's meaning. The man
OK good family. the old tribal arist0crat.
was an exalted one. He was the man
set IN plain view. the man whom the rest
OF the people were TO follow valiantly In
war, by whom they were 20 be advised In
council. upon whose conduct at all times
they were TO model their own. Hence
from the very beg inning there was "A dis
csnible drift in the Significance OF the
word. Your true gentleman, who was liz
q - g. aTfrfnHTaf
the man OF good birth, who filed to per,
lection all his high obligations as a modd
member OF the clan.
At first. OF course, these obligationi
were slight. TO be brave In the face OF
the enemy. to be astuto IN devising al
ambush, 10 be impressive IN q crowd, and
what was thought to DO graceful az 4
banquet, was to M the bill. As timt
went on these simple requirements wert
naturally vastly augmented, but alwayt
the ruling principle IN tho accretion OF
! them was the same The things required
OF a gentleman are almost, II not invarr
ably the Outgrowth OF some idea or 90.
| legation to others. That - why the ide3
Of the gentleman has so often contained
elements TO which moralist5 have object
ed In a generation which does not, fol
example. think that II Is any infringe
ments OF an other mans rights TO cons
pei him II fight q duel, tho idea or tht
gentleman contains the idea OF the duel-
iBt. But let ~ once be concluded thai
tho welfare OF the state requires thu
! abandonment OF dueiing. and very soon
the idea OF the gentleman viii come 10
exclude the idea Of the duelinst. The
duelist then goes over 70 the category OF
the cad
Thus. without probably any self inten-
ton, the race has come 20 base the idea
OF a gentleman upon a caurteOus recogni-
ton Cf the right OF others and d constant
attention 10 ones obligation 10 the tribe.
or the state. as q whole. Though not
moral idea in its origin II has become
moral through sheer force OF ciroum-
| stances Therefore, II was possible for
the quaint old English writer 10 speak OF
| Jesus Christ as "the first true gentleman
! that ever lived"