The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-03
DEFINITION Or GENTLEMAN.
The Meaning of the Term Traced
From other Days

From Other Days.
From the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette
There is a great discussion which period
+, ically revives II is this: What consti-
tutes a gentleman? 1t has broken out
anew in the last issue of Scribner's Mag
azine, with no very striking results. Now,
clever man once made a speciality of
collecting definitions OF the word gentle
men," and gave as his cynical reason that
such definitions were admirable revela-
tons of the idea which the men who made
them had of themselves. "You see," he
said, every man feels called upon to de-
fine gentleman. so as TO include himself"
The cynicism is not undeserved. In this
country, at least, about everybody has
firm conviction that what ever else he
may be he is as good a gentleman as any
other Therefore, most of the off-hand
definitions Of the word have next to no
value. They resolve themselves into
ceaseless repetitions of the pronoun a."
But is there no hope that we may ever
establish a true basis for the definition
of this most invaluable idea? 1t is a case
in which mere language will help US a lit
tie In origin The word gentleman" re-
lates to the gems" in its Oldest meaning
a
the more ethical significance which now
adays, to a greater or less extent, it I'M
doubtedly bears have come later. But
even this primitive meaning-which still
survives in more places and with more
persistence than some people like TO ad-
mit-may be made to yield up the clue
10 the evolution of it's meaning The man
of good family, the old tribal aristocrat
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 to be advised in coun-
Gil. upon whose conduct at all times they
were TO model their own. Hence, from
the very beginning there was discern
ible drift in the significance of the word
Your true gentleman. who was in origin
simply your true arstocrat, was the man
Of good birth who filled 10 perfection all
his high obligations a model member
of the clan.
At first, of course these obligations were
slight. To be brave in the face of the
enemy, 10 be astute in devising an ambush.
to be impressive in a crowd, and what
was thought to be graceful at a banquet
was 10 fill the bill. AS time went on these
simple requirements were naturally vast
~ augmented, but always in ruling prin-
ciple in the accretion Of them was the
same. The things required Of gentle
man are almost, if not invqria bly,. the
outgrowth of some idea OF obligation to
Others. That is why the idea of the gen
tleman has SO often contained elements
to which moralists have objected In a
generation which does not, for example
think that II is any infringements of an
other mans rights to compel him to fiqht
a duel. the idea of the gentleman con-
tains the idea of the duelist But. let II
once be concluded that the welfare of tho
state requires The abandonment of duel
ing, and very soon the idea Of the gentle
man viii come to exclude the idea of the
duelist. The duelst then goes over to he
category Of the cad.
Thus, without probably any self-inten-
ton the race has come % base the iTa,
Of gentleman upon a courteous recoa-
milton Of the rights OF others ana a con
slant attention to ones obligation to the
tribe, or the stale, as a whole. Though
not moral idea in It's origin. il has be-
come moral through sheer force of cir
cumstances Therefore, II was possible
for the quaint Old English writer to speak
Of Jesus Christ as "ihe first true gentle
man that ever lNed.'