The Washington herald., 1914-07-21
The Gentleman.
ny EMORY J. HAYNES.

l
| On the broad hotel piazza group of men dis
cussed the old question: Who is gentlemana What
constitutes, what identifies the true gentleman /
had participated in the discussion of this subject
for years. Not since was very young man. and,
along with other novices in life was studious as to
what would be required got out among men of the
active world.
This veranda parliament had long sitting The
mountains were beautiful and the silver river below
was like dream of splendor There was no vacation
recreation in talking business, politics. There
seemed TO be sort of Sabbath propriety in this gen.
tleman question, and it was not sectarian.
All agreed that gentleman was truthful, that he
was well hammered and kind hearted The same old
views of forty years ago, not and no change.
There certain freshness in the remarks of one
debater who said that after all the genuine the real
gentleman kept his mind sensitive to even the small
est kindness shown him." The trivial kindness
even, fastened the gver in the mind of the recipient
Il know that man. He once did favor. That
fastened him in my memory for a lifetime"
The majority thought that pretty severe test for
the rule that the beneficiary of favor generally
forgot it The mark holds however, for all time
The gentleman possesses that cardinal virtue graft
tude
There was something to think about in the COM
men that the greatest reveaer of gentility is financial
reverses, the showing of personality when severe
economy was made necessary. None but the gentle
man can preserve the distinction between manners
and becoming selfdenia True it is that even abject
poverty is quite consistent with the demands of
perfect gentleman Indeed, it is the stripping away
of meretrcious adornings that, since history began
has revealed real gentity both in men and women.
Prlvation hunger, rags and homelessness have been
the outward circumstances of the heroic-polite and
patrician These all have not tarnished the modest
serespect and respect for others that we all admire
1t is well to dwell the question, What const-
tutes the gentleman? Well to take the thought along
on the train travels and many strangers
In all this railway station throng let US try to pick
out the gentleman. 1t is hard to disregard clothes
astonshingly hard The study is fascinating if you
set your mind resolutely to the task. The spiritual
something that you in search OF is as ndefnable
as invisible mind Yet it is real. 1t is prize OF
life To be considered gentleman is the positive
wish of very large fraction of mankind.
And that reminds you that more than half the men
in sight here give it little thought beyond dress They
do not carry the purpose around with them as they
do their travelling bags. Such OF the men as are
by ladies are decidedly not thinking
upon gentty. If the event calls for a pause and
conversation they suffer change and grow genteel
but not otherwise
Perhaps American crowd is not Intentionally !
rude, but it is brusque and forceful 1t is genteel
10 the aged, children, and invalids. Which is true
not by any means exclusively of the well dressed. .
Indeed there is rarely any lack of consideration for
women by passing gang OF roughly garbed 1aborers |
lurrying home from work. Nor is it snobbery such I
that class show in Europe but real gentlemanliness
Home manners are really the ones that cling No 4
'ther teaching excel the home teaching Nor |,
an one long counterfeit courtesy while abroad that
lie has not made habtual home. The home associa-
ion is so intimate that the disorder of rudeness there
amounts to real cruelty to such of the group as are
themselves gentle. sister who aspires to refinement
n her own habit be made most miserable BY the
ough habit Of brothers who care for none of such
hings Her modification amounts to actual pain
She is ashamed of her brothers and with good
She seeks to be adyike and is derided for it. Poor
Jerome, she deserves to marry real gentleman and
scape the Doors who will not be polite to their am
itious sister.
Moments of excitement prove the gentleman A
udden danger, accidental peril, and the proof
# the real gentleman is instantaneous. Often the
rsis reveals manfulness where it had least been ex-
ected Recently boy of sixteen Just out of a re-
orm school, unbuckled life-preserver from his own
erson and fastened it upon woman standing near
i'm the imperiled river boat.
The aristocracy of virtue, of real worth is not
MS the distinction which all have in mind BY the
'ord gentleman? And if it is, if the gentleman of
oday is the sir knight of the chvaric age surely the
ank is open to all.
For character is not dependent on lineage or q
'ealth And as life on there any reflection
lore agreeable than the truthful consciousness T
ave lived my life as gentleman" \