McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1921-09-02
Something to
Think Ab0ut
WORD "GENTLEMAN."
By F. Il. WALKER


boxing championship of the
world, expressed surprise that SO
many Americans should have favored
the challenger from abroad.
Perhaps if he had stopped to think
for moment he would have realized
that, after ALL this is In the true
sporting spirit.
That spirit is at times hard to cul-
tivate. 1t is natural for city to
want It's home team to win in baseball,
and for college to wish to see its
young giants sweep all before them
on the diamond, the links and the
gridiron.
"To have and to hold" Is the motto
of national or international sport from
yachting to polo.
1t is reasonable for nation not to
wish to lose any championship once
II has obtained it.
Various explanations have been
given of the popularity of Carpenter,
the best small man who stood up to
the best big man In their business In
the world today.
A ray Of light is thrown on the
matter by word that was used by
several experts In describing the af-
fair. They said that the Frenchman
fought like a gentleman band lost like
one.
This involved no reflection on the
champion, because nothing of an "un-
gentlemanly" nature was done by any
body on the memorable occasion In
question.
The interesting thing Is the use Of
the word ~gentleman."
It Is an expression that Americans
have been shy of from the earliest
days. partly because 1t conveyed a
suggestion Of class distinction In a
country that has no "classes" and
partly because the word was hard to
define even In countries where 1t
was In common use.
There is no doubt that in the
strictest sense Of the expression,
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson
and John Adams were .gentlemen."
Yet there can be equally little doubt
that the first would have corrected
anybody who defined him in that way
by saying that he was a soldier, while
<ho <<bo.. q <x,,< :. ,,,o,,ld hp va
preferred to be called statesmen.
AS for Benjamin Franklin, IL any
body had called him q gentleman, he
would have remarked probably that
he preferred to be printer. III
Daniel Webster was entertained at
the Jockey club In Richmond on =
famous occasion. He surprised his
hosts by saying that, though born In
/ New Hampshire and a senator from
Massachusetts,, he could give three
good reasons why he could clain to
be "Southern Gentleman" And he
gave these amid storm of laughter.
In fact, II is only In the army and
the navy that the word gentleman
survives In technical sense. For
conduct unbecoming an officer and q
gentleman. is the ground for one Of
the most serious charges that can be
brought against anybody who holds q
commission.
I {, i
The great John Henry Newman
afterwards cardinal, In discussing this
idea of a university gave cons.d-
erable part Of his time to the effort to
\ define q gentleman"
He, Of course, had no more SYM
! pathy than any American would have
with the view, not uncommon In parts
Of Europe, that a gentleman" Is q
man who has no profession or busi-
ness who has nothing to do but moth
ing. 4
I'M olden days gentleman" was
supposed to be like Bayard, without
fear and without reproach; kind te
women and children; gentle In peace
and careless Of his own safety when
duty called him"
It is an interesting thing to find the
word used In the case Of a profession.
al boxer.