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The True Gentleman. How to be one.
The True Gentleman is one whose nature has been fashioned after the highest models. It is a grand old name, that of gentleman, and has been recognized as rank and power in all stages of society. " The Gentle man is always the Gentleman," said the old French General to his regiment of Scottish gentry at Rousillon, " and invariably proves himself such in need and in danger." To possess this character is a dignity of it self, commanding the instinctive homage of every gen erous mind, and those who will not bow to titular rank will yet do homage to the gentleman. His qualities depend not upon fashion or manners, but upon moral worth not on personal possessions, but on personal qualities. The Psalmist briefly describes him. As one " that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart."
The gentleman is eminently distinguished for his self-respect. He values his character not so much of it only as can be seen by others, but as he sees it him self; having regard for the approval of his inward monitor. And, as he respects himself, so, by the same law, does he respect others. Humanity is sacred in his eyes ; and thence proceed politeness and forbearance, kindness and charity. It is related of Lord Edward Fitzgerald that, while travelling in Canada, in company with the Indians, he was shocked by the sight of a poor squaw trudging along laden with her husband s trap pings, while the chief himself walked on unencumbered. Lord Edward at once relieved the squaw of her pack by placing it upon his own shoulders a beautiful in stance of what the French call politesse de cceur the inbred politeness of the true gentleman.
The true gentleman has a keen sense of honor scru pulously avoiding mean actions. His standard of prob ity in word and action is high. He does not shuffle or prevaricate, dodge or skulk ; but is honest, upright and straightforward. His law is rectitude action in right lines. When he says yes, it is a law : and he dares to say the valiant no at the fitting season. The gentleman will not be bribed ; only the low-minded And unprincipled will sell themselves to those who are interested in buying them. When the upright Jonas Han way officiated as commissioner in the victualling department, he declined to receive a present of any kind from a contractor ; refusing thus to be biased in the performance of his public duty. A fine trait of the same kind is to be noted in the life of the Duke of Wellington. Shortly after the battle of Assaye, one morning the Prime Minister of the Court of Hydera bad waited upon him for the purpose of privately as- certainHg what territory and what advantages had been reserved for his master in the treaty of peace be tween the Mahratta princes and the Nizam. To obtain this information the minister offered the general a very large sum considerably above 100,000. Looking at him quietly for a few seconds, Sir Arthur said, " It ap pears, then, that you are capable of keeping a secret ? " " Yes, certainly," replied the minister. Then so am I" said the English general, smiling, and bowed the minister out. It was to Wellington s great honor, that though uniformly successful in India, and with the power of earning in such modes as this enormous wealth, he did not add a farthing to his fortune, and re turned to England a comparatively poor man.
A similar sensitiveness and high-mindedness charac terized his noble relative, the Marquis of Wellesley, Trho, on one occasion, positively refused a present of 100,000, proposed to be given him by the Directors of the East India Company on the conquest of Mysore. " It is not necessary," said he, " forme to allude to the independence of my character, and the proper dignity attaching to my office ; other reasons besides these important considerations lead me to decline this testi mony, which is not suitable to me. I think of nothing but our army. I should be much distressed to curtail the share of those brave soldiers." And the Marquis s resolution to refuse the present remained unalterable. Sir Charles Napier exhibited the same noble self- denial in the course of his Indian career. He rejected all the costly gifts which barbaric princes were ready to lay at his feet, and said with truth, " Certainly 1 could have got 30,000 since my coming to Scinde, but my hands do not want washing yet. Our dear father s sword which I wore in both battles (Meanee and Hyder abad) is unstained."
Riches and rank have no necessary connection with genuine gentlemanly qualities. The poor man may be a true gentleman in spirit and in daily life. He may be honest, truthful, upright, polite, temperate, coura geous, self-respecting, and self-helping that is, be a true gentleman. The poor man with a rich spirit is in all ways superior to the rich man with a poor spirit. To borrow St. Paul s words, the former is as " having nothing, yet possessing all things," while the other, though possessing all things has nothing. The first hopes every thing, and fears nothing ; the last hopes nothing, and fears every thing. Only the poor in spirit are really poor. He who has lost all, but retains his courage, cheerfulness, hope, virtue, and self-respect, is still rich. For such a man, the world is, as it were, "held in trust ; his spirit dominating over its grosser cares, he can still walk erect, a true gentleman.
Occasionally, the brave and gentle character may be sound under the humblest garb. Here is an old illus tration, but a fine one. Once on a time, when the Adige suddenly overflowed its banks, the bridge of Verona was carried away with the exception of the centre arch, on which stood a house, whose inhabitants supplicated nelp from the windows, while the foundations were visibly giving way. " I will give a hundred French louis, said the Count Spolverini, who stood by, "to any per. Son who will venture to deliver these unfortunate people." A young peasant came forth from the crowd, a boat and pushed into the stream. He gained The pier, received the whole family into the boat, and made for the shore, where he landed them in safety. " Here is your money, my brave young fellow," said the count. " No," was the answer of the young man, " I do not sell my life ; give the money to this poor family, who have need of it." Here spoke the true spirit of the gentleman, though he was in the garb of a peas ant.
Not less touching was the heroic conduct of a party of Deal boatmen in rescuing the crew of a collier-brig in the Downs but a short time ago.* A sadden storm which set in from the north-east drove several ships from their anchors, and it being low water, one of them struck the ground at a considerable distance from the shore, when the sea made a clean breach over her. There was not a vestige of hope for the vessel, such was the fury of the wind and the violence of the waves. There was nothing to tempt the boatmen on shore to risk their lives in saving either ship or crew, for not a farthing of salvage was to be looked for. But the daring intrepidity of the Deal boatmen was not want ing at this critical moment. No sooner had the brig grounded than Simon Pritchard, one of the many per sons assembled along the beach, threw off his coat and called out, " Who will come with me and try to save that crew?" Instantly twenty men sprang forward, with, I will," and I." But seven only were wanted ; and running down a galley-punt into the surf, they leaped in and dashed through the breakers, amidst the cheers of those on <^ore. How the boat lived in such a sea seemed a miracle ; but in a few minutes, impelled by the strong arms of these gallant men, she flew on and reached the stranded ship, " catching her on the top of a wave ; " and in less than a quarter of an hour from the time the boat left the shore, the six men who com posed the crew of the collier were landed safe on Waimer Beach. A nobler instance of indomitable courage and disinterested heroism on the part of the deal boat men brave though they are always known to be per haps can not be cited ; and we have pleasure in here placing it on record. Mr. Turnbull, in his work on " Austria," relates an anecdote of the late Emperor Francis, in illustration of the manner in which the Government of that country has been indebted, for its hold upon the people, to the personal qualities of its princes. " At the time when the cholera was raging at Vienna, the emperor, with an aide-de-camp, was strolling about the streets of the city and suburbs, when a corpse was dragged past on a /itter, unaccompanied by a single mourner. The unusual circumstance attracted his attention, and he learnt, on inquiry, that the deceased was a poor person who had died of cholera, and that the relatives had not ventured on what was then considered the very dangerous office of attending the body to the grave. Then, said Francis, ; we will supply their place, for none of my poor people should go to the grave without that last mark of respect ; and he followed the body to the dis tant place of interment, and, bare-headed, stood to see every rite and observance respectfully performed."
Fine though this illustration may be of the qualities of the gentleman, we can match it by another equally good, of two English navvies in Paris, as related in a morning paper a few years ago. " One day a hearse was observed ascending the steep Rue de Clichy on its way to Montmartre, bearing a coffin of poplar-wood with its cold corpse. Not a soul followed not even the liv ing dog of the dead man, if he had one. The day was rainy and dismal ; passers-by lifted the hat, as is usual when a funeral passes, and that was all. At length it passed two English navvies, who found themselves in Paris on their way from Spain. A right feeling spoke from beneath their serge jackets. * Poor wretch ! Said The one to the other, no one follows him; let us two follow ! And the two took off their hats, and walked bare-headed after the corpse of a stranger to the cem etery of Montmartre."
Above all, the gentleman is truthful. He feels that truth is the " summit of being," and the soul of recti tude in human affairs. Lord Chesterfield declared that Truth made the success of a gentleman. The Duke of Wellington, writing to Kellerman, on the subject of prisoners on parole, when opposed to that general in the Peninsula, told him that if there was one thing on which an English officer prided himself more than an other, excepting his courage, it was his truthfulness. " When English officers," said he, " have given their parole of honor not to escape, be sure they will not break it. Believe me trust to their word ; the word of an English officer is a surer guarantee than the vigi lance of sentinels."
True courage and gentleness go hand in hand. The brave man is generous and forbearant, never unforgiv ing and cruel. It was finely said of Sir John Franklin by his friend Parry, that " he was a man who never turned his back upon a danger, yet of that tenderness that he would not brush away a mosquito." A fine trait of character truly gentle, and worthy of the spir it of Bayard was displayed by a French officer in the cavalry combat of El Bodon in Spain. He had raised his sword to strike Sir Felton Harvey, but perceiving his antagonist had only one arm, he instantly stopped, brought down his sword before Sir Felton in the usual salute, and rode past, To this may be added a noble and gentle deed of Ney during the same Peninsular War. Charles Napier was taken prisoner at Corunna, desperately wounded ; and his friends at home did not know whether he was alive or dead. A special mes senger was sent out from England with a frigate to ascertain his fate. Baron Clouet received the flag, and Informed Ney of the arrival. " Let the prisoner see bis friends," said Ney, " and tell them he is well, and well- treated." Clouet lingered, and Ney asked, smiling, " what more he wanted ? " " He has an old mother, a widow, and blind." " Has he ? Then let him go himself and tell her he is alive." As the exchange of prisoners betwen the countries was not then allowed, Ney knew that he risked the displeasure of the Emperor by set ting the young officer at liberty; but Napoleon approved the generous act. * On the llth January, 1800.
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