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whether they originated , as some have asserted , with the builders of the Tower of Babel , or of the Temple of Solomon ; or whether cognate with the Eleusinian mysteries , or the corporation of Ionian
architects ; or whether they date , as some believe , so recently as the time of the Crusades;—in either case they must have had a prominent
share in the traditional conveyance of ancient forms from a very remote period to the present , and must therefore largely participate in the credit of so far widening the sphere of human knowledge , by connecting , both palpably and mysteriously , the present with the past . Moreover the study of forms and ceremonies not only tends to unfold the arcana of ancient history , but in modern as well as in past times to reveal the national character , efnd in some countries to determine
the social position . In France there is less distinction m society , as far as forms are concerned , than in England . In Paris every man is , both in dress and manners , a gentleman . In English society , on the contrary , the grade or position is easily discoverable by a lookeron . There is a very large class who never think of ceremony , nor dream of showing that respect to their fellow-creatures which they have never been taught to cherish . These occupy chiefly cities , mines , and manufactories . In London they are a very numerous body , and their manners contrast very strikingly with those of their rustic equals . Your cockney cabman or drayman is an ill-grained brute , whose only solicitude seems to be to show that he regards not in the slightest degree the comfort or convenience of his
fellowcreatures , and that he takes a special delight in annoying the polite , and defiling the clean and decent . By his utter want of ceremony he places himself in the very lowest j ' place in society . For he is certainly one grade below the ragged urchin , who , broom in hand , politely sweeps your path and touches his hat respectfully as you pass his crossing , and as significantly places the end of his thumb on the tip of his nose , extending his fingers towards your back if you take no notice either of his services or his breeding . There is
something exceedingly admirable in the manner in which a well-bred footman addresses his right hand to the rim of his lace-bound hat , when he is receiving orders from the lady in the barouche behind him . It is an acknowledgment of the humble-servantism he feels towards his mistress , in spite of their mal-a-propos relative positions in the carriage—he turning his back upon a lady addressing him , she looking up to him on whom her mind is always looking down . The
absence of the form in this case ( as in most others ) would necessarily bespeak an absence of respect for which no fidelity could compensate . As you rise in society , you observe the same propriety in the forms which attract your attention . Your retail tradesman , as he is just a step nearer being a gentleman than your servant , is proportionabl y more full of ceremony , more constant , more devoted , more obliging , because the " favours" you bestow on him are more to his advantage than your own . As you rise into professional life , you find , in addition to the forms of good-breeding which belong to the gentleman , other observances springing out of what is termed
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
whether they originated , as some have asserted , with the builders of the Tower of Babel , or of the Temple of Solomon ; or whether cognate with the Eleusinian mysteries , or the corporation of Ionian
architects ; or whether they date , as some believe , so recently as the time of the Crusades;—in either case they must have had a prominent
share in the traditional conveyance of ancient forms from a very remote period to the present , and must therefore largely participate in the credit of so far widening the sphere of human knowledge , by connecting , both palpably and mysteriously , the present with the past . Moreover the study of forms and ceremonies not only tends to unfold the arcana of ancient history , but in modern as well as in past times to reveal the national character , efnd in some countries to determine
the social position . In France there is less distinction m society , as far as forms are concerned , than in England . In Paris every man is , both in dress and manners , a gentleman . In English society , on the contrary , the grade or position is easily discoverable by a lookeron . There is a very large class who never think of ceremony , nor dream of showing that respect to their fellow-creatures which they have never been taught to cherish . These occupy chiefly cities , mines , and manufactories . In London they are a very numerous body , and their manners contrast very strikingly with those of their rustic equals . Your cockney cabman or drayman is an ill-grained brute , whose only solicitude seems to be to show that he regards not in the slightest degree the comfort or convenience of his
fellowcreatures , and that he takes a special delight in annoying the polite , and defiling the clean and decent . By his utter want of ceremony he places himself in the very lowest j ' place in society . For he is certainly one grade below the ragged urchin , who , broom in hand , politely sweeps your path and touches his hat respectfully as you pass his crossing , and as significantly places the end of his thumb on the tip of his nose , extending his fingers towards your back if you take no notice either of his services or his breeding . There is
something exceedingly admirable in the manner in which a well-bred footman addresses his right hand to the rim of his lace-bound hat , when he is receiving orders from the lady in the barouche behind him . It is an acknowledgment of the humble-servantism he feels towards his mistress , in spite of their mal-a-propos relative positions in the carriage—he turning his back upon a lady addressing him , she looking up to him on whom her mind is always looking down . The
absence of the form in this case ( as in most others ) would necessarily bespeak an absence of respect for which no fidelity could compensate . As you rise in society , you observe the same propriety in the forms which attract your attention . Your retail tradesman , as he is just a step nearer being a gentleman than your servant , is proportionabl y more full of ceremony , more constant , more devoted , more obliging , because the " favours" you bestow on him are more to his advantage than your own . As you rise into professional life , you find , in addition to the forms of good-breeding which belong to the gentleman , other observances springing out of what is termed