What do you mean by"vulgarity"? You will find it afruitful subject of thought; but,briefly, the essence of all vulgaritylies in want of sensation.

Sesame and Lilies, § 28.

All rights reserved

RUSKIN TREASURIES

OF VULGARITY

1. Two great errors, colouring, orrather discolouring, severally, theminds of the higher and lower classes,have sown wide dissension, and widermisfortune, through the society ofmodern days. These errors are inour modes of interpreting the word"gentleman."

Its primal, literal, and perpetualmeaning is "a man of pure race;"[#]well bred, in the sense that a horseor dog is well bred.

[#] See below, pp. 39-47.

The so-called higher classes, beinggenerally of purer race than the lower,have retained the true idea, and theconvictions associated with it; but areafraid to speak it out, and equivocateabout it in public; this equivocationmainly proceeding from their desireto connect another meaning with it,and a false one;—that of "a manliving in idleness on other people'slabour;"—with which idea the termhas nothing whatever to do.

The lower classes, denying vigorously,and with reason, the notion thata gentleman means an idler, andrightly feeling that the more any oneworks, the more of a gentleman hebecomes, and is likely to become,—havenevertheless got little of thegood they otherwise might, from thetruth, because, with it, they wanted tohold a falsehood,—namely, that racewas of no consequence. It beingprecisely of as much consequence inman as it is in any other animal.

2. The nation cannot truly prospertill both these errors are finally gotquit of. Gentlemen have to learn thatit is no part of their duty or privilegeto live on other people's toil. Theyhave to learn that there is nodegradation in the hardest manual, or thehumblest servile, labour, when it ishonest. But that there is degradation,and that deep, in extravagance,in bribery, in indolence, in pride, intaking places they are not fit for, or incoining places for which there is noneed. It does not disgrace a gentlemanto become an errand boy, or aday labourer; but it disgraces himmuch to become a knave, or a thief.And knavery is not the less knaverybecause it involves large interests,nor theft the less theft because it iscountenanced by usage, or accompaniedby failure in undertaken duty.It is an incomparably less guil

BU KİTABI OKUMAK İÇİN ÜYE OLUN VEYA GİRİŞ YAPIN!

Sitemize Üyelik ÜCRETSİZDİR!