Get Your Hands On Letters To His Son On The Art Of Becoming A Man Of The World And A Gentleman, 1748 Penned By Philip Dormer Stanhope Accessible Via Brochure
on Letters to His Son on the Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman, 1748
letters to his illegitimate son on what it means to be a gentleman in today's vernacular, on how to adult are filled with both grace and harshness.
He writes elegantly and gives perceptive instruction on how to think through every essential aspect of the social arts, His writing is simultaneously heartfelt and pointed, To summarize a few recurring points:
A gentleman knows virtue and "whoever knows virtue must love it, "So why, with the recurring emphasis on humility and the Golden Rule do these letters feel harsh There are two main reasons, The first is that women continually get a bad rap here, Chesterfield clearly views anyone of the female persuasion as incurably vain and useful mainly as a stepping stone to men connected to them who hold power.
A gentleman does justice to the strengths and vanities of the men and women he encounters, but without flattery or lies,
A gentleman acquaints himself with the history and customs of the cities he visits,
A gentleman indulges in those pleasures that are truly desirable, "which occasion neither sickness, shame, nor repentance, "
A gentleman is never idle he makes the most of every minute of the day,
A gentleman has many companions, but few trusted friends,
This last partially stems from the assumption that they are better tutors on the rules of etiquette than other men, The second and even more prevalent is best heard directly from Chesterfield himself:
"My affection for you then is, and only will be, proportioned to your merit which is the only affection that one rational being ought to have for another.He expresses this thought to his son throughout theletters reproduced from this two year period, His son's identity and character do not stem from his relationship to his father, Quite the opposite in fact, their relationship is built on the identity that the son crafts for himself in his studies and travels, While his warm praise and concerned chastisement belies his words
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to some degree, I find that this legalistic attitude pervades his letters and taints them with a bitter aftertaste.
Chesterfield offers valuable insights to human nature and prudent council on navigating social situations, but, ultimately, his version of human relationships strikes me as a rather lonely worldview.
elegant. brilliant read that also warms the heart from his intentions This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers.
You may find it for free on the web, Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery, Philip Dormer Stanhope,th Earl of Chesterfield PC KG was a British statesman and man of letters,
A Whig, Lord Stanhope, as he was known until his father's death in, was born in London, and educated at Cambridge and then went on the Grand Tour of the continent.
The death of Anne and the accession of George I opened up a career for him and brought him back to England, His relative James Stanhope, the king's favourite minister, procured for him the place of gentleman of the bedchamber to the Prince of Wales, .