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Jewish World Review /Feb. 22, 1999 / 5 Adar, 5759
Tony Snow
Children of optimism
(JWR) --- (http://www.jewishworldreview.com) RICHARD BROOKHISER, A SENIOR EDITOR AT NATIONAL REVIEW and an
author of considerable insight and breadth, performed a wonderful public
service a couple of years ago. He assembled the 110 "rules of civility" that
served as the template for George Washington's character -- and by
extension, ours.
Early Americans were children of optimism, determined to transform a raw
wilderness into a shining city on a hill. Yet they also believed that in
bettering themselves, they had an obligation to become better people. It was
never just "the economy, stupid." Virtue, trust, liberty and plenty came as
a matched and unbreakable set.
Washington got his early instruction from a British primer titled, "Youths
Behavior, or Decency in Conversation amongst Men." (The book was a
translation of a manual drafted in the 16th century by French Jesuits eager
to instruct upcoming generations of royalty.) He was so enchanted by the
slim volume that he copied the injunctions -- the 110 rules -- and carried
them for the rest of his life.
Some commandments seem quaint: Don't spit in a fire. Don't crush ticks in
the presence of others. Don't pick your teeth with your knife.
But as a whole, they construct an impressive moral edifice. They inculcate
an appreciation of politeness. They demand consideration of others and warn
against behavior that "savors of arrogancy." They teach the judicious use of
power, the importance of good humor, the necessity of benevolence and the
inescapability of our limitations. They also teach that diligence in small
affairs equips one to perform virtuously in times of challenge.
The rules no doubt contributed to Washington's insistence on suppressing
wayward impulses through the exercise of well-trained will. He admired the
Stoics, especially Seneca, for their commitment to self-mastery and resolved
to follow their example.
As it turns out, this was a very good thing for all of us. Although we now
think of him as a homely giant, mediocre in comparison to Jefferson and
Madison, his coevals appreciated his greatness.
He was a successful revolutionary, warrior and statesman -- an unheard-of
combination. He was physically imposing -- far larger for his age than Jesse
The Whatever is for ours. He was a plain but forceful writer. And most
important, he was a man of Vesuvial passions and ambitions, which he
harnessed thanks to The Rules. (No great man is a wallflower.)
Abigail Adams once wrote to a friend that she viewed Washington's personal
virtue as a great consolation and relief, for "if he was really not one of
the best-intentioned men in the world, he might be a very dangerous one."
So ponder the self-discipline that enables a would-be tyrant to become a
democrat -- and then fast-forward to the present.
Cupidity and cynicism race unchecked and unchallenged through our political
culture. In the Age of Clinton, modesty is a seven-letter synonym for
"clothed." We see little of the diffidence George Washington championed, and
none of the grace.
For a reminder of how simple it is to achieve grace under pressure and
escape the idiocy of the epoch, consider a few apt excerpts from
Washington's rules:
No. 1: "Every action done in company ought to be done with some sign of
respect to those that are present."
No. 7: "Put not off your clothes in the presence of others, nor go out of
your chamber half-drest."
No. 22: "Shew not yourself glad at the misfortune of another though he were
your enemy."
No. 48: "Wherein you reprove another be unblameable yourself, for example
is more prevalent than precepts."
No. 56: "Associate yourself with men of good quality ... for 'tis better to
be alone than in bad company."
No. 59: "Never express anything unbecoming, nor act against the rules moral
before your inferiors."
No. 82: "Undertake not what you cannot perform but be careful to keep your
promise."
No. 88: "Be not tedious in discourse. ..."
Washington learned through such rules how to carry himself with dignity. An
observer once remarked of Washington's bearing that "there is not a king in
who would not look like a valet de chambre by his side." Now imagine how
today's honorables would measure up to our first president, considering the
final three instructions in George Washington's little book:
-- "When you speak of God and His Attributes, let it be seriously and with
reverence ..."
"Let your recreations be manful not sinful."
-- "Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire
called
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