Decline and Fall

I cannot pretend to understand your attitude in this matter, but no doubt you are the best judge.

For generations the British bourgeoisie have spoken of themselves as gentlemen, and by that they have meant, among other things, a selfrespecting scorn of irregular perquisites. It is the quality that distinguishes the gentleman from both the artist and the aristocrat. Now I am a gentleman. I can’t help it: it’s born in me. I just can’t take that money.

‘Well, have you ever known a butler with a diamond tiepin?
‘No, I don’t think I have.
‘Well, Philbrick’s got one, and a diamond ring too. He showed them to Brolly. Colossal great diamonds, Brolly says. Philbrick said he used to have bushels of diamonds and emeralds before the war, and that he used to eat off gold plate. We believe that he’s a Russian prince in exile.
‘Generally speaking, Russians are not shy about using their titles, are they? Besides, he looks very English.

smooth young men of uncertain tastes from embassies and legations

Besides, you see, I’m a publicschool man. That means everything. There’s a blessed equity in the English social system, said Grimes, ‘that ensures the publicschool man against starvation. One goes through four or five years of perfect hell at an age when life is bound to be hell, anyway, and after that the social system never lets one down.

You see, it wasn’t the ordinary sort of Doubt about Cain’s wife or the Old Testament miracles or the consecration of Archbishop Parker.

It seems to me that the great problem of education is to train the moral perceptions, not merely to discipline the appetites.