Page:About people (IA aboutpeople00well).pdf/197

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
WHO'S WHO?
191

purity of their ancestral line are always gracious. Great is the charm of the high-bred air, the delicate features, and the clear tones of voice of one of long and high descent. Such distinction holds in age as in youth, in the wearer of black alpaca, and in her who is clothed with maroon velvet. But it is the certainty of a righteous cause which should create self-respect, and the consciousness of noble purpose in others which should make one forgetful of their ancestry. Yet by our manners are we first and most often judged. Frequently there is not time, or it seems like presumption, or it is an impossibility to try and know another; but our manners, like the markings and outlines of diatoms, will determine to what species and genera we belong. The high-bred air and the free and easy way testify of birth, the peculiar style of each person making the mould for the next generation. On his own material must each one work, and not accept his inheritance

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.