Some recent posts have prompted the Pimpernel to reflect on the qualities of gentlemen, scholars and clergy.
| A butter knife of quality, but not something to be used for mixing your gins and tonic. |
After all, as Sir Ian Sutherland remarked in The English Gentleman, “The first time the author of this book was conscious that there was a difference between what is classed as a gentle man and someone who is not classed as a gentleman was when a very eccentric aunt came to tea and, when the seven-year-old author-to-be helped himself to butter with his table knife, remarked acidly ‘The difference between a person who is a gentleman and one who is not is that a gentleman always uses a butter knife even when he has tea on his own.’”
The Pimpernel might observe the same of clergy: a true cleric and gentleman is one who wears a chasuble even when he celebrates Mass on holiday.
Or, for that matter cleric who is a gentleman and a scholar is one for whom the question "What is the plural of the drink made from gin and tonic?” does not arise.
I beg to differ! The photograph shows a fish knife, not a butter knife. A butter knife would have a blunt end not a pointed end as shown in the photograph. I might add that an English gentleman would not be seen dead using a fish knife!!
ReplyDeleteSir, you may inform youself as to the photograph by scrolling down at this link:
ReplyDeletehttp://beverlybremersilver.wordpress.com/
I thought if might be a lovely piece of quaint Judaica: a circumcision knife.
ReplyDeletePerhaps there is a difference between American and English butter knives.
ReplyDelete