1865: On the Self-Made Man
Jeanne d’Anatis
The self-made man is much admired, though I have yet to meet one who did not boast of his making. He is constructed, not born—all surface, no sediment. His fortune, earned through toil, becomes his proof of virtue; he polishes his manners as he polishes his boots. His conversation smells faintly of coin, like a purse warmed too long in the hand.
Such men prefer to speak of “character,” as if honesty were a substitute for breeding. Yet I find honesty is most loudly praised by those who have only lately acquired it.
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