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A PLEA FOR INTELLECTUAL COALESCENCE 155
in international life is due to a great extent to their
aristocratic frame of mind. The British gentleman, to
whatsoever class of society he may belong, has taken the lead in
culture and civilisation all the world over.
Now what constitutes the character of a gentleman ?
It is honesty and straightforwardness of character combined
with gentleness and suavity of behaviour. It is this frame
of mind which colours all the actions of the British and gives
them that quiet confidence of self-possession which marks a
high station in life. Of course such a type of gentleman is
the outward sign and result of a thoroughly balanced
personality, which can only be attained by a combined
adequate education in the moral as well as the mental sphere.
As in the case of British democracy, similarly with Russian
democracy, the different classes of society may be brought
into harmony by establishing a standard taken from the
higher social strata. Intellectual coalescence between the
British and the Russians from this point of view seems an
aim worthy of endeavour and realisation.
One of the pillars of British commercial success is the
reputation of the British business man. Russians may have
a clear conception of a gentleman, but their idea of the
qualifications which are the hall-mark of a capable business
man is not always in accordance with British ideas on the
subject, which define a business man as synonymous with
regularity, consistency, reliability, and serious endeavour.
Anything that is erratic, amateurish, and without observance
of a steady line of conduct, prejudices the British mind and
must therefore be avoided by those who desire to entertain
business relations with the British. Russian Consuls in
Great Britain have often to listen to tales from perplexed
Englishmen who had entered into commercial relations with
Russians, only to find that without rhyme or reason no
answer was forthcoming, even in response to advantageous
propositions. The root of the matter lay in the fact that,
if for certain reasons the Russian did not want to keep up
relations with the other side, he simply did not consider it
worth while to give the matter any further attention. Such
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