Fighting for honour
Paul Griffin seeks to restore the politically incorrect concepts
of honour and respectability to their proper place in society
D
oes our age not resemble that of And so refined that when God The idea of respectability has in its turn
the decadent Roman Empire? was alone become fouled, and we are in danger of
Their drama was sexy and vio- And featureless at first, himself losing a vital concept altogether. ‘So’, says
lent: we have James Bond. They adored had none…’ a man to his employer, ‘I am living in an
vast banquets: we have the Good Food But later, he sums it up: ‘Being and adulterous relationship with the wife of
Guide. The Romans gathered in vast seeming is your equal care…’ I believe another employee. What is it to do with
arenas to watch men in conflict: we have the lady was well worth the compliment, you, or with how I perform my duties? I
the Cup Final. The Romans treated their which sums up the proper attitude. will thank you to keep out of my private
state religion as a mere convenience. To life, and look after what concerns you.’
quote Dr Edward Norman, they were Outward appearance
Anglicans really. In those days it was not sufficient to be A vital concept
This probably only proves that deep good; in addition, our goodness should It is, by the way, when private lives
in any human being, whatever the state be clearly visible. We should certainly become public that those involved con-
of society, you will find a fondness for do good in secret, but must not on that tinue to speak of their privacy. Worse,
sex, excitement and good grub, com- account neglect our general appearance. they may make that adolescent remark: ‘I
bined with a reluctance to confront the All ages have the problem of hypocrisy, don’t care what people think of me.’ We in
big issues of life. However, I do regret but our own has the very common prob- the Church have become only too accus-
one feature that characterizes our own lem that we feel outward appearances are tomed to the privacy argument, and we
age more than any other, it is the loss of comparatively unimportant. Headteach- no longer counter it with the concept of
meaning of the word ‘honour’. ers who still talk about the honour of honour or respectability. They are politi-
Concepts easily become fouled, and the school find it a desperate struggle to cally incorrect terms, yet they signify a
that word is no exception. It survives, persuade children to appear decent and most important Christian principle. How
but only just, and has overtones of keen civilized human beings. on earth can we recapture it?
headteachers talking about the honour Schools that teach proper history love I would love to restore ‘honour’ to its
of the school, or keen Mafia members to describe the hypocrisy of the Victo- place, now that the crazy business of duel-
talking about honour killings. It is used rian era, when the word ‘honour’ had ling has dwindled to ‘I’ll see you outside’,
to indicate humility, as in the Birthday largely been replaced by ‘respectability’. and public horror of the term has sub-
Honours List, or ‘It is an honour to be To see this word as a mere cloak for evil sided. Brutus, remember, was an honour-
asked to address you’, but this is a long is unfair. My own dear parents valued able man. He was no St Paul, but he knew
way from the old meaning of the term, respectability. They wanted to be able to that he was surrounded by a great cloud
which you can see best in Shakespeare lift up their heads among their contem- of witnesses. He had – what shall we call
and his seventeenth-century colleagues. poraries, and although they were not it? –’integrity’? Alas, we are already begin-
Jokingly, John Donne wrote to the Coun- particularly angelic, they valued decency ning to talk mockingly of people ‘bristling
tess of Bedford: and kindness, and imposed pretty firm with integrity’. Long may we fight to keep
‘Honour is so sublime perfection, restrictions on themselves. these concepts clean.
ND
Permitted things
whose perpetrators are unaware; or even
proud of. Sins which started their careers
Francis Gardom takes leave of the good/bad folk of St Grizelda’s
as virtues, but by over- or wrong- use have
been transformed into vices.
F
inally, let’s go into St Grizelda’s the treasures start to wear out – or the ‘We perish by permitted things’ says the
Sacristy and meet Mr Horder, the church is given another chalice or chasuble. proverb. Those sins which impede the
Verger. He’s been a lifelong friend of the For so deep is Mr Horder’s affection progress of apprentice-saints like you
treasurer, Mr Poundstock, and in some towards what he feels, subconsciously and me are not forbidden in any book on
ways resembles him. no doubt, are ‘his’ possessions, that the morality. On the contrary they’re sins which
He’s only too glad to show people very thought of pensioning them off, or are originally virtuous but which have got
the wonderful ‘treasures’ (as he calls introducing a ‘rival’ feels like an impending out of control. The very fact that they are
them) which they’ve acquired over the bereavement. So St Grizelda’s has become ‘admired by many’ makes them much more
years, and you feel as he speaks about a church of frayed embroideries, chalices difficult to discover and correct.
them, that they mean the world to him. which have lost their gilding, and albs So there we are. We’ve taken a whistle
Nobody could be more diligent about whose lace hangs off their extremities ‘like stop tour and noted some of the sins of
their safekeeping, and he, and he alone is flax off a distaff ’. the good folk of St Grizelda’s. The next
allowed to get them out, put them away Before leaving St Grizelda’s let’s just step we should undertake is some self-
and keep them polished for use. What an remind ourselves what those sins we’ve examination with a view to discovering
estimable man! So what’s the problem? encountered have in common. They’re all whether anything of the kind might just,
Well, one problem is what happens when eu-peristatos – ‘admired by many’. Sins conceivably, be true of ourselves!
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newdirections
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April 2008
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