Customer Reviews

Rules of Civility: The 110 Precepts that Guided Our First President in War and Peace

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Though certainly the most ubiquitous, George Washington has also always been the most mysterious of the Founding Fathers; the one whose greatness is most difficult for us to comprehend. Here was a man who was less well spoken and less brilliant than many of his peers. He was not a great philosophical or political thinker. He lost most of the military engagements he led. And yet, the men of whom we think more highly in these regards almost universally revered him. What quality was it that made men like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton and the Marquise de Lafayette defer to him ? The answer must surely lie in the character of the man, and character seems to be a uniquely difficult quality to convey in writing. Perhaps it is actually impossible to describe the quality itself; instead the effects of it must be described.

One example from Washington's life seems to me to stand out above all others : his handling of the Newburgh Conspiracy. When, after the War, disgruntled officers, led by Horatio Gates, circulated a letter suggesting that the Army march on Congress to demand back pay and hinted at taking control of the government, Washington used a simple but elegant ploy to defuse the crisis. Having summoned the men to his tent so that he could read a letter meant to dissuade them from their proposed course of action, he paused, reached into a pocket, and withdrew a pair of glasses, which, thanks in large part to his vanity, few knew he even required. As he unfolded them and put them on, he said :

Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray, but almost blind in the service of my country.

It is reported, perhaps with some hyperbole, that men wept; but at any rate, the insurrection crumbled.

It is hard for us, jaded as we have become about our leaders, to imagine the drama of this scene and the effect it must have had on his comrades, but then again, we are unfortunate enough to have a recent Commander in Chief whose preference in underwear, bizarre sexual proclivities, and genital deformities were all common knowledge. It is perhaps instructive that when he was at Boys' State as a teenager (as related in David Maraniss's excellent biography First in His Class), Bill Clinton devoted himself to one single purpose and achieved it : to have his picture taken with President Kennedy. At a similar age, sixteen year old George Washington copied by hand 110 maxims from a guidebook on manners originally compiled by Jesuits in 1595. Both men were trying to improve themselves, but there's a key difference : Clinton sought a photo opportunity that would be personally gratifying and which he might use to advance his political career down the road; Washington sought out those precepts which would help him to discipline himself, to develop his character, and to make himself more presentable to society. The fundamental object of Clinton's effort was personal aggrandizement, of Washington's, to make himself a better person.

In this little book Richard Brookhiser, who wrote a terrific biography of Washington, reproduces the 110 "Rules of Civility" in a much easier form to read than the original text (for example, check out an online version), along with a brief introductory essay and explanatory, often amusing, comments on many of the rules. Here are some examples (with Brookhiser's comments in italics where applicable) :

(1) Every action done in company ought to be done with some sign of respect to those that are present.

(4) In the presence of others, sing not to yourself with a humming noise or drum with your fingers or feet.

Don't carry a boom box either.

(13) Kill no vermin, as fleas, lice, ticks, etc., in the sight of others. If you see any filth or thick

spittle put your foot dexterously upon it, if it be upon the clothes of your companions put it off privately, and if it be upon your own clothes return thanks to him who puts it off.

Useful advice on the frontier. In 1748, when Washington was sixteen, he went surveying in

the Blue Ridge mountains and was obliged to sleep under "one thread bare blanket with double its weight of vermin." The last two clauses are useful anywhere: Don't embarrass those you help, and however embarrassed you may be to discover that you have been in a ludicrous or disgusting situation, don't forget to thank those who helped you out of it.

As the last example demonstrates, many of the rules seem at first to be hopelessly antiquated, but on further reflection, in the concern they display for personal dignity and humility, thoughtfulness of and respect for others, maintenance of civil standards, they are truly timeless. The final precept is the most famous and allows Brookhiser to sum up all that have come before :

(110) Labour to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.

The only open reminder of what has been implicit all along: Petty morals and large morals are linked; there are no great spirits who do not pay attention to both; these little courtesies reflect, as in a pocket mirror, the social and the moral order.

And this is the significance of Washington's attention to these seemingly petty rules, that the conscience is only a spark and that it may be extinguished unless one labors to maintain it. Because Washington did take that labor seriously throughout his life, he had the reserve of respect and honor built up with others which enabled him to cow the rebellious officers at Newburgh and had the personal moral fiber which enabled him, at the vital moments in the life of the new republic, to refuse political power, both when it was there for the taking and when it was freely offered. In some sense, these 110 maxims helped to create the man of whom King George III said, when he heard that General Washington planned to surrender command of the Continental Army to retire to his farm :

If he indeed does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.

That assessment, from a humiliated enemy, was accurate then, and the bloody course of every subsequent revolution, suggests that it may understate the case.

GRADE : A

If I win the lottery I am buying the entire supply and handing them out on the street corners. Our society would be a lot more tolerable if everyone followed these simple rules of manners and courtesy. What would Washington have written about inconsiderate cell phone use? A must read for everyone. Buy this as a gift for your teenager or college student. Start your own revolution against boorish behavior.

What could be better than to learn what made the most important man in American history act the way he did? The precepts are as vaild today as they were in George Washington's time. Richard Brookhiser's editoral comments are educational as well as entertaining.

Being a rather short book, I recommend reading it a least twice.

I bought this book about six years ago because I had been told that George Washington had used these rules of civility to guide his own life and actions. I cherish this book. There are a few rules that are dated, but they are entertaining. The rest is pure gold and timeless.

A few examples:

5. If you cough, sneeze, sigh, or yawn, do it not loud but privately; and speak not in your yawning, but put your hankerchief or hand before your face and turn aside.

65. Speak not injurious words neither in jest nor earnest; scoff at none although they give occasion.

82. Undertake not what you cannot perform but be careful to keep your promise.

If you can't figure out what to give that new graduate who already has everything, I highly recommend this book. I recommend it for everyone.

The most unfortunate aspect of this book, like many classical reprints, is the commentary by the editor. His so called "incisive and witty commentary" adds nothing to the value of the text, and is more a distraction than anything else. Some of his comments border on ridiculous. I would have liked to have seen more explanation of the meaning behind each of Washington's precepts, rather than Brookhiser's unsuccessful attempt at humor. Still, in today's world more than ever before, we need guidance on how to behave in public. The handy pocket size format of the book allows it to be carried on the person and used as a constant reminder of how to act towards others. Washington put these rules to action throughout his life, and they apparently served him well. If it were not for the commentary, I would give it five stars.

Your reaction to this short booklet depends on your expectations. Overall I found the precepts that guided our first president still applicable for today. There are a few precepts that you and I would be hard pressed to put to use but for the most part we would do well to remember their counsel.

I did not find Mr. Brookhiser's comments too tedious and for the most part he gave Washington's rules modern application. However, I would agree with my cohort in review that a more in-depth discussion of the original context behind the precepts would have been helpful. If you are at all interested in building a library devoted in part to our first president I would recommend this little book. It would be well worth review at the beginning of every year and would go as a nice compliment to Benjamin Franklin's 13 virtues. On a scale of 12 I would give this an eight. Although not as high on the scale as other works, I am glad I have it in my library. Good reading!

Semper fi & agape, Ed D.

This enjoyable short book has within it, a serious message about our first president. The character of the man and how he quite deliberately constituted himself for the challenges of his life, is quite enthralling. He was self reflective enough, without a great formal education, to have required of himself a set of high, and somtimes challenging, personal standards...based upon the cardinal virutes set form in a little Jesuit reader, meant as a guide to leaders. To meditate upon, and require such precepts of personal conduct, turned out to be a prescient insight into what was essential to his very public life.....the life of the irreplaceable leader, of the early days of the American republic.

It says much about the man, who worked ever diligently to improve himself in such a way. Nothing could be more helpful in considering the personal qualities of character that we Americans should expect, for all of our leaders.

In addition, the compiler/author's commentary is often quite entertaining, and always right on the mark.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Initially, I started reading it because I had liked Brookhiser's biography on Hamilton and was looking for something else by the same author. The occasional asides that Brookhiser included helped to bring some of the antiquated rules into the 21st century. While reading this book, at first I found myself making notes as to which person should hear about a particular rule. After a while, however, I began to be aware of some of my behaviors that should change. I have since passed this book on to a young friend very concerned about character. And...I try not to roll my eyes any more. Recommended - but I suggest also reading Washington's Farewell Address as a way to better understand the man's character.

This was the best read of 1999. It was so good I gave it as
Christmas presents to a number of people.

This book should be required reading as early as grammar school...and certainly should be repeated through-out high school and college.