MAES 29: Hypocrite
AN: I think it is one of the greatest problems of conscientious parents that when they dictate to their children, they must be aware of their own hypocrisy; what parent has not made their own willful mistakes? I thought it slightly unfair of Jack to reproach himself for this in Ionian Mission, for it was not his fault he was so ill-educated. As I thought on this, a short fic occurred to me:
Hypocrite
Seamanship is a very fine thing, but it is not the only quality, particularly by land, and I have often felt my own want of education - I have often envied those fellows who can dash off an official letter that reads handsome and rattle away in French and throw out quotations in Latin or even God help us in Greek…
-The Far Side of the World, pg. 70, Norton press paperback
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And he felt a certain twinge as he reread the lines in which he desired his daughters to find out Epirus on the map, and his son to read about Pyrrhus in Gregory’s Polite Education, ‘for it would be a great shame, was George to be found ignorant of Pyrrhus when he grew up’: Jack had never been a hypocrite until he became a father, and even now it did not come easy.
-The Ionian Mission, pg. 324, Norton Press paperback
Jack paused after concluding both his letters, the one to be sent home, the other detailing the results of his meeting with Ismail Bey, to be sent to his superiors. The first letter troubled his mind greatly: he did not like feeling as hypocritical as he did, but felt he could not help it much. Although he felt guilt requiring his son to attain a level of education that had not become his until much later, he should rather have been the worst sort of hypocrite a hundred times over in the raising of his son, than to allow poor George to grow up as ignorant as he himself had been, especially since in George’s case there was no reason that he should do so.
His son had the opportunity for a proper education that Jack had never been given: it would be wasteful, wicked, and ungrateful if George did not take full advantage of it, even if some might say it was wrong for Jack to be the one to insist upon it. But really, Jack thought with some warmth: who else had the right to direct a young man’s education, if not the young man’s father? And besides, his own lack of a proper education had made him feel far more strongly that such a thing was right, than if he had been brought up to take such gifts for granted.
He wished Stephen were here to share these reflections with, for he valued his friend’s opinion on such matters far more than his own. Only a moment later his wish was granted, as a familiar knock sounded on the cabin door, and Jack had scarcely said ‘Do come in, Stephen,’ before the man himself entered.
‘You appear to be in a fine study, brother,” Stephen remarked, sitting down across from Jack and spreading his own letters on the little table. Jack did not mind this, for he knew that Stephen’s correspondence was likely to be to his superiors in naval intelligence, and Stephen often found the peace and relative privacy of the great cabin to be more conducive to the writing of such letters.
“Indeed I am,” Jack replied heatedly; then, his temper abruptly dissipating, asked in a rather gloomy tone, “Stephen, do you think a man a dreadful hypocrite because he requires things of his children that were never asked of him, or is he right to insist that they take advantage of those things that were never offered to their parent?”
“To what exactly do you refer? I should need the particulars of such a case before giving my opinion,” Stephen replied fairly, looking up from trimming his pen.
“I mean that here is this letter,” waving it at Stephen, “in which I direct George to become more acquainted with geography, for it would be shameful not to do so, while here am I,” laying a hand on his heart, “as poorly educated as any sailor ever was, coming it so high and mighty over my son, when if it were not for all the sailing I have done, I should not be half so informed of the world’s geography as I am, and that only through necessity! A sailor must always know where he is going, you know. And in any case, I came by such knowledge much later than he.” He slumped in his seat and looked truly miserable. “Does that make me a despicable hypocrite, or am I right in wanting him to be better than me, in these matters?”
Stephen fixed him with a sharp glance. “I forget which philosopher or orator said it, but there is an adage to the effect that, ‘We have much more to fear from a society without hypocrisy,’” he said, not without some firmness.
“Consider, Jack, that each generation is expected to outdo the last, for they have that much more to build on than their predecessors did. Every generation makes advances that the previous could scarcely have dreamed of; to be sure, some in the older generations may wish to keep things as they are, but the young are so full of ideas for improvement that it seems they can scarcely be held back! Now you,” pointing at Jack, “may be urging your son to attain intellectual levels that were not yours until much later in your life, but you do it for his own good, not to bully him. You do it because you wish to spare him the problems that have been yours due to your own lack, and so that he may perhaps lead a better life than yourself. This is admirable to a high degree, that rather than keep George down to your own level, you urge him to soar beyond it for his own benefit, and perhaps the benefit of those that may later depend on him. So no, my dear, I do not think you do wrong in this, and although some may call you a hypocrite, I doubt we have much to fear from such hypocrisy; and George at least will certainly grow from it. Although,” he concluded with a wry grin, “I do think it would be odious in you if you didn’t feel a little guilty about it, honest creature that you are. You have never been one to demand things of others that you would not ask of yourself, and even if you do so this time for your son’s welfare, I at least would hardly expect such an action to sit easy with you; I know you too well to expect otherwise.”
Throughout this speech, Jack’s mood had altered perceptibly: he had begun listening in an air of gloom, though clearly hoping for reassurance. By the time Stephen concluded and turned back to his letter, the gloom had quite disappeared, and he smiled on his friend with a gratitude Stephen pretended not to see, as he busily scribbled his report.
Jack sealed the letter home with a light heart, reflecting that perhaps in loving parents concerned with the welfare of their children, certain kinds of moderate hypocrisy were not such a great sin after all.