Cobb
County and Noblesse Oblige … Say What?
Published in Marietta (GA) Daily Journal, 8/5/18
I’ve
never had a day of French, but I can count to ten in Italian, thanks to a war
bride sister-in-law. One year of German
in college equipped me to understand President Kennedy when he said to the
Germans, “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner), but that’s about the extent
of my German.
My daughter Christy, who took four years of
Latin at North Cobb High School, has supplied me with Latin word knowledge from
time to time. Daughter Wendy took four
years of French at North Cobb High as well.
Sons Jeff and Reagan took Spanish for two years and four years,
respectively, at Harrison High School.
I should therefore be
more adept with foreign languages, but sometimes in life you just have to
depend on others to help you through. At
any rate, the only language I know and do love is a deep well from which to
draw. It‘s also the language of the
world.
We all have favorite
phrases from non-English languages.
Latin’s “e pluribus unum,” (out of many, one), still describes America,
our current immigration debate notwithstanding.
I love the Latin “virtue et armis,” (by virtue and arms), the motto of
my home state. In the simplest of terms
it means be nice but keep your powder dry.
Another interesting non-English term is
“noblesse oblige”. It’s French, but I
can make out “nobles” and “obligation.”
Let’s see. A noble is a rich guy, normally a land owner,
but always a man of means and influence.
An obligation is a responsibility.
The phrase implies that nobles bear a responsibility of some kind. But to whom and according to whom?
How such an obligation
originated is a topic within itself, but suffice it to say that historically
“noblesse oblige” has meant the obligation of high ranking persons to behave
honorably toward those of lesser rank, to set standards of grace. I know of two places where this social
expectation has been borne well: my home town and Cobb County, Georgia.
One of my 10 brothers-in-law,
a true country man of character named Everett, painted the homes of practically
all of the “nobles” of Forest, MS. A
teenager at the time, I occasionally helped my brother-in-law with paint jobs. One of those “nobles” was the future Chief
Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court.
One morning as we were preparing the tools of the trade at this
prominent lawyer’s home, the lawyer’s wife yelled out the back door, “Everett,
ya’ll come in for some coffee before you get started.”
Feeling like a Charles
Dickens urchin, I followed Everett into the palatial house we were about to
paint. I could tell that for Everett it
was no significant moment, but to me, sitting down to fine china cups and
saucers and the high-pitched clinking therefrom was most intimidating. But my intimidation was unnecessary. This noble couple’s hospitality wasn’t really
an obligation. It was their heart and
their way. And it was typical of the
business, political, and community leaders of my home town. Their obvious obligation was to be themselves
and to think of others.
Unlike in many other
locales, Cobb County citizens have been blessed for decades with such
leadership. Occasional exceptions aside,
this county’s leaders have shown common touch servant leadership. In large part, Cobb County is the American
ideal in miniature. Different income
levels, different races, but no big shots, and a community spirit that thrives.
Within the last two
years I have been privileged to be a guest Sunday School teacher at one of
Marietta’s largest, most historic Methodist churches. Both times the room was filled with Marietta
and Cobb County community leaders, including political leaders of both
parties. Their camaraderie was
memorable, their love and concern for each other exemplary, their social status
irrelevant. No doubt the same is true of
many other congregations in our county.
For three years I
worked for a wealthy friend and Cobb businessman. My job was to assist him in research for giving
money away. My friend practiced noblesse
oblige. Not a government requirement,
actually not a requirement of any kind.
Just a spirit of selfless nobility.
It is this very spirit
that astounded Frenchman Crevecoeur when he came to write about our newfound
nation. “Kings, queens, dukes, and
duchesses will not fare well in the New World,” he opined.
Happily, it’s not just
good nobles who accept the obligation of showing class and grace. My father, a country man extraordinaire, was
prone to respond to any deed of kindness with the words, “I’m much obliged.”
Roger Hines
8/1/18
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