Zelda Caldwell on the Jesuit Origin of George Washington's "Rules of Civility"

"When George Washington was a 16-year-old schoolboy, he sat down to copy a list of 110 'Rules for Civility' in order to improve his handwriting. The list, which was widely circulated in Washington's time, has been traced back to a guide to behavior put together by French Jesuits for their young charges in 1595.

"Painstakingly copying each of the 110 rules had an effect on more than just the future Father of Our Country's penmanship. According to Richard Brookhiser, author of Rules of Civility: The 110 Precepts That Guided Our First President in War and Peace, Washington took the 16th-century Jesuit's rules very much to heart, and relied on them in the course of his military and political career."

In a recent commentary, writer Zelda Caldwell reflected on George Washington's embracement of these rules and offered the full list.

To access her complete post, please visit:

Aleteia: Zelda Caldwell: George Washington's "Rules of Civility" were copied from French Jesuits (4 JUL 18)