|
The term "Boston Brahmin" has often been used to describe a group of very
wealthy nineteenth century Beacon Hill families. Oliver Wendell Holmes
coined the original phrase in 1860. Holmes wrote a series of articles
in the Atlantic Monthly called
The Professor's Story. In Volume 5, Issue 27, Chapter 1, The Brahmin Caste of New England, he wrote: "There
is, however, in New England, an aristocracy, if you choose to call it so,
which has a greater character of permanence. It has grown to be a
caste--not in any
odious sense?but, by the repetition of the same
influences, generation after generation, it has acquired a distinct
organization and physiognomy...." This series of articles collectively
became the novel Elsie Venner, published in 1861.
Beacon Street, Beacon Hill, c.1905
The object of Elsie Venner was, "an attempt to illustrate the doctrine of inherited moral responsibility for
other people's misbehavior." In
broad terms, this was an intentional contradiction of certain theological
(Calvinist) beliefs such as pre-destination. An unintended consequence
of describing a New England Caste of strict progeny, educational, religious,
and business practices, was to later make the Brahmin families appear quite elitist.
Commonwealth Avenue, Back Bay, 1907
Many of the Brahmin families had descended from the
original Puritan settlers of Massachusetts. Holmes was a descendent of
Thomas Dudley, Governor of Massachusetts in 1634, 1640, 1645, and 1650. The most well known wealthy families of nineteenth century Boston include
the Appletons, Bacons, Cabots, Codmans, Coolidges, Forbes, Hunnewells,
Lodges, Parkmans, Perkins, Russells, and Shaws. Old guide books exist that trace
the ancient lineage of these families, and some even trace the lineage of their Beacon
Hill addresses!
Brahma, In Hinduism
Brahma, in Hinduism, is the Supreme Entity of all Matter and Spirit alike. Traditional Hinduism contains five distinct castes or classes of people. A
Brahman is a member of the highest, priestly caste. The other castes
are, in decreasing status: Kshatriya (rulers/warriors), Vaishya (merchants), Shudra
(artisans/servants), and Harijan (outside caste). People are born, married, and
die in these castes. Mr. Holmes might have picked Kshatriya or Vaishya
as the name for his New England Caste, if only for legacy reasons--some
men in these families became eventually known as Merchant Princes in
history.
Brahmin Poets
Authors Main Page
Holmes, Oliver Wendell
Longfellow, Henry
Wadsworth
Lowell, James
Russell
Whittier, John
Greenleaf
Return to Boston Nicknames Page
|
