We say a person has a beautiful soul by their visible beauty or as medieval philosopher William of Auvergne would say "pulchritudo or decor." (1) And by external beauty or decorum, we mean more than physiognomy, but of temperate, quaint, and modest dress and refined etiquette and manners as well. They are the confirmation of a cultivated decorum within— indeed, we shall know a tree by its fruits.
Let us then assume this ornate cross of decorum which will require abnegation of our vulgar tendencies, and make shine anew the faith within us.
Sources:
(1). Art and Beauty in the Middle Ages by Umberto Eco
(2). The Rules of Civility and Decorum by St. John Baptist de La Salle
(3). Courtesy Calls Again by Dr. Marian T. Horvat
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