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The sentences fit together just fine, but you need to read the whole paragraph. Frederick Law Olmsted wrote in 1853 that he thought that the Texas Legislature
by jacobolus 9y ago
The sentences fit together just fine, but you need to read the whole paragraph.
Frederick Law Olmsted wrote in 1853 that he thought that the Texas Legislature was more respectable (for its “manly dignity and trustworthiness”) than Parliament or Congress. Lawrence Wright is agreeing that if we examine the three bodies impartially, the Texas legislature is more “functional” than the US Congress and more “genteel” than the House of Commons, but that still Olmsted’s characterization is unusual because the Texas legislature has historically been known for its crackpots and ideologues and proud anti-intellectualism.
The “but” is contrasting Wright’s caveat (that if we consider it “fairly” the Texas legislature isn’t as dysfunctional as Congress) with his main point about the Texas legislature’s long-standing negative reputation.
- Kluny 9y agoI'm also not clear on whether "functional" and "genteel" in this context are literally talking about the facade on the buildings, or their collective temperament?
- jacobolus 9y agoNo he’s saying that the US Congress is literally less functional: has more internal strife, gets gridlocked, fails to pass essential legislation, gets sucked up in scandals, etc. And the House of Commons is less genteel: people shout at each other, interrupt each-other, call each-other names, etc., rather than acting like polite and formal “gentlemen”.
- malcolmgreaves 9y agoIt's talking about the people in the legislature and how it, as an organization, functions.
- rndmize 9y ago"Genteel" is always used to describe people (similar to polite or well-mannered).