Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1829-12-29

Ao'h al WIN are IuLeIeSLeu
In the great business of education. M.
FOR THE LANCASTER GAZETTE.
OUR OPINIONS---NUMBER XIII.
QUIDNUNCS.
There are certain people in the world who
are always meddling with other folks bust
ness, called quidnuncs. They try to walk
the earth on stills, looking down into the
face OF all they meet with peculiar grin,
and curl of the upper lip. Their common
exclamation is" What now p They stand
about you with very vacant air sometimes,
and a hand in each pocket, gazing at every
thing like the fellow who stood looking at
the moon and wondering with all his might
what 1t could possibly be made of. In short,
Ii you see person curious to know eyery
thing, PRECEDING to know every thing, one
who measures gossip with giants yard
STICK, while you are busy with your own af-
fairs, thrusting his nose into your face, and
into things where his brains are unable to fol-
low-lt you meet such one, say, you meet
quidnunc, and so set him down for a. uuid-
nunc, and be upon your guard accordingly.
But they are so various, we must be more
particular.
FIRST there is your gentleman quidnunc,
more common in the city than in the coun-
try, lie pretends concern for every one,
but is really the most selfish being in the
world. He is watchful-oh exceeding
watchful, for the pub)ick good; but would
hight to the last, before he would give a
few feet of ground to advance the good of
the community. He is frequenter of bar
ber-shops and coffee-houses, never pantron-
lzlng the former, not generally the latter
catching up a newspaper and walking off
with it, for it is rare thing for him to sub
scribe for one, and still rarer to pay for it.
He is so very anxious and watchful for the
publlck, that if he is obliged to close his
eyes one moment now, he keeps them open
two presently. When he appears in the
country he is person of vast Importance,
debating to every one, and always quoting
city prices and customs as authority.
Then, there is your commoner quidnunc,
to be found in every village and city. He
possesses, In measure, the power of ubiqui-
ty, and is most frequently at your heels when
you think least of it, and when you wish him
most out of the way. He is generally an
idle dog, except in meddling with what con-
Germs him not He has a very consequent
tial air about him, but is not solid, and his
mind weighs no more on the surface of the
earth than his body would at its centre.
Like the. gentleman quidnunc, he will sit in
tavern whole forenoon, scandalizing peo-
pie who do not give him hearty shake by
the hand. and always measuring the minds
and hearts of others by the smallness of his
own. He pretends all zeal in subject, but
it is only to secure his mite of popularity.
In church he will stare you out of counte-
nance, and sometimes seems all attention,
while his heart and mind are set upon ad-
vancing some favourite scheme to the iniu-
ry of another. Give him an inch and he
will be sure to take yard, and turn off the
inch upon his neighbour. Give him hint
and he will turn upon his heels and 60 off
whistling, for you must know your quidnunc
| is one of the most musical creatures in the
world, as much so as if he had been famii-
lar with flats and sharps from infancy.
| Then, there is your female quidnunc, who
makes her calls upon her neighbours just
before dinner, and deals out her gossip till
every family in the village is talked of and
every young girl over sixteen fairly matched
and married. There is your temporary
quidnunc, who takes up the business as he
would a cloak which he may throw aside
again, while employed in his daily calling.
He finds fault with every thing, and gener-
ally keeps his hand in his pocket to keep his
purse in its right place, and even then is
awfully afraid it will slip out through his
fingers. He is a very unsettled, uneasy per-
son, out of tune and patience with every
thing, with half mind to give up the daily
trade by which he should support himself
and turn regular quidnunc. He knows
not exactly what to do. but is continually
tossing about on the horns of dilemma,
one of the most unpleasant men in the world
both to himself and others. He generally
has one final pay day, great day of settle
ment, and that at some very remote, imagi-
nary period.
There are great many half-fedged, un-
initiated quidnuncs, mighty inquisitve folks,
continually asking improper questions, half
afraid all the while that they are going a
J;tt1a too far and dramino in thar tonr,,o