The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-02

Cheeky" They are studiously quiet, reserved,
little arrogant perhaps, but IL is the arrogance
of men who do not permit vulgar intrusion, VINO
like TO dwell apart from chance acquaintance
ships, whoarisk no intimacies -thcyiaftect much
simplicity of manner and have sort OF pru-
dery OF their own, not at all unlike what IN the
other sex, is occasionally assumed by those
whose lives are not distinguished by sclt-denal.
] suspect that for the very highest walk OF the
profession Englishmen and Russians are the
best adapted Frcnchmen have too much levity
of manner, Germans are too stOlid and impas-
sive. As for Americans they are wholly deh-
cicnt in dignity, their only idea of which Is in
tense prOsness. The Russian however, Is better
than the BritOn; for while he has all the weight
and gravity, he blends with the dplomb pas-
ticity, a courteous suayity, which the other
never attains tO--he is courtier in PLAIN
clothes.
Whether il be that the world takes sort of
malicious pleasure in watching its impudent
people, or whether as l rather incline to believe
the impudent people are deemed better than the
drearier bOres who invest society," whichever the
causes they are certainly neither discouraged
nor disOwned in the world at large. Every city
of Europe has its supply. London is rich in
them. Paris offers n fine field for exploitation.
In Vienna they are rarely found. 1t is the one
capital of the Continent where there is no
cal privatcering; and no amount of mere impu-
dence of the most gifted ornament of the craft
would have the slightest chance of gaining
admission within the precincts of a Lichtenstein
or an Erdodi house
/
to commercial. The man who can draw on the
imaginary with the assurance that, on the faith
of it, he VIII maintain his ground and make sure
his position, is pretty much like the trader who,
if only time be given him, will realize enough to
meet his engagements. Wilkes only asked ten
minutes in advance of the haudsomest man i'm
England and / am certain he was right: but
Wilkes was at the top of the prOlession--Brum-
mel was u long way his inferior. MOntrOu. who
| ilourished in Paris some fifty years ago, was u
very remarkable specimen. Since that time we
have fallen upon very inferior class. The walk
has been vulgarizcd. The claim of the pushing
man to a front place is, however, Ineligible
| enough. on maynOt exactly recognize his right,
but You must confess TO his zeal, and yield ere
! dence to his energy; but what is really difficult
| to understand is the social success OF men who
! bring nothing, not even impudence, to the
! common stock OF amusement who are found in
| every city of Europe. These men are neither
! rich, great, nor giftee. They live obscurely
dispensd 40 civilties, do nothing, to all appear
ance, for any one. but they are everywhere
! know every one and have access to the very
! highest in the land. Don't bother yourself
| with Rouher,' said friend of mine the other
! day. " "N.ewill speak of it to the Emperor. Y
told Bismark that remark you made. Y, was
! dining on Saturday with AntOnelli. and heard
that story about Lady c. Now why should
Y. have the entree at the Tuileries, or sit at
meal with the Cardinal? Can you tell me this,
! or do you know any one who can?
! ! know it is an atfectatiOn with some really
very inferior companions not from any desire
to be kings of their company, for some of them
| are men who would command the first places
| anywhere; but out of some strange caprice,
partly humoristic and partly indolent, they like
TO have about them those who are easy recipients
| of their own humors, and who demand no eXer-
ton TO entertain them; and as they would de-
spise toadyism; they select men even incapable
of that servile homage: these dreary inscrutables
| have therefore their use here.
! Who ever saw a knot of men travelling with
| out one of these? Who ever a yacht party
without one ? Are these fellows after all, the
great philosophers of the age who know every
| thing, see everything, and do nothing-fOr whom
! and for whose benefit you and /, and hundreds
| like us, write books and newspapers, make re-
forms in Parliament, pull down churches, and
| send out expeditions to Africa!
Is il possible that these. whom we prOtanely
have believed to be the dull dogs of the world,
are its prime movers and masters! Have they a
masonhood amongst them, and secret signs tC
signify how they are playing us off how enjoy
ing themselves at our expense? What a dread
full thought, to think these stolid eXisences were
shrewd observers and profound thinkers, tho
real spectators of that comedy that you and
are playing for their amusement
Some one once imagined the horror and dis
may that would be spread through life ii the
furniture of our houses could be endowed will
speech and be called into the witness box agains
us; but these men would be far more terrible i
we could believe them TO be endowed with intel
! ligence.
If the inscrutables threw off their mask, wha
satires we should have on our vanity and oul
pretension, our wit and our wisdom-On tht
conversational brilliancy we assumed to b
mpromptu, and the claret we pretended to hay,
kept so long! what bankruptcy would fall upol
all our affectations
The question / would then PROFOUND is, ART
our dreary people, whom we cultivate, ask t
dinner, and foster generally, are they the dul
nonentities we love TO believe them; or are w
nurturing whole colony of serpepts in tn
midst of us, whose tOrpOr is but for season
and who will awake one day and devour us?
/ own to strong personal interest in the solu
tion of this problem, for have been handling
these snakes fearlessly for years, and it is onl,
by a sudden thought l have come TO imagin
they might be poisonous.