Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-08-27
Dan dies.

70 be dandy is to outrage the vani.
ty OF everyone who has not the energy
to be wakefully attentive to details OF
department and costume. The great
dandies of old days. Brnmmell, Lauzan
and the rest, were everywhere weicom-
ed, because they made themselves dis
agreeable to so many people. There is
a kind of popularity which is acquired
by an attitude provokingIy unpopular.
Men ana women are attracted by the
courage which despisas and disregards
their feelings. People whose minute
perceptions and sense of their own
merits make them detcsted, become no.
torlous, and consequently are sought
artcr. A sage might cay to aspiring
boy hood, young man. be q puppy"
In this respect. as in others more i'm
portant, the prizes of the world are to
the impudent. Society ,ruckles to pep
pie who can consistently display their
conscious superiority. The very mag
nitude of their insolence and the calm
ness of their importantly excite curiosi
~ and welcome analysis. People are
anxious to Judge for themselves IA to
whether conspicuously conceited fell
low is in earnest, and supreme fool,
or whether he is quietly playing part.
Thus the eccentricity of imperturbable
vanity, q vanity which declares itself
in popularity of dress and manner, is
rather good introduction into society
famous living statesman was remark
able for his canes aud waistcoat even
before he was admired, or feared for
his wit or eloquence. DAndyism was
to him only stepping stone, as it uau-
ally is to young people OF high ambi-
ton and real strength of character.
They learn very early in lifo that to be
remarked is tue first thing necessary
for success, and social success is Of
course more readily attained than liter
airy or political notoriety, and may lead
on to those higher prizes. 1t would
probably be mistake to suppose that
1.-The higher dandylsm is entirely a
matter of calculation. The most dis.
tinguished dandies in the history of
society have been meu of great power
and ambition Disguised ~ tops. Tuey
have thus disguised themselves, not
only because the distinction gained Ivy
impertineLt perfection of dress was
necessary to their PROJECTS, but because
they could not do amy thing by halves,
and because they were extremely vain
Vanity, Il quality much Gecried, is real
y necessary for some sorts of success.
Without vanity there could scarcely be
any ambition.
n young man Is never more certain
OF social success than at the moment
when most other young men never
mention him withou. saying that they
" would like 10 kick h,m." Az rhuck.
cray observed in the case of Penaen.
nis that desire is the result of envy,
aud of conscious humiliation awakened
IN manly bosoms. To provoke people
so much Is token of superiority aun
a prize OF nonchalance. Nor is 1t So
cial dandyism alone which thus irrita.
ties the rubble of deceut fellows who
have neither the vanity, nor the i'm
pudence nor the strength of resolution
TO win distinction. Literary dandyis
is also excessively annoying to the
rugged hodmen of letters, the rapid
picturesque writer's, the half or quar-
ter educated persons who crowd the
press. and carry their farrago of i'll
assorted observations to an unoritical
public. These Industrious persons de
rest the literary dandy, the man who
minds his periods ami regards the Ca
dence of his sentences, and shuhs
stock illustrations aud old quotations.
as the social dandy avoids dirty gloves
and clumsy boots. This antugonism
naturally breeds more excess in literary
dandyism. Both parties are hardened
ynU IA ~ In a m al nuL u
pressman becomes careless even or
grammar, and trots out his quotations
from Macaulay's essays more vigorous
ly than of old. The prose Of the ex
uisite begins to die away in aromatic
nonsense. and his great genius tires it.
self to death in iting for rare exotic
adjectives.-L London SATURDAY. Reuiep.