The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-02-25
SNOBS, CADS, AND COCK
NEYS.
The Wide Distinctions That Separate These
sorts OF Persons.

| The Wide Distinctions That separate These
sorts OF Persons.
''Snobs, cads. and cockneys." said
| an authority upon tho subject. ''are
terms that. in this country espc-
cialy. are often good deal mixed and
interchanged The fact is they express
three wholly distinct ideas. 1t may
sound strange 10 you. but either a
snob or cockney may be gentleman.
| A cad. of course. can never be gen.
tleman. inasmuch rs in England. where
the term had its origin. its meaning is
something the very reverse of all we
understand by the word gentleman.
| | will begin with the snob.
The story has been often told of
three men who were travelling in n
compartment OF an English railroad
carriage. The two more simply-dress-
ed men were dukes, ahd were acquaint-
Ell with each other. The most showi-
| addressed person was a commercial
traveller, who soon got into converse
ton with the other two. At last the
train stopped, and one of the noble
men got out. The manner in which he
was received by the porters and others
on the platform startled the CONNER
| cial traveller, and, turning 10 his re-
naming companion, he hastily asked:
| Who is that gentleman"
That, was the reply, was the
duke Of
/ a" Good Lord! cried the astounded
drummer. what extraordinary conde-
scension on the part of his grace TO be
chatting away 10 couple of little
Snobs like YOU aud mel
Now, that man was not u snob at
all, though he thought he was. He was
only cad. Had he been snob, he
would have seen no especial conde-
scension in any duke chatting with
him, and even had he felt little proud
OF the exalted company he was in he
would never have mentioned the fact
to anybody else.
~ snob invariably has very good
opinion OF himself, but he has this adj
vantage, he does not take the trouble
10 point out IN one way or another his
merits TO every one with whom he
comes in contact, for he entertains no
shadow of doubt that they are as APP
! parent 10 all corners as 10 himself. lie
dresses with q taste that may often be
questioned, but he usually follows his
| own Judgment. however faulty that
may be- and when be copies the style
adopted by some other person it is the
! garb he initiates, not the man who is
in ii. He is above the latter weakness,
for he Is not usually a turnkey. \ sto-
| ~ is told OF n man who went 10 take a
plunge in 4 large inclosed bath. but
did not 70 in because he detected dry
salter in the water. He paid for his
bath. and went out without saving a
word about his reason for changin his
mind. He did not wish to offend or
annoy the dry salter; but neither did
he want TO battle with him. He was
not cad, for cad, had he decided
upon the same course, would have TAX
Ell care, quite regardless of the feelings
of the dry salter, to boast OF his rca-
sons for not bathing, and have made
them Is public as possible. Snobs are
often favorite members of the highest
and most refined classes of society, Tor
there is, rs u rule, nothing cringing, or
mean, or repulsive about them. They
draw very rigid rules separating social
ranks, and place themselves, honestly
believing they are right, well up in the
scale.
The term cad is not very well
known in America. Inc person it is
applied 10, however. is familiar OBJ
ject enough. He may be very clever
man. anu very just and honest man,
for the blackguard is widely distin-
guished from the cad. But he is an
utterly insupportable fellow. He never
weares OF telling his companions what
good company he keeps; how the no.
biiity yearn for his society, and often
yearn in vain. He knows we'll enough
that he is Il low-nalurcd and unattract-
i've sort OF fellow. When he accident
ally drifts into the society where he
PROCESSES 10 move he sinks ut once into
his proper position, and makes no at
tempt 10 stand on equality with those
around him, though ali that is forgot
ten when he speaks of the event 10 his
friends on the following day. A cor
ner loafer! Oh, no. The corner loaf
er is blackguard. pure and simple,
and much more dangerous than the
J cad. who. though horrible bore, is
comparatively harmless.
"Of course the cad must occasional
ly acknowledge that he has been be-
You'd his depth, and this generally oc-
} ours when he is surprised-as in the
case of the commercial traveller on the
railroad train, who fancied that he was
J a snob, while he was something much
worse.
LAS for the cockney. he is very east.
ly defined. Long ago the term was
used TO signify person very delicately
nurtured, but that meaning has passed
away. The best sailors / have had.
said sea captain to me one day. are
ccckneys, when they are once broken
in to the work; but not one in million
wants to 90 To sea at all.
"Cockney, like cad, is an almost ex-
clusively London term. The cockney
may belong 10 any grade OF society,
high, low, or middle, and in any part
; of the world u man of the loftiest
standing. when questioned as to his
nationality, will often say with pride
Il am a cockney, meaning that he is 8
Londoner, born and bred in the city
and thoroughly devoted TO it. Thi,
| hnf, ko ,t,.cx a Ia, ,e