Wichita eagle., 1889-02-22
ENGLISH GENTLEMEN.
New Generation.
The Phenomenal Stupidity of the Young
Nobleman of the Present Day as Ex-
biblted in Polite English Circles
and Related by an American.
london Letter.1

They haven't the faintest idea Of the
proper way to treat lady. They look on
women pretty much as the red Indians do
AS necessary to man. A sentiment Of
love or affection for woman, except in a
purely sensual sense, they never enter
tanned. Marriage is entered into by them
for one of two reasons, or for both. They
marry for money, and for the procuration
of an heir to keep up the title of property,
as the case may be. II the wife has beau
ty as well as money, and the ability to re-
produce her kind, it's all the better; but
her looks, good or bad, form no factor in
the original marital arrangements. In
the society of ladies they are brusque, un-
couth and sprawling. All the little respects
for and attentions to woman which are
SO noticeable on the Continent and in
America the Englishmen 1 speak of are
quite ignorant of. At all courts they
might as we'll be, for they never observe
them. They are awkward. shambling
dancers; they are bored at having to take
off their hats to ladies; they will monop-
olize the best seats and let ladies stand;
they will push and elbow women out Of
the way in ball room, and criticise them
to each other in t he coarsest manner and
language. In fact, as have said, they
have no high ideas of womankind. Nc
woman ever gets higher m their tn oughts
Or regard than the position there filled by
q gayety burlesque actress or Spiers and
Ponds bar maid. Let me observe that
their fathers are not so. 1t is only of the
present generation of young men that
- hlor co.. &c. 81 70
say. The girls themselves, fancy, more
than anybody. If women will go and
shoot, hunt, play at billiards and lawn
tennis, smoke, drink and joke with young
men, and affect their clothing in
their dress and their horsey slang in their
speech, they encourage the young men TO
treat them as they treat men. It is their
fault if men don't act toward them with
che Difference and respect their mothers re-
member IN their time. let, though it may
be a reason, it is no excuse for the young
men themselves. OF the intelligent con-
versational powers of these young fellows,
let me give you sample as taken down
by myself. What is going t. eventually
become of country whose political condi-
ton will some day be affected by such men
l leave to conjecture. Imagine yourself
seated in the smoking-room of a swell
London club. A young heir to thous ands
year is seated near by, smoking a cigar
cite and scrutinizing his finger nails
through single eye-g lass. Enter to him
another young swell, a younger son of a
leading member of the House of Lords.
Now listen:
Il saw"
"Hellois, that your"
"Ya-as."
"Just got hah."
''Rah-lyS So've 10
60, rah-ly?"
"Ya-as, ya-as; Q, ya-as."
pause, during which the newcomer
sticks his glass in his eye, and looks down
at his boots
"Rsggie's hah."
80, rah-ly. Is hes"
80, ya-as."
~Rah-ly,"
as goin' to chuck" Oeave the army.)
sOsr
80. ya-as-"
"Rah-ly:"
"Ya-as."
cop
And so On ad insnitum. or as long as
you can sit and listen, will this sort of
talk so on, interpreted at intervals for
variety with some allusion to q ''hoss at
the yardr or gal a. the Cri." There IS
one thing that l have little hesitation in
asserting, and it is this. Among the
higher classes in England women possess
the most intelligence, are better read, bet
4
men can't talk OF anything but the army
(when they are in it,, fox hunting, racing,
steeple-chasing, horses. cricket, and lawn
tennis. On subjects Of national or general
interest-be it historical, political, scien-
tfic. or literary-shey haven't an idea 20
advance or opinion to UNFOLD