The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-02-13
THE DAILY
FEBRUARY Is, 1889.
THE TOADY.

We called attention a week. or so
ago to the blessed condition of this
country. We pointed out that other
countries possessed the genus back
bitter. while it was very hard here to
find the man or woman who would
say an i'll word of a neighbor, let
alone of a more successful man or
prettier and a better dressed woman.
Yesl the Hawaiian Islands at large,
and Honolulu especially, are blessed
In this respect, the whole tone of
social intercourse is so sweet. We
neOer say, of Becky, wife of Rawdon
Crawley, Il wonder how that woman
can dress SO; 1 am sure her husband
can't afford it," and then put our
heads behind our fans and whisper
the name Of the Marquis of Steyne.
We neoer see g man climb to legal or
mercantile or any other eminence
and tell the stranger who comes
along: "Ah yes! Shocks! clever law
yer-clever lawyer. Yes, father
swept a crossing; mother kept a
mangle. That's where he learned
the art of finishing up a witness.
MGngIss theml" and then grin at our
week joke. Or again, "Binks! Yes,
capital fellow Binks. Thousands a
day now. I can remember when
Bipks used to drink like q fish and
hadn't q cent in his pocket" Said
Binks being now sixty and having
once exceeded at the early age of
twenty-five. But we can congratulate
ourselves upon being free from the
back bitter We can still more CON
gratul9te ourselves on being free
from the genus toad eater. OF the
two perhaps the toad eater is the
most despicable though equally mis-,
ohievous. That the toad eater should
be entirely absent from our cornmun-
ity seems rather curious The an
cient Hawaiian recognized the genus
and had special name for him. His
toad eater was known as hooptltmeaai;
so the animal must have had it's habi-
tat here at some time. How thank
ful we should be that the march Of
civilization, the spread of christian
ity, has completely eradicated it
from our midst. More especially
must we be thankful when we con
slider that the climate is one in which
the creature would flourish splen-
didly.
Studying the genus, we find that
the toad eater first came into being
in Spain. The original expression
for very oflicious and obsequious
servant in that country was mo todta.
The Briton thought the sound 80 APP
plicable that avoiding translation he
boldly respelt the word and adopted
1t and t0dita or toad eater came to
mean ga cringing oficious Deepen
dent, who will do all sorts of dirty
work for you" But long before the
days of the Spanish toad eater
somewhat similar animal fourished
in Greece. There he went by the
name of sgcophant or .fg-6la55er. The
origin of the word is curious. The
Athenians had passed a law forbid
ding the export of figs. The law
was dead letter, but there were al
ways a few mean fellows, who, for
their own ends, impeached those who
violated it, hence Sycophaat came to
signify government toady.
Such Is the toad eater or syco-
plant. Away from here he fourishes
and wakes fat and lusty. He goes
to men in power and tells little tales
of his fellow men, always to their
detriment. Jones, upon whom yes
terday McSycophant turned his
back, becomes prime minister at the
Court of Bugaboo. Mes. rushes off
to tell him how he has always thought
that he, Jones, and he only had suf-
hcient talent to occupy the place. !