The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-02-19
THE TOADY.

! country. we pointed OUT tnaG OGHeI
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 a
prettier and better dressed woman.
Yes! the Hawaiian Islands at large,
and Honolulu especially, are blessed
in this respect, the whole tone of
social intercourse is 50 sweet. We
never say, of Becky, wife of Rawdon
Crawley, Il wonder how that woman
can dress so; [ 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 nerer see a man climb to legal or
mercantile OF any other eminence
and tell the stranger who comes
along: ''Ah yes! Snooks! clever law
yer-clever lawyer. Yes, father
swept a crossing; mother kept a
mangle. That's where he learned
the art of finishing up witness
.NangIes them!" and then grin at our
weak joke, Or again, Binks! Yes,
capital fellow Binks. Thousands
day now can remember when
Binks used to driuk like 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
graduate ourselves on being free
from the genus toad eater. OF the
two perhaps the toad eater is the
most despicable though equally mis-
chievous. That the toad eater should
be entirely absent from our commun-
ity seems rather curious. The an
cient Hawaiian recognized the genus
and had special name for him. His
toad eater was known as h0OpiIjmeaat;
so the animal must have had its habi-
tat here at some time. How thank
full 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 officious and obsequious
servant in that country was mi todita.
The Briton thought the sound so APP
plicable that avoiding translation he
boldly respelt the word and adopted |
it and a tOdita or toad eater came to
mean "a cringing oficious depen-
dent, who will do all sorts of dirty
work for you" But long before the
days of the Spanish toad eater a
similar animal fourished
in Greece. There he went by the
name of sycopAant or .fg-JzaB5er. 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 few mean fellows, who, for
their own ends, impeached those who
it, hence sycoplaat came to
signify government toady.
Such is the toad eater or syco-
Dhant. Away from here he hourishes
and wakes fat and lusty. He goes
% men in power and tells little tales
Of his fellow men, always to their
letriment. Jones, upon whom yes
.erday McSycophant turned his
pack, becomes prime minister at the
Court of Bugaboo. Mes. rushes off
% tell him how hehas always thought
hat he, Jones, and he only had suf-
icient talent to occupy the place.
de will whisper that that fellow
Brown, who is Jones' secretary, is not
% be trusted He has lfeard him
Jay unpleasant things of Cones ca
oacity. 'SWhat?" says McSycophant,
do you think of man, being on
,wo legs, sir, calling itself man,
to wipe the dirt off the
ministerial shoe with his pocket
handkerchief? 1t is disgusting, sir!
Permit me to lick off that little spot
On the toe of your boot. May [
larry the school books of your
daughter r?"-to tell the
truth Miss ]. is homely enough. but
sensible. "Shall 1 send the carriage
'ound for Her Excellency? My wife
viii be only too delighted to do any
;hODOinor for Rar Evoo1Iano1- A.