CUBS

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 527, 3 June 1869, Page 4

CUBS

What manner of men are wo to have in the next generation ? The indications are scarcely satisfactory. The young gentleman of the present day is scarcely to be encountered. In his place we can only meet with the cub. Tho cub of the first class (for the cubs of the lower ranks are a distinct race) may be seen in the stalls at any metropolitan theatre where burlesques are performed. He eschews the drama as too intellectual. He is the mainstay and support of the young ladies whose delight is to exhibit in fleshings. He does not laugh at the puns. He comes in late from his club; and leads the fashion in collars. His conversation is limited. The ejaculation, "Aw be Jawve !" and his description of anything pleasant as " awfully jolly," form the staple of his task. He avoids his relatives as companions during his nocturnal amusements, speaks of his fellow creatures generally as " cads," with the exception of a few kindred spirits, whom he designates as " men," or " fellows" — never as friends or gentlemen. His family is wealthy. He obtained his education, such as it is, at an expensive "establishment," advertised, for the express behoof of such as he, by the Rev. D. D. Duffer, M.A. The reverend "takes in" a limited circle of pupils, to whom he teaches nothing. Firearms are allowed to the pupils, who sometimes shoot one another. They learn only to pronounce their H's under supervision of a struggling tutor, whom they insult on every possible occasion, and who is dismissed summarily, without a character, when he manfully repels a personal assault. The cub never did a kind or generous action in his life. He looks to " the governor for everything." The governor pays his debts, until these exceed even the paternal means. Then "the governor" pays " some lawyer fellow" to plead infancy, and the cub struts about with jewellery swindled out of over-confiding tradesmen, for whom there need be no pity, as they speculate upon "the governor" not liking to have family matters published in the papers. The cub never reads " the pa-paws" himself ; nor do any of his acquaintances — so he doesn't care. Of the thousand elegancies, the graces of the past age, the cub knows nothing. Of old English literature — even of modern writing — he knows nothing. He looks upon artists, authors, professors, and "all that kind of cads you know," as a vastly inferior set. He knows the name of Shakspeare as that of "a fellow who wore a stunning collar — but he Avrote plays. Never saw one but once, and then was bored to death." Time cometh, when the cub is forced to adopt a profession. The governor has many mouths to feed, and perhaps he ia not quite so able to provide for his daughters "of the period," and their brothers, the cubs, as of erst. Cub is taken to a " grindei" — to be trained for the civil service, for matriculation, or for a commission. The grinder, with a wholesome contempt for the cub, whom, among his intimates, he designates as a. "pup" (short for pupil), contrives by that wonI drous concentrates which practice in one peculiar capacity confers \ipon humanity, to lick the cub into a kind of education ; just as men of low intelligence train dogs, monkeys, mice, and birds to perform tricks at canmiancl. Examination questions are anticipated, and the cub or pup is dominated to write answers at f nil length from text-books. The grinder delights in enumerating the pups whom he has successfully passed. At least he does them no harm. They regard his triumph, in their own cases, as only the means of attaining individual sosial position. But, to recur to our original question ; what n a mer of men will these be — of what earthly use will they be found during the next generation ? Where is the fault if, some score years hence, these cubs of the present day — then middle-aged men — be found utterly worthless and effete ? Will not the blame be laid upon the head of Paterfamilias, who, in the pursuit of fame, place, or fortune systematically neglects the paternal duty, and thinks all performed by compounding by money payment ? The cub's home is no home. There is no attraction for him. His moral offences are unreproved; his "fellows" are no companions for those of his household ; his lady friends (whose photographs defile the family albums) are unpresentable in society ; his "governor" only arrives from his club, his committee, his chambers, or his office — wearied, jaded, and sleepy. The most intellectual maternal conversation palls after incessant repetition. Then the Pater suddenly, in his declining days, begins to complain and fret about the thriftless, shiftless ways of his son Tom. Why cannot the Pater mend. them himself ? So surely as a neglectful husband makes a wife drunken or immoral, a reckless employer a bad servant, a bad schoolmaster an ignorant pupil, or a tyrant a slave or an assassin — so surely does the male progeny of a father over-careful in worldly affairs eventuate in the cub.— From Eclwcs.