OUR PICTURE GALLERY.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 347, 30 October 1875, Page 3

OUR PICTURE GALLERY.

THE MAN WHO KNO>VS HIS WAY ABOTJT. What is the secret spring that causes such general admiration' for the man who knows his way about P This admiration is so common that the mercantile public are devotees at the shrine—each one claiming to hare knowledge ofa model hero whose attribute in this particular he especially reveres and hopes in time to emulate. It may be possible in a few lines to sketch the characteristics which render this model hero notable and fit for classification. "For, be it known, that the men who are popularly supposed to know their way about are divisible into classes. There is the calculating class,, who stand at street corners and shop counters with jolly contentment stamped plain upon their faces; who are never guilty of hard work, though ready enough to talk of it. There is the more excitable class whose members are always in a hurry. A class this as much opposed to the first-men-tioned as the seven lean kine of Egypt were to the seven fat kine. The typical man of this class is always on the eve of being taken in, " but he knew what he was about, lot him alone for that!" He has no regulur occupation, and at first sight we might be puzzled as to how he could expect sympathy for escape from dangers into which he had thrust himself uninvited. Among ether classes that we have not space to enumerate there is a thiid one, whose adherents are seldom to. be seen in daylight far from -their own doors, and who if they must go out in the public thoroughfares prefer a free exit by the back. The guiding principle of all classes of the genus is to take a point rcther than to give one. Their stock-in-trade is indeed littles other than pointing. There are gold-pointers, plated-pointers, and even pointers freely tinged with gross alloys of the baser metals. The gold-poin-ter takes his victim into his confidence with admirable nonchalance. He flatters liis vanity, his delicacy of feeling, and his , judgment, while openly he pilfers from his knowledge. His talent is to bo quicker in execution than his dupe. With facts gleaned by others he makes decisive use, and has reaped while the dupe has still dreams about a possible sowing time. A pleasant laughing, idle fellow this: the world likes him, would sadly miss him if he were away. His self-extracted pension money is never grudged for the sake of the moral ho points for the selfcongratulation of the working bees. The plated-pointor is not so fortunate, though more successful. He is an object of constant invective to those he has traded upon. In fact, ho is an offensive fellow, who has not tact enough to pilfer sweetly. He treads on tender toes at one door, and when the injured owner thinks to avoid iiim meets him full front in the other. His assumption of all the virtues is not iik& his elder brother's, carried alone on liis face, but must be for ever on his tongue. While on the look out for deficiencies among his neighbors he is day after day adding layer to layer of the false lacquer compounded of self-es-teem, dishonesty, and false appearances, which he wears stiffly and a little awry—in case, may be, it might be mistaken for his natural garment. As a rule the •plated-pointer is a money-lender, thus differing again very materially , from the first «lass, whose jolly members never have a visible sixpence to lend. As for the third class, what shall we say of them. Are they not to be found hunting in pairs —the frequenters of the bagatelle-table •and the drinking saloon, yet never drunk. Do they not know to aa hour when Tom or Bills, wages will be paid. Perhaps they advance the said Tom or Bill a few •shillings to get drunk upon, with the assurance they would scorn to speak of debt between friends. Mark afterwards how they watch him when he is ripe. How the police are put off the scent for a time. See too how they play cards with him—just to amuse him; how they take his chequo— for safety of course ; and finally when ho is released from the lock-up how they find that endless small sums have had to. be paid which he had incurred overnight, and that he may bless his star's and thank his good friends that he has a few pounda left to take back to the cla m out of his £2O cheque. So clever are these gentry that they invariably succeed in getting rid of their quarry with the pleasant remembrance that he at any rate has contributed to their sustenance by months of hard toil, while quite established in the "belief that although he has made a fool of himself his best friends are those who have •so cleverly robbed him. Is the man who knows his way about honest? Certainly as a rule he never advances in position. What becomes of his money, or does he never in reality handle money ? Ho is rarely well off. It must be remembered that the man we have endeavored to give shadows of is quite distinct from the hard man of business, whose honesty may also be dubious; who strives at his desk from morning to night and never perhaps, cares much who he takes advantage of or tramples upon if it does not injure the business. Such a man is quite distinct from the character •we have under consideration. On the whole we arc of opinion that honesty is (not much in his way. Honesty and religion he considers will do for more mature life. But even greater than money .to him is the acceptable tribute conveyed by hearing now and again one and another say, "Oh ! he is all right; he knows his way about i"