THE YORKSHIREMAN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 68, 23 March 1915, Page 2

THE YORKSHIREMAN.

(By The Old Dart.) The Yorkshireman is very proud of his country and his race. As the old saying goes: “If you want to bo friends with a mother, praise luy child; if you want to be friends with la Yorkshireman, praise Yorkshire. ’ I Every Englishman is fond of his country, and proud of the men from his own part of the world, of course. But the Tyke carries it farther than'most. He reckons that the man from “the broad acres” is worth three of any other county at least. And he is ready at all times to adduce countless instances to support his point. The feeling is a personal one too. A Yorkshireman hates to be in the wrong. If he is ignorant of a thing, he will not admit it if he'can possibly disguise his ignorance. If he makes a mistake, he will not own it. A favorite story tells of a Yorkshireman who came to London for the first time and sat clown in rather a “swagger” restaurant to dinner. The menu revealed dishes beyond his experience, and he did not know at all what was the correct thing to eat. But not wishing to appear ignorant, he carefully waited at every course till the man at the table next to him had given an order, and then called for exactly the same. At last, the other man grew annoyed at hearing every item on his menu repeated like this, and called to .the waiter; “Waiter, bring me a bootjack.” The Tyke had no acquaintance with this article, but, true to his plan, said: “Waiter a’ll hev a bootjack, too.” ■ The other man turned round on him. “Confound yon, Sir,” he said angrily. “How dare you repeat every order I give to the waiter? What do you mean by it?” “E-eh!” remonstrated the Tyke, “If tha con eat a bootjack, so con I-” The Yorkshireman too dearly loves a talk—with anybody, and about anything. And when he talks he usually lays down the law right and left. You can’t “squash” him. You can’t “sit” on him. If you get in an occasional word edgeways you may consider your, self lucky. He is quite confident in his own judgment, and his judgments are sweeping. He is rather critical. Jr he thinks you are wrong lie will not hesitate to tell you so, and heap you up with good advice. He is eager to put everybody and everything right, at any cost to himself. He is reserved about his own personal affairs. He is cool and self-controlled, and only gets excited at football matches and at race meetings. It is difficult to rouse him to a pitch of enthusiasm on anything but sport. Bi/t once get him embarked on a project, and he will carry it through doggedly to the hitter end. He will not be beaten. The Yorkshireman’s arms according to the old saw are “a Ilea, fly, and flitch of bacon.” A flea, it is said, can jump many times its own height: that expresses a Yorkshireman’s physical strength and energy; a fly is found everywhere: that typifies a Yorkehireman’s übiquity; and Von would be sorry if you had to go without bacon—and you couldn’t do without a Yorkshireman!