POLITE INSOLENCE. (LIBERAL REVIEW)

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 126, 25 February 1873, Page 2

POLITE INSOLENCE. (LIBERAL REVIEW)

Polite insolence is an art which is very extensively cultivated in this enlightened nineteenth century. That it is cult vatcd to some purpose is evidenced by the delightfully graceful manner in which every little Jack-m-office can insult those whom he ha* tn desire to propitiate. There nro very few people living vrho have not, at some period of their ex-istence,-been vrjunded to the quick by one who has brought the art to a high Btatc of perfection They must have chafed at the studied' Ini per tmtfnces to which they ha^e been sub-^ jectoi — impertinences all the more diulcult vb bear because, bein^"covered- bv a flmuy veil of inock-cmlity, effective rl| taliation is rendered all but impossible. It is difficult W describe in what polite insolence consists. It is not what j* said —though frequently what is said is disagreeable enough 30 much as the manner in -which thing* are enunciated The adept in tho first place implies that you are too meat. ami paltrrfor him to have eloso intercourse with; and, in fie -ejoncl, that you arc guilty of impertinence in approaching him at all. Therefore, if he condescends to hold any communication with you lie adopts a supercilious tone, a satirical smile, and completely ignores- tho major portion of what you say. In addition, he suddenly brings you up short, and summarily ends the interview. For tho rest, without actually saying to, lie informs you that you are a fjtf, a "en I," or> something equally degraded. He evades every question you may ask him, and declines to afford you the nfc formation required. When you draw nigh unto him it is his sweet will to keep you wwtir.g until you are thoroughly tired out, and thon, perhaiM, to walk off a3 if he were ignorant of your existence. He is equally audacious when himself meri.*/ a " go-between. 1 ' Ho<eyes you oomplacently as you kick the toss of your boots out. at •long delay ; then, when lie hds sufficiently asserted his dignity in this respect, he asks you who you are and what is your business, in a manner which evidences that he deem* you some poor devil who has come o 1 something little better than a begging mission ; and, las'ly, having thoroughly scrutinized you, he rem irks, w ith an air of indifference, that he doos not think there is any u*e in your waiting, for the big-wig is out, en-j gigel, or 100 trunsccndant a mort.il to trouble himself withi your petty concern". As you depart, thoroughly vexed, ol loninng for an opportunity of revenge, he warms his eo/ttails before the 1 ftro, feeling that he has successfully vindicated his claim to be considered a mastd- of tho art of polite insolence. It is noticeable that in all this nothing absolutely rudo ha 3 been said— no vulgar expression has been allowed, to escape. The conversation, reported word for word, would sjeni nothing remarkable, and but little calculated to aggravote cither of the engaging parties. It is comparatively free from the conree insult of the half-educated "cad" whe has suddenly found 'himself elevated above his original humble sphere. The latter, by careful study and foundind his stvlc upon a good model, may acquire the art, but it W|Ll [ take him a considerable time- to do so, and tihe probability is! that, unless he commences when he is comparatively young he will 'never mako anything but a clumsy bungler To be succcsfiiUv politely insolent, a man must bo toler ably well educated, possess plenty of self-confidence, am havo cultivated his pcnver3 for some considerable time It is not too much to say>ths«> careful mothers and fathers in many instances, give hopeful' youths many lessons whei the lea'rnors are but young. The latter are taught te assert their self-iraportane3 and, as doing this gencraiJ involves lowering that of others, their plastic minds qmt^B acquire the fundamental principles of the art. As time goel on they receive many valuable lessons. They see and adtmrl the politely insolent demeanour of their fellows, and coucludl if any one wants to appear a highly-cultured gentleman, hi m use act likew ise. They, perhaps, are, more times than the! care to remember, politely insulted themselves and this, win urging th«m onward in their u iward flights, causes them f vent their rase upon others who come within reach of thei influence. Of course, it fs irot evtsry man who takes kmdl to tho poUteljr-insolentr xr«rr cf- d«>ir»g tilings .A.ll are, £o certain extent, contaminated by their surroundings, but som rise -superior to the grosser developments of the miaeiabl examples which are set them. TKe3e are the higher-nature men Those who fall victims to the vitiating precepts atfl the narrow-minded, the selfish, and Ihe weak. Some cory^ natured mortals take a positive delight in wounding Tm feelings of others These indulge in the pastime of beinl ; politely-insolent merely becauae they derive a certain nmou« \of pleasm-fr-from it. Other* are the victim* of a lronkeriifl to be considered greater than they are. TSese adopt til practice, a* they imagine it is a means to their desired enfl They feel, perhaps, that they have not the ability to n«e H the "exercise of their ovm merit, and so they place themaolvß in a false position, endenvouring to extort an unwillnfl homage from otherr. A "third class are simply helpless, anfl : being'too impotent to think 'for themselves, or act in defianiß I of tho custom of the Tnajorify of those by whom they afl surrounded, adopt 111 defiance of their better instincts, whM they conclude must bo the proper course to pursue. I There has been a material increase in the adepts of the afl of polite insolence during the last ten or fifteen ycar^fl middle-aged" man, wno contrasts society as it now is what it was-inhisyoungerdavs, cannot fail to be struck wiH the alteration for tho worse which has taken place. It « oul I appear that, as the middle clas3 grow wealthy, they bccoiß I less like true men ; and that their aspirations increase at greater rate thajveven do their riches. It' is from this midt clas^ that the devotees of the art of polite insolence main spring. Well educated, possessing plenty of mone.i.thc are vet those who look down upon middle-class people fro height! of superiority. Thus, the latter arc led to ape splendour which they cannot attain, and slight those who a I really upon 'terms of equality with them. Thus it is t\. that there are more mistrust, -jeftlbusy, and suppressed lin entertained bj middle-class people", one for the other, th can be fouiul amongst any of the other sections of the co! munttrs and thus iVis tiiat tho middle class is regarded wi dislike both by those above and below it. To put the matt plainly, cultured snobbery and hollbV pretentiousness a tho bane of the middle class, and, until, matters are remedie that class can never command the respect which its talerH and intrinsic merits deserve, and can never be that compaH and united body which it ought. It behoves those who haH chargo cf- the education of the youth of Englnnd to seJM this. ■

Italy of late supplies a valuable contribution to the capit^H punishment controversy. The Italian Government, par^H from considerations for the prejudices of some of the j^^t cently annexed provinces -where tiic death pcna^M had been abolished, and partly from the miptn^H very widely spread at tlie present time that civih^H tioir is attested not by diminution of crime, by mildness of punishment has ceased in n^rl} cve^H case-to ihe extreme penalty of the law. The consequence an extreme prevalence of the crime of murder ; messieurs assamns have not followed the amiable lead of the law, a^H the lives of honest folks are taken with a frequency that^H m pretty mcf proportion to the security that is enjoyed >mirdermvr. The fact is, the fifth and snth eomroanjU^M have beerr pleasantly jumbled together. They certainl.^^^B tliere, " Tliou shalt'do -no murder," bub they add, " if ™^M dost, thy doys shall be long— whosacver's life is token th^H shall nob boi" Tbis, t-ombined w ith unsatisfactory discipr^H in gaol«\ and tolerably facile chances of escape has rat j^H unsettled society. The part of Italy from which wo get f^H latest evidence on tlio point is the Exarchate of .Ravenna letter in the Pall Mall Gazette, dated from Florence, stnt^H — " The assassination of a inspector who has bad fatal courage to inquire a little too closely into these ray stl^H ous societies, followed by tlie murder of a judgo who j^H ventured to pronounce condemnation on a member of of them, and thne of lientcnant-genoral who tried suppress them by fofce of arms, \\&\e spread such ft P"^^! throughout the country that it has become difficult, nift^^l say impossible to find carblnnccrs or policemen willmg^^H perform their duties conscientiously ; victims, or the rclati'^^M of Mctims, courageous enough to denounco tho porpetra^^B of a crime, or even giving evidence j lawyers to proseci^^H or judges to sentence. As for finding a jury capable of f^H ing a verdict of guilty, that is, of course, not to be <ho*^^H of." Now, what wo would point out here is how cfficnu^^H capital punishment is shown to be. It is true that it >jj^^| dieted only by thi> asiassins, but h'bw completely it eu^^H their purpose. "It has spread such a panic," the co^^H spomlent of 'tlie PaVk Mall Gazette says Surely the soc ,^^| should not part with the means of establishing " a p&mc'^^H its turn. It is puorito wealnoss to ignore the facts °^^^H because thej- are hot to our taste, and ene of the best est^^H lished is the efllca.'aey of the death penalty in the rcpres^^H oforioVr — Australasian.

M. JDLEb Simon — M. Jules Simon has como just in t^^H to save Franco from being crushed clown under the ibra^^H a system which was making of education a common raj^^^H and a tvrany instead of a blosMng. "Wlicn eleotcd-^w^^^H Corps Legislntif in 1863, M Jules Simon said hi hia grammo: — " Education should bo the instruction of clnlc^^H in the plcasautcsf and most thorough way possible " schoolmaster being n sited not lhore than a month a<;o he thought of M Simon's governance as compared *^^^^| Duruv's replied, " Well ho senda us Erckmaun-Chatri^^^B tales instead of ' TelcmaqiuV and tells ua to miud our ! >l^^^| a>ore tad jolitits less. — 3aity J-'ck«.