DILEMMAS OF GENTILITY.
A GOOD deal of mirth was excited some little time ago by the anxious struggles of some of her Majesty's Jurors about Chelsea to get their names erased from the list of " gentlemen " and inserted in that of " esquires." Their efforts were not, after all, so un- reasonable—there does appear to be some cause why respectable people should be reluctant to put up with " gentleman" : for in the affidavits of the notorious SUISSE, he is described as "Nicholas Suisse, late of Dorchester House, Park Lane, but now of Nancy, in the kingdom of France, gentleman." It really seems full time for respectable people to disclaim all title to the designation.
The great difficulty is what to substitute. Some room there is to suspect that even the " esquire," ambitioned by the Chelsea Jurors, is not altogether free from taint. Scarcely a blackleg or keeper of a gaming-house but holds himself as well entitled to " write himself armigero, in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obli- gation," as any Justice Shallow of them all. And in modern Europe a man's name can no more present itself in company without something to cover its nakedness, than be himself in propria persona can do. Even the French apostles of Equality found it impossible to call a man simply Jean or Jacques, and compromised the matter by addressing each other as " Ci- toyen." A trial of the epithet was made at the sante time in this country, but it soon got out of fashion, and there is little prospect of its taking the place of the desecrated " gentleman" and " es- quire." A distinction must be made between the Jacobin " ci- toyen" and the London " citizen " or "cit "—of whom more anon.
Baron CAMPBELL of St. Andrews, when Solicior-General to the Whig Ministry, made a bold attempt to produce himself as "plain Joint CAMPBELL." It does not appear, however, that he ventured to extend this effort of daring simplicity to his calling-cards. Be- sides, a man must be something in order to enable him to disregard what he is called. It is only a Baron in prospectu or a rose that "called by any other name will smell as sweet." Time was when our sturdy London cits or citizens could take up their stand upon their breeches-pockets, and each, bragging he was worth his plum -or his half-plum, insist upon being neither gentleman nor esquire, but London " citizen and pinmaker," or whatever else. But even the owner of a good round sum per annum is in danger of be- coming a questionable title ; for SUISSE declares that his annual income amounted in some years to 1,200/. Leaving for the present the dilemma as to what honest men ought to call themselves, now-a-da3s, a remark may be hazarded as to the seeming anomalies which exist in the rates of remunera- tion for services in this country. NICHOLAS SUISSE, the nature of whose services may be read, by those who have a taste for such reading, in his affidavit,* was paid at the rate of some thousands a year. Not long ago we heard of inquiry being made by a liberal and wealthy patron of science, for a young man to assist him in some investigations he was conducting. The terms offered were- " He must understand five or six ntodern languages; must be an expert calculator ; and must have a good general notion of geology, botany, astronomy, and natural history. He can have full employ- ment for six or seven months in the year ; and while engaged shall be paid at the rate of thirty-five shillings a week." Perhaps, after all, this is creditable to our country : a man may be got to do hard work at a low rate of remuneration, but morally dirty work must be paid high. We lay no stress on SUISSE being an importation ; for had not his master had a prejudice in favour of the foreign com- modity, he might have got as unscrupulous a" gentleman" at home.
• Morning Chronicle, December 19; where the interesting and decent docu- ments are set forth on the scale of nearly five columns—or, to be quite exact, three yards five inches long.
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