CHAMBERS' EDINBURGH JOURNAL
CONTENTS
IMPERFECT RESPECTABILITIES.
TALES OF THE COAST-GUARD.
AIR-TRAVELLING.
A MEMOIR FOR THE MILLION.
A DAY AT THE BATHS OF LUCCA.
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS OF A SAILOR'S LIFE AT SEA.
INFLUENCE OF EXAMPLE.
FACTS AS TO OYSTER-EATING.
THE OASES OF LIBYA.
EVIL-SPEAKING.
CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS, EDITORS OF 'CHAMBERS'SINFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE,' 'CHAMBERS'S EDUCATIONAL COURSE,' &c.
| No. 431. New Series. | SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 1852. | Price 1½d. |
IMPERFECT RESPECTABILITIES.
Everybody must have had some trouble in his time withimperfect respectabilities. Nice, well-dressed, well-housed, civil,agreeable people are they. No fault to find with them but that thereis some little flaw in their history, for which the very good (rigid)don't visit them. The degree to which one is incommoded with imperfectrespectabilities, depends of course a good deal upon the extent of hisgood-nature, or his dislike of coming to strong measures in sociallife. Some have an inherent complaisance which makes them all butunfit for any such operation as cutting, or even for the less violentone of cooling off. Some take mild views of human infirmity, andshrink from visiting it too roughly. They would rather that thesinners did not cross them; but, since the contrary is the fact, whatcan they do but be civil?
One great source of perplexity in the case, is the excessive urbanityof the imperfect respectabilities themselves. They come up to you onthe street with such sunny faces, and have so many kind inquiries tomake, and so many pleasant things to say, that, for the life of you,you cannot stiffen up as you ought to do. Some haunting recollectionof a bad affair of cards, or some awkward circumstances attending aninsolvency, will come across your mind, and make you wish the fellowin the next street; but, unluckily, there he is, cheerful, even funny,talking of all sorts of respectable things, such as the state of themoney-market, and what Sir George said to him the other day about thereviving prospects of Protection; and what avails your secretwrithing? He holds you by the glittering eye. You listen, you makejocular observations in reply; the cards and the insolvency vanishfrom your thoughts; you a