Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 93, November 26, 1887Various
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 93, November 26, 1887
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
PINCENEY possesses a mind, perhaps the most comprehensive in all
Paddington. I have known him--I wish I could say intimately--now for
over nine months, and I can confidently assert that I have never yet
heard him confess to ignorance of any department of human knowledge, of
any branch of modern thought! In intellectual stature he towers miles
above us all, and weekly increases that altitude under our very eyes by
drinking two bottles of some sparkling beverage composed of phosphates.
He is coldly tolerant of the world's failings, and is understood to
confine himself to a fish diet. He speaks little, but that little falls
with immense weight. PINCENEY is not genial, or, indeed social of
manner--he suffers us, but not gladly--listening to each speaker with
conscientious attention, as if it was always possible that he might
utter something not immeasurably below contempt before he sat down. He
has a little bell by which he warns the wanderer, and paralyses the
prolix, and his preliminary caress of this bell is a rebuke in itself.
It would be too much to say that PINCENEY is popular amongst his fellow
Gargoyles; he neither courts nor desires popularity. Indeed, he ranges
somewhat too much apart, and goes home alone by the Underground the
moment his duties are concluded. But he is greatly respected, and if we
feel, as we sometimes do feel, that his standard is rather too high and
exacting, at other times the consciousness acts upon us as a decided
incentive.
OUR VICE-PRESIDENT.
HARTUPP, our Vice-President, is of a very different mental calibre and
disposition. He is of a warm and enthusiastic temperament, and endowed
with a lava-like flow of eloquence. HARTUPP is showy, but, as he would
be the first to admit himself, a trifle superficial. He is at present
articled to a solicitor, but he is more calculated to shine at the Bar,
where fervour has a freer scope than in an office. He melts and thrills
us by turns, speaking without preparation and without notes, for which
he apologises in carefully constructed sentences. Altogether, HARTUPP is
one of our most distinguished Gargoyles. I may add that he lives at
Notting Hill with his mother.
OUR HONORARY SECRETARY.
Mr. FREDERICK FADELL, is one of our most energetic and useful members.
He is the only one (except perhaps PINCENEY) who possesses anything like
a working acquaintance with all the rules. He is a Barrister-at-Law, and
finds his chambers very useful for preparing minutes and sending out
notices relative to the business of the Club. FADELL is no great orator,
though he can speak with some fluency to a point of order. What he
_really_ enjoys is superintending an election by ballot. During our
debates he steals about with an air of mystery, conducting long
conversations in a whisper with such members as he wishes to induce to
join in the discussion. His whole existence is bound up in the Gargoyle
Club, and he is deeply alive to the responsibilities of his position.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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