Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 159, December 8, 1920Various
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 159, December 8, 1920
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
I cannot help it, but this article has got to begin with a short
historical disquisition. Many people are puzzled to know why Lord HUGH
CECIL wears that worried look, and why Lord ROBERT also looks so
sad. Yet the explanation is simple enough. It is because nobody can
pronounce their surname. "Cessil," says the man in the street (and
being in a street is a thing that may happen to anybody) as he sees
the gaunt careworn figures going by. And when they hear it the
sensitive ear of the CECILS is wrung with torture at the sound. They
wince. They would like to buttonhole the man in the street and explain
to him, like the _Ancient Mariner_, all about David Cyssell, the
founder of their line. David Cyssell, it seems, though he didn't quite
catch the Norman Conquest and missed the Crusades, and was a little
bit late for the Wars of the Roses, was nicely in time to get a place
in the train of HENRY VIII., which was quite early enough for a young
man who firmly intended to be an ancestor. When he died his last words
were, "Rule England, my boys, but never never, never let the people
call you 'Cessil,'" and his sons obeyed him dutifully by becoming
Earls and Marquises and all that kind of thing, so that the trouble
did not arise.
But, of course, if you don't happen to be the eldest son, the danger
is still there. And it is this danger which has led Lord HUGH CECIL
to withdraw himself more and more into the company of ecclesiastical
dignitaries, who are accustomed to pronounce quite hard words, like
_chrysoprasus_ and _Abednego_ without turning a hair, if they have
one, and Lord ROBERT CECIL to confine his attention to the League of
Nations, where all the people are foreigners and much too ignorant to
pronounce any English name at all.
Personally I hold that, if it were not for this trouble about hearing
their name said all wrong by people on omnibuses and even shouted
all wrong by newspaper sellers, one of the CECILS might become Prime
Minister some day. As it is they wear a look of sorrowful martyrdom,
as if they were perfectly ready for the nearest stake; and this look,
combined with their peculiar surname, has caused them to be not
in-aptly known as _The Sizzles_. How very much better would it have
been, my dear reader, if their great ancestor had been simply called
"David," so that they could have had a sunny smile and not so many
convictions.
It is customary in speaking of the Sizzles to include some mention of
their more famous relative, Mr. ARTHUR BALFOUR. Very well, then.
_Mr. ARTHUR BALFOUR._
Born in 1873 the future Vice-President of the Sheffield Chamber of
Commerce, Master Cutler and Chairman of the High-Speed Alloys Company,
Limited, Widnes----
[_Editor._ What the deuce are you talking about?
_Author._ I like that. It comes straight out of _What's Which?_
_Editor._ Well, you must have got the wrong page.
_Author._ Why, you don't mean to say there are two ARTHUR BALFOURS,
do you?
_Editor._ I do.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account