furnish. But caste-distinctions, political variances-above all, personal antipathies-can have no such place with us, as they occupy in grander establishments. The vulgarity of Exclusiveness, the pinchbeck trumpery of a King Brummel's crown and sceptre, were, assuredly, too abundantly and flagrantly exhibited, some twenty-five years since, to appear, again, under a healthier dispensation. Circumstances have, unhappily, given the writer a more than ordinary opportunity of studying the mischief wrought by this intolerable spirit in the Middle Classes.-I struggled up into life, in a society, the agonising principle of which was to show gentility by "snubbing one's neighbours "-where it was a duty for Church to call Chapel "low"-and a canon of Dissent for Chapel to sneer at Church as "dark." Everybody would be at "the top of the tree"; and "everybody would meet nobody, who was not in their set"-Heaven save the mark!-So we had all the silver-fork-ism of the school of Theodore Hook's patrons (he being an exponent, not an originator) second-hand: or, to put it familiarly, got up in " German silver"! The best and brightest spirits sate in corners :-or their owners were stripped to the bone by malicious tongues, if they dared to show their faces and "speak up" without license in strange places. I have seen a beautiful, elegant, young girl, left without a partner at a ball for a whole evening, because she lived in a tabooed street. I have watched the cordiality, and ease, of a very small gathering entirely disturbed, by Blarney fashion, and Skeggs airs :-those who thought themselves on the dais," or "above the salt," insisting upon proving their rank by audible personal remarks,-yclept quizzing-of the interlopers. And, in a circle, where, at best, there was not too much wit or wisdom, not too much learning to spare, nor too much thought to circulate, it was more melancholy, even, than curious, to watch grown people, as it were, tying their own hands; muzzling their own mouths; barricading themselves in prisons,-and voluntarily abandoning half their revenues, and out of reciprocal fear, and folly, and contempt, sacrificing liberty, and pleasure, and privilege with the assurance, moreover, of utterly failing in the object they sought for. What was their choicest exclusiveness, but a thing to be mocked by all real Exclusives deserving the name ?-And these, again, have their Council of Ten-their Conclave of Three-their one Dalai-Lama :- -so that, in fact, it follows, mathematically, that the rights of Finery are rightfully vested in one single person.

"

Needs it, then, to lay stress on Universality as a principle to be worked out to the uttermost in a Cheap Club ?-to insist that there should be no disabilities for membership; save notoriously bad manners ?-One would think not:-and yet exist certain elements that seem at variance with the principle of association, in Independence, as understood by the generality:-which has been shrewdly defined, to mean, "Every one's agreement with my own

Nonconformity." I say, seem advisedly; because, when

the last, and deepest meaning of the word-when the heart of the virtue is reached: the widest liberty and toleration will be enjoyed; and owned to include the most refined care and considerateness of one man for another. For then it will be perceived that Selfishness is the worst of thraldoms ;-that individual humours may constrain and encumber the free operations of human love and enterprise very nearly as strongly as the ordinances of Autocrat Fashion. Comfort for the Many will be found mathematically and morally to preclude a Benjamin's mess for the One. There will be a strict watch kept over all preferences of Church above Chapel, of Whig before Tory,-over all demarcations of Trade and Profession. We shall never dwindle to the tone of "High Life below Stairs." While we discountenance the temper which makes a man averse to be claimed by his calling-we shall rate one another, and ourselves (let it be hoped), by gifts and graces, with which sect and party, occupation and business, have nothing to do. B., who keeps a set of books, will not bite his thumb, at C., who folds his linens: nor at D., who unrolls bales of carpeting. E., who has to clear himself of the grime of an ironmongery warehouse, will not be critical on "the dyer's hand" of F. Whenever the arising of the censorious spirit is detected (and I dwell upon the possibility from knowing the foible to be intimately connected with The Englishman's honourable desire to better his condition), let all whom it concerns take warning and physic to his pride, by recollecting what befel the Collegian in the Edinburgh Mail.

The story ran thus-Orford (to ticket a man with a name not his own) was one of the highest and driest fine gentlemen ever encountered a being whose one idea in life was his own selectness, and the bounden duty of impressing the same on the world, in season and out of season. Persons of his turn sometimes encounter odd replies, no less than odd adventures. It was Orford who, staying in a country house, came down to breakfast

on a New Year's morning, in clean kid gloves, and with "clean kid" speeches. There was, however, only one victim for these, in the parlour, when the Collegian entered it :-a great, shy, country girl, with rose (or raw) red cheeks and elbows. No matter. Orford advanced, with his usual pattern step-and "Will you allow me, Madam, to present you with the compliments of the season?"""

The young Lady answered YES.” What next could the Orford of Orfords say?

Well; our modern Euphuist had, "once upon a time," to travel per coach from London to Edinburgh: a proceeding of two days and as many nights, in which-especially, when the journey was a winter one, good or bad company went for something. One so choice, then, as Orford, could not but felicitate himself on finding the only other occupant of the vehicle besides himself, to be a gentleman of his own age :-well-mannered; well-looking; welldressed neither anxious nor averse to make acquaintance; neither oppressively learned, nor meagrely commonplace, in his discourse. Ere they had got to York, the two were agreed on Church and State-by the time they had reached Berwick, they were of "one accord with regard to all matters pertaining to Rank and Fashion; and Auld Reekie received-for aught there was to inspire misgivings-a Pylades and Orestes. Up to this point, however, these kindred spirits had been too perfectly bred so much as to hint at any curiosity with regard to each other's names and stations. But ere they parted, that they might secure the pleasure of meeting again-good breeding must need give way, that Reciprocity (to use the words of the Milkman when persecuted by the laundry maid) might succeed. Pylades spoke first; tendered the unexceptionable card which announced him as Orford Blondeville Orford of such or such a College, Oxford. The Orestes was a trifle backward in putting in his rejoinder :— hung back, it seemed, ere he finally committed himself. Thus ran his style and title:

P. 0. KIRBY,

(No connexion with any other Pretenders.)

Disagreeable-Smell Disperser.

No Cure, no Pay!!

So much for the clear-sightedness of Exclusivism !-So much for the theory of "the cart horse breed" peeping out, by which the

weak, the consciously incomplete and ill-mannered try to excuse their own poor-spiritedness and suspicion of those "who have not been introduced."-It may be said, that I have wasted time in fighting a Windmill that such a wretched and objectionable inanity can never be contemplated, or allowed to exist for a passing instant, in a popular assembly. I believe that it will not readily get an ascendancy there; but it may "sit in the gate for all that, and interfere with the entrance and welcome of True People, more than those are aware, who have not watched it and themselves—very scrupulously. Where, indeed, there is no sternly prohibitory feudal arrangement of ranks which admits of familiar condescension within limits decided by the Party whose will is to arbitrate-there will always be, more or less, heavings, struggles, twinges: some, under pretext of instincts of refinement-some, under the Moralist's cloak of prudent and defensible uniformity among those with whom we are to consort. Time was (not so very long ago) when the Man of Genius was petted, paraded, exhibited, and left to perish, as one, who because of his genius, must be a parvenu, not a gentleman. There are Cathedral towns, at this moment, where the Banker is not rated as fit company for the Curate. I travelled once half a day along a foreign railway, with two English livery servants, who disconsolate as they were, from their utter ignorance of the usages of barbarous "foreign parts would not unbend for mutual support in self-complacency:-because no one "had named " My Lord's man to The Duke's! Can one accumulate instance upon instance, ridicule upon ridicule, too emphaticallyby way of "doing to death such inhuman follies as these-by way of illustrating the intense vulgarity of spirit which keeps them alive? Can one ask too loudly that in a Popular Club there should be no exclusiveness, so strong as that which each man shall for himself, provide against, envy, hatred, uncharitableness; -against that censorious resolution to be fine which assumes the coarseness of all others who are found without the pale raised by each man's own personality?

There is another leading article in our Club's constitution, which, as disconnected from established notions of things in their proper place, claims a few words of observation. I mean the admission of female members (not to use the Abigail's word "Ladies.") This original scheme is not to be carried into effect without suspicion on the part of the difficulty-makers, and scorn

from those whose idea of helping the World is by sneering at every attempt to better it.

Doubtless, to all such as for good or bad reasons, desire to render Women helpless,-it seems a startling proposition, that their comfort and independence should be provided for. It is impossible, they will aver, for such provision to be carried into effect, without a sad and complete surrender of all that a Club was framed to bring about-Man's indulgence, at an easy rate! Yet Women travel alone-walk alone, without harm occurring to those who will not be harmed; and without the luxury of railway transit being thereby destroyed to Commercial Travellers, or the liberty of the pavement to the street Lounger! I should have spoken, first, of the modesty and delicacy of "the sex," were I not satisfied that that, however loudly prated about, is a secondary consideration with those I am now meeting. Except a Club is to mean a place set apart for Man's indulgence in Bad Manners, (with regard to which I have somewhat to say under its proper head), the only difficulty in the arrangement is its strangeness. If a solitary gentlewoman can eat her dinner at Verrey's, without either waiters, cooks, or company, being distracted by the spectacle merely because it is one of perpetual occurrence-without her receiving "an idea" (as the Irish have it) of an offer of marriage-or, what is more to the purpose, I presume, without her tendering one, be there ever so many doublets and hose in company, why the same miracle cannot be performed in a selected assemblage of constant members, "warranted harmless," is an enigma which would puzzle The Sphinx; or the founder of the Sphinx, Mr. Buckingham! Why, again, said gentlewoman should not enjoy her periodical (supposing her not to be the strong-minded Woman who

"her faith in old Jeremy puts,"

and desires to study the past night's debates) in her quiet corner of the Library, as innocuously to herself and others, as when she takes her share of Macready's Lear, or Mrs. Nesbitt's Constance, from box, pit, or balcony,-is a matter not to be proved without a nicety of distinction, for which, it might be hoped, our members have no time-let alone taste. Meanwhile the prohibitive side of the question is stated oracularly-the difficulty propounded to be insurmountable, again and again, just as if there were no parallels or precedences-just as if, for every score of Lady members, one