'While the 'Boy' Waits'

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1879 edition. Excerpt: ... scorn by any experienced person, who had " seen something of life," and knew " the ways of the world." Only two orders of friendship are recognised, the inevitable and the politic. Relations--when they are also friends--fall into the former class. The friendships which are formed for interest, convenience and profit, from motives of prudence, or, as a speculative investment with a long-sighted eye to the future and its contingencies, compose the latter. Upon friendships of every other description Society very properly looks askance. It is only natural that from the delicate care and rare faculty of intelligence requisite to the working out of such a theory into practice, should grow an art, which it may, perhaps, be allowable to designate the fine art of friendship. The process of friend-catching, in many important respects, resembles the noble sport of Izaak Walton. The hook must be baited with an attraction, especially adapted to the sensibilities of the individual operated upon. Flattery is a common fly almost too well known to be employed successfully, except for the allurement of particularly voracious or gross-feeders. For the more sagacious classes of prey, it needs to be cast very gently and cleverly, and instantly withdrawn, without allowing time for its real nature to be observed. For the same reason it is unwise to repeat the cast if the fish do not at once rise to it. The use of worms is, of course, a very base device, and bespeaks a mind willing to stoop to any artifice. Uriah Heep may stand for the type of a class of cringing mortals, who catch their friends by the affectation of a sort of wriggling, worm-like humility. The use of live-bait, involving some act of self-sacrifice, a service rendered, an exploit of commanding genius, ...