Page:A Nineteenth Century Satire.djvu/18

In which—instead of playing well the man,
Men play the bigot, fool or partizan;
An Age in which men prate with vanity
About muscular Christianity;
In which the man of muscle becomes famous,
Though he may be a thorough ignoramus,
In which the hero of the Race and stable
Secures reception at his Lordship's table,
Is petted by genteel society,
And by the Press puff'd to satiety.
Till he becomes the pride of Lordly noodles
And Ladyships, in common with their poodles;
An Age, when reputation is for gold
A thing of barter—to be bought and sold;
When every phase of humbug is in vogue,
And men of all conditions play the rogue;
When fools and knaves are courted and caress'd
While upright men are slighted or oppress'd,
When vice o'er virtue seeks to have base sway
And dissipation spreads from day to day;
When tender consciences and honest hearts
Are daily crushed in acting out their parts;
When humble worth endures a wearying strife
With knavish Impudence that wears out life;