“He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down : he fleeth away, and continueth not.”
“This is a most accurate descripton of a modern dandy. He cometh forth, like a flower: that is to say, he shows himself to the world like a flower; he comes forth like a gay tulip, flaunting with a dickey, false collar, and ruffles. He is fond of showing himself in public; and by continually parading himself where he has no business, excites a strong suspicion in the beholders, that he comes for no other purpose than to attract the gaze of the multitude.
” But his coming forth like a flower is not his only characteristic ; he is cut down: or, in other words, he is nearly divided in the middle, like a cut-wasp. Reader, didst thou ever see one of those industrious insects at work in a summer’s day? we ray at work, and in that respect the insect differs from the dandy, whose shape only, and not his habits, we intend to compare with the cut-wasp — we say didst thou ever behold one of these insect: gathering moist clay in a mud-puddle – whence they are sometimes called mud-wasps? — mark how he rolls it up and bears it off to build him an house. But herein he differs entirely from the dandy, the least of whose thoughts are ever employed in building an house or doing any other good thing. But it is not so much the industry of the insect that we would have thee note as his figure — the very exact prototype of a dandy. He is so nearly cut in two in the middle, that one would suppose, in the joining of the upper, to the lower part of the creature, there was scarcely room for useful connexion, and that the passage was quite too narrow for the conveyance either of blood, breath, or food. In a similar manner, the dandy is eat dawn; so that we could not in all our thoughts, recur to a better illustration than that of the insect called the cut-wasp.
” Some commentators, perhaps, might say the cutting down was like that of the mower’s scythe, which crops a flower. But if the dandy — or, indeed, any other hitman creature were thus cut down, how could he flee away ? how could he run when his legs were cut off? — For the text continues — he fleeth away. It is plainly proved therefore, that our interpretation is right: for, though a man be very much cut down, in the manner of a cutwasp, it does not deprive him of the power of running. On the contrary he fleeth away because he is a dandy. He does nothing for a livelibood. He is either above any useful employment, or below it. He is either too proud to attend to any business, or he is too insignificant to be entrusted with any. Certain it is, that he does nothing which can benefit mankind, or procure himself an honest livelihood. He gets in debt, whenever he can obtain credit. He runs up a hill with his landlord, his tailor, his hatter, his cordwainer, his laundress, and so forth. He is pushed for payment; he makes fair promises ; he fails to fulfil them: and, when his word will no longer be taken, he runs away. He makes his exit between two days, and -
Continueth net. This brings us to the last division of our discourse. The dandy has come forth like a flower ; he is cut down, like unto a cut-wasp; he hath fled away, or, in other words, he hath absconded ; and he continueth not, for the very good reason that he has fled away. He continued not to the place of his former residence, and the probability is, that he will not long continue in his new one. The reason is obvious; he is a dandy, and therefore does nothing for a livelibood ; he does nothing for a livelihood, and therefore cannot be expected to pay for one ; he does not pay for one, and therefore shortly loses his credit; he loses his credit, therefore he can no longer get trusted ; he can no longer get trusted, and therefore he picks up his all, and runs away. And wherever he goes, the same result will follow. He will flee away, and continue not.
” Such is the natural consequence of being a dandy; and if this result do not follow in every instance, it is no fault of his, but rather the effect of some peculiarity of circumstances, over which he has no control. He may have a wealthy father, who will support him in his flowery appearance, his flourishes and his dandyism ; or he may be blessed with a rich uncle, or aunt, or some clever friend, who will sustain him, and enable him to cut a figure in the most improved cut-waspish style. But these things do not happen to every dandy, and rarely to any for a great length of time.— The natural result is as we have stated. If a foolish young fellow — and none but foolish ones ever do the like — cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down, ten to one, in a very short time, the rest of the text will come to pass, for he will flee away and continue not.”
From: The Magnolia, or, Literary tablet. 1833/34.