YOU prefer a buffoon to a scholar,

A harlequin to a teacher,

A jester to a statesman,

An anonyma flaring on horseback

To a modest and spotless woman—

You think that to sneer shows wisdom;

That a gibe outvalues a reason;

That slang, such as thieves delight in,

Is fit for the lips of the gentle,

And rather a grace than a blemish—

You think that if merit’s exalted,

’Tis excellent sport to decry it,

And trail its good name in the gutter;

And that cynics, white-gloved and cravatted,

Are the cream and quintessence of all things—

You think that success must be merit;

That honour and virtue and courage

Are all very well in their places,

But that money’s a thousand times better—

Detestable, stupid, degraded