Stanza XV. “To pipe his eye” is a slang phrase meaning to look sharply.
Stanza XVI. “All’s Well,” the usual cry of a watchman, not the name of a song.
“Pigtail” was a kind of chewing tobacco much used by sailors. It was twisted in hard rolls.
The Definition of a Gentleman
(Volume IV, page 170)
There is nothing in Journeys Through Bookland that will better repay thought, especially for the boys, than this extract from the writings of the great Cardinal Newman. It affords, however, a host of little tests of character that everyone can apply to himself; for “gentleman,” here, is used in its generic sense and applies with equal force to both sexes.
It is not to be read hastily and then laid aside, for no one can get its full meaning from a single perusal. Every word is a chapter, every sentence a volume. Read properly, each sentence must carry with it a personal application, which can be seen as the reader asks, “Is this what I am?”
Am I then, one who never gives pain?
Am I mainly occupied in removing the obstacles that hinder the action of my friends and acquaintances? Am I the easy chair that gives them bodily comfort, the good fire that dispels the cold and makes them comfortable and free to act?
Do I try always to make everyone at ease and at home?