No. I don’t think so. The person who paid for the stone is saying he is their inferior.
>This stone is placed by one they called master, greatly their inferior
Wouldn’t the comma imply “but”, meaning they called this person master but this person was actually inferior to them, or feels thus?
No it sounds like the person who placed it there was admired by the people buried but it is saying that they, in fact, looked up to them
Real “you’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din” vibe to that. I’ve always thought that poem was vaguely insulting, as if Kipling was implying that the natural assumption would be that it was the other way around.
The person who bought the stone is giving them the highest compliment by claiming they were such great men he can only sum up himself as their inferior.
” In | memory of | Joseph Doyle, | died 18th Sept. 1874,
aged 66 years; | and | Charles Doyle, | Died 1 9 tli
Sept. 1874/ aged 59 years.
THIS STONE IS PLACED BY ONE THEY CALLED MASTER,
. GREATLY THEIR INFERIOR.”
* The above stone was placed by the late Mr. Latouche (died 1892) over
two brothers, carpenters, who worked for him and lived on the demesne.
The elder, Joseph, was out of the way well read in the Bible, knew
” Joseph us,” &C-. They were cousins of the caretaker of the graveyard
(also a Doyle). The name is very common here — some Church people, as
these and caretaker ; others 11. C
It is a beautiful quote and far from an insult, it’s an appreciation of loyalty and testament to character to a former servant from his former “master”.
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No. I don’t think so. The person who paid for the stone is saying he is their inferior.
>This stone is placed by one they called master, greatly their inferior
Wouldn’t the comma imply “but”, meaning they called this person master but this person was actually inferior to them, or feels thus?
No it sounds like the person who placed it there was admired by the people buried but it is saying that they, in fact, looked up to them
Real “you’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din” vibe to that. I’ve always thought that poem was vaguely insulting, as if Kipling was implying that the natural assumption would be that it was the other way around.
The person who bought the stone is giving them the highest compliment by claiming they were such great men he can only sum up himself as their inferior.
Was able to find about the headstone.
page 606 of 702 > https://archive.org/details/journalforyear21asso/page/n605/mode/2up
* Headstone near the ” Vicars ” slab ‘ : —
” In | memory of | Joseph Doyle, | died 18th Sept. 1874,
aged 66 years; | and | Charles Doyle, | Died 1 9 tli
Sept. 1874/ aged 59 years.
THIS STONE IS PLACED BY ONE THEY CALLED MASTER,
. GREATLY THEIR INFERIOR.”
* The above stone was placed by the late Mr. Latouche (died 1892) over
two brothers, carpenters, who worked for him and lived on the demesne.
The elder, Joseph, was out of the way well read in the Bible, knew
” Joseph us,” &C-. They were cousins of the caretaker of the graveyard
(also a Doyle). The name is very common here — some Church people, as
these and caretaker ; others 11. C
It is a beautiful quote and far from an insult, it’s an appreciation of loyalty and testament to character to a former servant from his former “master”.
Inferior is the opposite of superior /thread
This seems more like a compliment to me