Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-01-12
From Mss Leshs's lLogaai7,e far January
COEDEsCEgs1oN.
tBY louis :. rLstsrRe,
mr. LOUIS =. rAstsrno

have heard that when a goose passes
lander an arch. or through daer- wav, cf
whatever altitude 1t always stiops-this,
Il suppose, is cealescensioH; and, 70 say
the truth, wherever ! have seen an. os-
tentatlon of cendescension3 it has renin-
sle, me of geese. There is q great deal
of fun. aud some little philosophy in con-
: sslesccnsion. Ehe fun 81 it is. shat the
person condescen4irg must first lift him
self up to his greatest height. in order
10 show how iow.hc can stop. ! Ike to
hear OF learned maa condescending to
the capacities Of children; just as if
learned men had forgotten their A B c.
and could talk nothing bat Greek and
Hebrew. Why. there is net one among
them who does not underst and Cinderella
.better than he does Sophoc'es. ! am no
leveiler; am a decided believer i'll the
beauty and utility frank. l also like
courtesy. affabiiity and p5liteness; but
when the weird condescension is men
toned. an always incllne,' to laugh.
When Tony LMmpkin. as set totth In
!. tie pleasant comedy She Sleeps to Con
sGuer, gives the benefit and blessing OF
hrs company TO the swiilees Of s4ipes at
the public heuse, he is very condescend-
ing but quite symoatAise with Mrs.
Hardcastle in her Reproduction of such
sunbeooming familiarity. But when you
F see the party assembled. and hear their
conversation, you do not think much of
the condeseenson Of Tony moreover,
sunhappIly for .ony's own dignity, he
does not seem to be aware Of it himself.
The party would willingly pay him BON :
age. but he seemed hardly inclined to re-
lish it. he wishes to be cute at his ease,
which condescending person, in such
circumstances, never is. Condescen
sion, in its true and most exquisiteIy RI
diculous state, has a kind Of no!i me tan
.gere air about it; it is like oil on water
IL never amalgamates with the baser flu
id.
The genuine condescender has kind
of elasticity about him, By which he can
presently raise himself up again to the
level Of his disnity, like those monkeys
who. with kind of hook to the end OF
their tails, can presently spring from the
ground into tree or on to perch. To-
ny I.umpkin's condeseension was thor
sough down-letting of his denity--a total
oblivion of his rank; he could not resume
Z his dignity at a moments notice he moi
only forgot his own superiority. but see
med to wish that others shuuld.forgct it
too. This you observe is ditsf,ere nt from
sright-earnest condescension, which aims
at uniting, for tie time, the great and the
saaH, the high and the low, and wiict.
would shudder and almost die with NOR
litigation, should its greatness for mo-
: ment seem to be forgotten.
Tony Lumpkin, 10 his condescensiop,
If we may SO call it, did rot SO much en-
tioy his greatness as he enjoyed getting
rid of IT; but regular condescension is
one of the highest luyures OF greatness.
All greatness is apprehended BY compar-
.ison: we never feel how great we are un-
I'll we bring our greatness into contact
with another's littleness. When Guilt
~ dweIt in England, previous to his
Nyage to Lilliput. he was not sensible.
of his greatness of BODY but when he
tlweIt among the Lillipgtians, he felt
himself to be a marveIously great mar
indeed. Thus tits with such as conde-
.Scend: they come from SUCH height to
such depth. that they are wholly as.
founded at once at their own greatness.
and at oilers Iittleness.
The pleasure Of condescension is so
great that many seek for the enjoyment
of it, whom we should not at first sight
think likely to have opportunity or room
far its exercise. In Boswe!l's Life of
Johnson. mention is made of funeral
sermon which had been preached~f for the
wife or widow Of some cheesmonger in
TooIey street, or Brrmondsey, in which.
amonest other Mandatory topics. it was
recorded to the honor Of the deceased,
that Sic was remarkable for her ronde-
secession TO her interiors. On which DR..