Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-01-12

Johnson remarked, that there might be
some little difficulty in ascertaining who
her interiors were. The doctor was more
obtuse of perception than was the cheese
monger's wife, who had no dliilcusty
whatever, in aseert;nnlng the point.
When was little boy. | was at We
~ great school--great, / mean, in point
Of numbers and when we walked 20
church our arrangement was not accord
ing to literary merit or proficiency. hut
according to height, ST. chat we might
thereby look more uniform In the public
eve. There were also two other class'-
locations, viz, the classification accord
ing to penmanship, and the classification
according ito general literature or gram
matlcal attainments. Thus there was
,.p'easant and amusing variety of rank !;
and we were sometimes as puzzled to
settle points of presidency and etiquette
az any little party Ia country town:
for it was seldom that height, writing o.
grammar were in the same proportions:
one was before another in measuring; &
another took precedence in writing, but
wanted height; while third might be an
excellent grammar scholar. but neither
penman nor Colossus. $50 By these
means we all Of US had more or less the
pleasure Of looking down upon another !;
and all of Us could enjoy, ii we wished
it, the pleasure of condescension. DIR.
Johnson was therefore manlfestly wrong
in dou3tins whether the wife of cheese
.mon9er in Tooley street was capable of
condeseent:ing. OF whether there were a
ny persons who might properly be called
her interiors.
s. 1t would be, indeed. sad and cruel
thing If man should feel that all were
condescending to Vim, and that he him
self could be condescending to nobody.
because nobody was inferior to him.
TO be the first in society. though at
tended with some Inconvenience, is still
rather an object of ambition; therefore,
the first may be safely desired. but to
be the last is too painful; and the herald's
taice, in mercy to mankind, leaves that
point to be settled by these whom it may
coucern; therefore it never is settled,
and 50 the pleasures of condescenson
may be eniayed BY all.
The virtue OF condescension is, indeed.
so exceedingly amiabie and interesting,
that one cannot help desiring to initiate
il; and we naturally look out Cor cur IN
ieriors4 in order to have the pleasure OF
gratifying them by eur co1descenslon, as
much as We have been gratifled by the
condescension Of our superiors. 1t is
observable how very condescending and
patronising are the servants and depen-
dents of the great. From observing the
manners Of their masters and mlstresses
aud patrons, they gain the same air and
imb;be the same feelings. In order to
manifest condescension, a. we have said
above, there should be-, of necessity, a
sense OF apprehension of greatness
Thus, THOSE domestics and dependents
generally cultivate this feeling of great
ness with much diligence and SUCCESS
4 greater or more condescending man
than a great mans coachman you do nett-
often meet witlal; aud many a king up
on throne grants an audience to, or re-
ceives homage from most devoted and
most humble subject. with far less OF the
pomp of condescension, that great
mans coach:nan gives audience to a man
in a seedy coat.
Yet perhaps, after all. the conple.est
condescensioa is that of great boy at
schoel to little one. know man
who, about thirty years age. was first boy
at eur school; and he has told me more
than once, and dare say that,if we
live to grow old. he will tell me a humid
red times more, that his sense Of great
ness was Sc a5surdly strong, that he alb
solutely could contain no more, aud that
he was nearly bursting with pride. Yet
he was marvellousiy condescending; and
| do verify believe that if the president
of the United States~sheud walk arm in
arm In Pennsylvania Avenue,o %: in Broad
wav, should not think mere highly OF
the condescension than | did of the con-
tescension Of the young gentleman above
alluded so.
We can never, perhaps, enjoy conde-
scension SO completely. as in early life:
before we have thoroughly asoertained
the meaning and full force of the word
great emne ignotun1 pro nscgnajjco; and
before we know what greatness is, we
think it maryelIously magnificent Thing.
After all. the game Of condescension,
like all other games, requires two to
play it; but unlike all other games, it is
best played by those who understand il
least :; for. when it is thoroughly under
stood by both parties, it is rather too
broad a farce, and cannot be carried on
with a serious face. | very much al
mire the churchwarden's wife who went
to church, for the first time in her lille
when her husband was ehurchwarden, q
being somewhat late, the congregation
were getting up from their knees when
she entered. and she said, with sweetls
condescending smile. 9 Pray keep your
seats, ladies' and gentlemen. think no
more Of myself now than ! did before
rrvi.-.so 80 4I,o hocf ipcfruc fnrq thai