Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1848-10-27
DICKEYS AND DIGNITY

L i
Starch is not the only requisite Of hiclSey; 1t
needs linen for a basis of the starch and this
should be not only of good texture, but clean;
or the more starch is In it, the more rticuidas II
is 1t is in like manner necessary that dignity
should have its basis in character, or ITS sflffeang
will only hold up an imperunent ard SHALLOW ma
ture to observation which Ike an unclean ol;skey
would better droop than bristle-
a large turkey of the masculine gender, VINO
feels a perpetual consciousness of be5ngI IN the
first person plural is the best live type |ot dignity
without character that exists outside of the Eung
dom of human pretensIon. lie is all dignity srom
the tip of his broad tail. TO the solemn bearing OF
his little head, and one wonders hew SO small a
craft can carry so much sail or that very Little
brain govern so wide realm. 1t IL with Kindred
wonder that we contemplate the motions P1 some
a,rffa Young man. who seems Impressed WITH his
own great presence and steps as seriously as II he
were forever stepping over the graves OF bis IA
theirs, and when he unbends enough:to be pleased
smiles gravely by exact measurement, andfoTever
carries his head with laborious uptightness like
the empty heads of wheat. We fancy of such, he
has considerable more starch than hsleT. and more
linen above eyenark than below Als dignity Is
not the natural shell of his character. which torms
itself to keep the careless verrnn from its n.atur
ing life, but lath and plaster work to shu: eyes
out from the hollowness within.
A grave face is no index OF deep thought or a
stiff unbowing mlen, of greatness An ass Or an
owl is as grave-faced as the solemnest candidate
for the worlds awe, that ever walkesi, overwaelm-
ed with his own shadow,-and these are notsmod-
els of character True, the owl has been made
the bird of wisdom, though 1t is hard to discover
the wisdom which did the act, and We are inclined
to think Minerva was taken in by appearances,
seeing the bird kept up, what the Paddy called,
SIGH divil of thinking We voQld suggest,
digressionally, that the owl might, With mors pro-
priety be made the bird of love- than that OF wis
g Z I1araf
night of the summer IN whlsh he does
not go to tcooing.
True dignity is the offspring, notthe parent, OF
character; and where it is assumed, it is an
unconscious confession of the want gifts ne tural
creator, and indeed sets stitiy and uheaslly,
that we know it at glance Where;it springs
from the elements of the man, 1t is fluent and
graceful and finds from sportveness ito gravity.
abrupt transition 1t can play with children
or without them, like child; and SMILE il GalGes
with flower, speak simply the gFeat Woods of
wisdom, step lightly from the frosics of the wee
ones, to the councils of the deepest *ee.s
Shallow waters are not the only one. that wrin-
kle with glee. The deep ocean laughs: and while
one huge swell rounds its long waves i'm majestic
undulations the crisp wrinkles and breeze aitnpes
flash merrily over their grand surGess Sos over
the profoundest depth of character play theslight
graces and sports of the surface. tie. can afford
to discard the artful shows of wisdom, whose ev-
would. If mans vessel is empty, he will carry
ii high, that his fellows may not see It's Olowness
but when it is full he can bear it low without
shame.
You have rich man with a hole in his
sleeve if he were liable to be thought poor, he
would make haste to patch IT. MecE> dignity is
the patch which reveals the poverty OF the wear
er, while the playtuness of the great Tnan, rlerg
ing easily into the deepest mood; s,roles. him
superior to all appearances, and so mach gr'ater
than any of his acts, that it costs nothing tossup-
port them. The limb that can bend .aIjd leaIs and
stand firm at pleasure, is type of true;dgniiy-
that which is splintercd and without Joints and
can do nothing but stand stiff and straight ssa fit
type of the assumed or false dignity The man
who cannot win your reverence by bis character
will never gain anything but cold respect at best
and more readily silent contempt by his ar of
gravity and philosophic distance The most lyor-
thy characters are not those who feareontact With
YOU; there must flaw, OF blot, be in those who
keep you at bay, at the time that they shal-
lenge your attention. Eyes that you cannot ,ook
level into not for your seeing. Ii there
was anything for you to see within, those windows
would not have been put so high Il your neigh
boris dgnified to be approached it is because
he is too empty to be searched On that side from
which he repels you, there is a sore place, Or a
weak one perhaps stolen treasure, mi which
you would see the secret of all his apparent wealth
Be sure, the who wears his handkerchief very
far out of his pocket has dirtier one III the other
pocket; the fellow who puts on large pretensions
for dickey, has very scanty supply of real
worth for a shirt.-Charfer Oak.