Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1850-08-03
tFor the American.l
THE VAIN.

here he is wrong; but he cannot beat his own
company and here he is right-LAcoS.
How various the thoughts which are sug-
gested, AS we come in contact with different
individuals: Some, by their grave and medi-
ta,ive means, remind US of The face which
Nature presents on calm summer sabbath
u,oruing--grea,uess and power seem to dwell
In their every paFtI others, only hall as
thoughtful, recall to us the appearance OF Inc
sky in the la,tet part Of Autumn, now serene
and sprigh,ly, and anon cloudy and ag'ta'ed'
while third class, call into our memory the
bags full Of wind, which Homer tells us his
hero received as gift from Eolus,--shese
are the vain.
Vanity manifests itself in three ways; al
fecta,ion, desire to be applauded for that
which is not possessed, but imagined, and
speculation, which results in what arc conf
monty termed air castles. Those In whom
vanity takes the form of affectation, are ma'
nv, and the most disgusting Of all the vain.
We can scarcely 60 to any place without see-
ing it pass before us in this form, at almost
every turn. If we 20 into the family circle,
we find il there, if into the social, our at
tention is called 10 it, in our court rooms,
i, is prevalent; the pulpit and prayer meet
ing, are even not exempt from it in short,
every walk of life is filled with it, more or
less.
The terms girl and boy have become al
most extinct; those whom they used to be
applied to, are now called young ladies' and
rentlemen. If you enter the family circle
Of those that belong to the "upper TEN" or
at least, feel strongly inclined in that way,
you are introduced to the young Miss and Mr..
though perhaps not more than a dozen OF
winters old and their conversation soon ac-
.uuaints you with the fact, that they are big
people too. You soon observe, that every
thing is done up according to Chesterfield,-
that every word must be pronounced accord
ing TO a certain rule, which might startle
Noah Webster, yes, surprise the whole squad
of photographers, from the first one down TO
the last,-the head must be kept in certain
posture, while the hands and feet II should
have said extremites perhaps, to suit the
taste of the tmes) are made 10 move Ia
Franeaise While your common sense is al
most scared out Of you, by these affected
nice,ies, Of course not affected 10 them, but
according to the latest fashion, you know,
you are pu, TO still harder trial the mother
tells you with how much credit Miss Jane
and Mr.. Henry acquitted themselves at the
last ball. "Oh! how they tripped so lightly
over the tesselated foot" You are told too,
perhaps, that an evening party is shortly to
be given for their special benefit; and that a
billet dour has been received from such one,
and that Henry intends sending one, to the
angelic little sibyl, in such and such part
of the town. Indeed, those charming little
creatures, moulded in the mould of affectation,
remind you of the soap bubbles, which you
sometimes see the boys blow as you pass
along the street.
But, more serious, let us suppose those
youths to have arrived at the age of manhood
and womanhood, and follow them into the
social circle. There we see the effects OF
such parental education. The young lady
and gentleman, who are perhaps, naturally
graceful and inviting, appear ridiculous ic
the eye of the sensible, because they have
been taught to make themselves "what they
are not what they will" How disgusting
to see the young lady give herself up 10 con-
tinual laughter, for the simple reason, thai
she may draw the attention Of those around
her to her teeth, which she conceives 10 be
very beautiful, or 10 hear the young man con
tinually passing censures upon his shoemaker
because he made his boots loo large, as he
says, in order TO get the company to ooserv,
his small feet just, as if such were the un
derstdndings most to be desired.
Afec,aton, when we find il in the famil.
and social circle, Is certainly odious, bu
what must It be, when it comes under ou
notice amongst those whose calling and in
teligence seems TO recoi at the very name
indeed contemplate. TO see the counsel a
the bar, upon whose speech; perhaps, fel
low creatute's life is snspended, or his char
acter, dearer than life, with his voice screw
ed up on the same key with the dandy's, ant
trying in his gestlculation TO imltate,he grace
of the schools, is, indeed spectacle both t
be commiserated and deprecated. Bu,, wha
are we to think, when we see this child q
vanity ascend the pulpit and give direction
to the words of those, who, are to be the ora
cles of Christ4 We feel shocked, and ar
almost ready to suspect the profession Of til
most jealous christians. Yes, if some of tn
clergy can thus permit themselves 10 trifi
with mems souls, need we to wonder tha
the world is full of infidels, atheists, an
other unbelievers. Shame upon those VIII
are so much wrapt up in vanity, that the
cannot even forget self in the pulpit
Our prayer meetings too, are often infeste
with this same tice. It i, nothing uncommo
10 hear some Of those that lead in prayer, uttt
every word in tone which is not their owl
or give their voice such an unnatural twan
in singing, that the attention of all present
fixed upon them. What strange infatuatio