Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-10-14
PRKIunrrR


the study of words. He says, %This word Of it
self means plainly 10 more than "a judgement
formed beforehand without affirming anything
as to whether that Judgment is favorable or un-
favorable about whom it is formed. Yet so pre-
dominantly do we form harsh, unfayorable iudg-
ments ofothers before knowledge or experience,
that prejudice, or judgment before knowledge,
and not grounded on evidence is almost always
taken to signify an unfavorable anticipation
about one." Alas for human natureI men COM
monty Judge each other with harshness and lack
of charity.
Taking the word occording to its ordinary
Specification, there can be no doubt that every
man has his prejudices. Respecting both men
and things probably every man is subject to BIZ
as, j. c. forms judgments which are not founded
upon knowledge or reason. At any rate if any
man has risen above the reach of prejudice al
| together he has made most extraordinary at
| tainment- To be sure there is great difference
among men as to their prejudices. The ignor-
ant and unstudious are much more liable 10
prejudice than the educated and thoughtful-
1t is common for men to be subject to it in pro-
portion to their lack of knowledge respecting
the matters about which they have opinions
Yet there is reason to believe that every man
has prejudices on some points, If not on many
There is no man who has escaped wholly from
the ordinary imfrmities of humanity, and la
bility to prejudice is one of these infirmities.-
But men are unconscious of their preudices, as
such. The prejudice which is discovered and
still adhered to becomes crime immediateally.
| The truly honest and studiOus man repudates
prejudice as soon as he discovers it. And all
prejudices, which deserve no harsher name,
would be more readily overcome and abandon
ed if they did not seem to their possessOrs to be
| judgments worthy of respect. 1t is dangerous,
| therefore, for nan TO assume that he has no
unjust judgments in his own mind. The iudg-
| ments that he has formed, and that are most
dear TO him, may be, at least some of them, pref
udices of the worst description. Hence there is
| safety in caution, and every man does well to
suspect himself. Better suspect yourself than
your neighbor.
There are certain liabilities of people who are
under the influence of prejudice and when these
liabilities become actual facts they are indica-
tions of the prejudice The man of strong pref
| udces is very sure that he is free from every
thing of the kind. He assumes his own i'm
maculateness. Every judgment of his mind he
takes to be worthy ofthe highest respect. The
more unaccustomed he is to investigate, the
more dogmatic he is in his opinion, and the
surer ne is to be angry with those who differ
from him. 1t is very true that there are many
subjects upon which thoughtful man ought to
have his mind made up. There were no use in
study and reflection if they could never form
our views definitely and conclusively about any,
thing. But there are two ways of arriving at
settled opinions. One consists in jumping at
conclusions which are according to our previous
mode of believing, or to the views we have been
taught. The other consists in careful examina-s
ton OF every subject in hand, with view to as
certain the truth. He who never pursues this
latter method never has an opinion entitled to
respect. Ii then you find man peculiarly
dogmatic, intolerant of the opinion which differs
from his, and dictatorial in his expression of
views, be sure he is the slave of preiudices.-
But, never refuse to make up your mind about
matter, forfear of becoming prejudiced.s You
| may, indeed, hold every opinion subject to the
modification which increased knowledge may
afford. But if you know how to investigate and
think at all you are capable of saying-4The
light which have thus far upon this subject
establishes this or that conclusion as true and
| reliable" Then stick to the truth when known.
Furthermore, it is characteristic of preiu-
dicial people to be frequently and harshly charg-
ing prejudice upon others. There is something
very pitiable in the spectacle when man of
narrow mind and very limited knowledge
| charges upon another infinitely his superior in
every respect, that he is "a man of strong pref
udices." No wonder that prejudices appear
loathsome to such man. The most revolving
spectacle which he can see is the reflection of
| his own hideousness. But he makes the mis-
take of laying the deformity to the charge of
the mirror which makes it visible to him. NOT
seeing that it is his own, When you differ
| with man in opinion and he closes the way to
further discussion by saying "you are preju-
diced" then you may know thathe is the abso-
lutte slave of his own preconeeived Judgments
1t is characteristic of prejudiced people to
charge their own faults upon Others Thus the
most faulty of men are at the same time most
eensorious. They can find nothing in men
about them to approve, but are constantly criti-
cising, and attributing sinister designs to bet
| Al, al. 6
is ever suspicious. Being intent upon decep-
ton himself he suspects all others of deceit
| So the man of low prejudices is ever accusing
others of prejudice, and is on the guard against
it. If he could once see himself as Others see
him be would learn to look in very different
quarter.
The men whose settled opinions are most
worthy of respect are accustomed to hold them
with the greatest modesty. Their firmness of
Judgment is not thing of personal pride, but
is the result of careful investigation The most
accomplished scholars the world has ever known
have been men of the esimplest character Their
views have been given to mankind with the
least possible tendency to dictatorialness The
most instructive of all books are written with
perfect simplicity of style and manner But
men of prejudiced assurance publish their views
pompously, dctatorially, as if they would call
upon all people to bow down to the oracle.
1t is great thing to be free from prejudice
But no man will attain this unless he first learns
his own liability to it. Assuming your own
freedom from fault of this kind you most sure
ly come Completed under its dominion. B.
That SILLY LIE.-Among the inven-
tons of the Democratic papers is that Mr..
Lincoln receives his salary in gold. Mr..
Chittenden, now in Vermont, and who
was Register of the Treasury up to Aug.
18th, says of this tale:
1t as false IN everh particular. Neither
himself nor anv Othar officer of the Gov