The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1864-02-13
INCoNGRUIT1Es OF CHARACTER.

Society abounds in examples of incon-
sistencIor what seems to the observer to
be SUCH In the conduct and characters OF
men. Those whom we are accustomed to
call good, and whom We know to be so in
THAR general character, occasionally aston
ish US by being guilty of meannesses, vices,
or even. crimes and bad men sometimes
excite equal wonder by the performance OF
good-perhaps noble deeds. The pious
church-goer Expresses the poor, whom his
wealth enables him to employ, or he over
reaches his confding neighbor in trade ;
aDd the plain and unbelieving trough &"
befriends the widow and the orphan, and is
kind to the sick and destitute.
1t would at first sight appear impossible
that noted murderer could be tender
hearted, yet it is recorded of Eugene Aram
that he had been obstrerYed to walk aside to
avoid treading Oh d worm and Archbish-
op Whately in his annotations to Bacon has
the following paragraph:
"When Thurtell, the murderer, was ex-
echted, there was shout of derision raised
against the phrenologist for saying that his
organ of bsneUolence was large. But they
replied that there was also large destructive
ness, and moral deficiency which would
account for man goaded to rage (for being
cheated of almost all he had by the man he
killed) committing the act. It is remark
able confirmation of their view, that gen
tleman who visited the prison where Thur
tell was confined (shorlly after the execu-
tion) found the jailors, etc., full of pity and
affection for him. They said he was kind,
good hearted fellow, SO obl;ging and friend
ly, that they never had had prisoner whom
they so much regretted. And such seems
to have been his general character, when
not influenced at once by tho desire of re-
venge and gain
The gentle benevolence and piety of Izaak
Walton shine through all his writings, yet
he was keen pursuer of sports that involve
the destruction and even torture of the low
er animals.
These incongruities can be explained and
reconciled on no other grounds than those
of Phrenology. Taking into account the
complex nature of the human mind, and
observing what faculties or groups of fac
ulties predominant, we can foresee how a
person will act under given circumstances,
and are not astonished to fnd large benevo
lence on the head of a murderer, when we
discover also very large destruetiveness and
and deficient Conscientious
ness, veneration and cautiousness, and only
moderate reasoning powers, and know the
provocation under which the murder was
committed. That the gentle Izaak Walton
was the prince of anglers, shows that in his
case large benevolence was accompanied by
a full development of destructiveness.
So in every other case, the organization
explains the conduct, and the Inconsistency
between the latter and the true character is
found to be only apparent. The powers of
good and evil in some souls appear to be
equally balanced, and it depends upon ex-
ternal circumstances which shall exercise,
for the time, the controlling influence. Our
duty in such cases, and in all cases, is to
cultivate and develop the higher and nobler
part of our nature, so that the evil in US
shall never, even under the most adverse
be able to overcome the
good but the best of US have need to pray,
LEAD Us NOT INTO TEMPTATION"