The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1868-12-12
Temper.

We generally pity man or woman who ha
an obviously bad temper but to have bad tenn
per and ample opportunities for gratifying i
must be great pleasure. The dull complacen
cy of good-humor offers no such keen delights a!
the little revenges which bad-tempered woman
loves to wreak upon her social enemies baC
temper is sort of sixth sense, which hasits OWE
satisfaction; and, like the other senses, in favor.
able circumstances the satisfaction predominates
1t is great mistake to consider that even the
worst form of bad temper-the sulky attitude
necessarily involves the wrctchedness of the sulk-
| er. Not at all. The man or woman who sulks
looks upon himself or herself as martyr and en-
| joys the sweet solace of martyrdom Then the
discomfort they infict upon the people against
whom they sulk is another keen enjoyment. In
fact, il sulkins were not pleasant, people would
not sulk. 1t gives man pleasure to crafty his
bad temper and it gives him pleasure to sulk.
Among women these enj oyments are heightened
by greater sensitiveness, both on the part of the
performers and that Of their victims. When a
man gets into the sulky attitude, and thinks he
will annoy his friends by refusing their invita-
tions TO dinner, simply say to him, ''Fery
WE'LL Sulk as long as you please. lfyou will
be unhappy, be. We have too much on our
hands to trouble ourselves about whetherl ls9u
choose to be uncomfortable let US
you wonvt nvt.eqs eq!l@ei viii and we have reason TO
III iticipate that the soup and the fish will be any
The worse for your absence" Bat women, gen
tie souls do not look upon seeding friend in
this philosophic light. They are distressed to
think that Jane, or Aunt Thompson, or Lady
Morand' maiden sister, should think that they
have been unkind to her. 1t is with deep de-
preston that they bear how very miserable their
former bosom-frirnd now is and they perplex
themselves and their husbands too, about the
best method of reconciliation.
The wreaking OF bad temper is one OF the pleas
antes occupations OF humanity; but 1t leaves
lad physical Effects behind it. We must guard
ourselves however, against the popular deusion
that thin people are naturally proue to had TEN
per, and that srou, people are almost invariabi!
good-natured The writer's experience, at least
tends to precisely the opposite conclusion. Fat
men are not energeiical, angry-they do not
cuff boys thrash their horses, and SO on but
they are far more impatient Of hindrances, and
apt to be rufled by little annoyances. Put II TAI
man and thin man TO whip a trout-stream when
the fish are not rising who will first begin to
growl muliered curses, and crack the flies on his
line with bad temper, and then throw the rod
away ard fling himself ON the grass in disgust
Suppose both of them 10 be hung up; !" which
will exhibit the most patience and good-humor
in getting the line off the tree Bad temper Is a
keen weapon, but it is frequently found III a very
soft and capacious sheath. The evil physical ef-
fecs OF bad temper, however, tell equally ON the
stout and the thin, and they are more serious
than many people imagine. The effect which
tit of cholea has upon the system, when general
weakness predisposes to a catastrophe, shows
what the effect must also be W hen greater strength
of the system prevents its being Immediately Wis
ible. When a man drops down and dies through
fit of anger there must be some other ailment
assisting but that anger should, in any case,
have the power to accelerate the catastrophe is
sufficiently significant. Persons with disease OF
of the heart or any aliction likely to suffer from
a shock to the nerves, are warned by the doctors
TO abstain from irritating disputes, and general
ly to avoid those men or things likely to provoke
their anger. 1t is an advice which is applicable
to all because there are few of us so situated
that our bad temper, if we have one, may be
grati6ed with impunity. Better to cultivate the
even tenor of sublime indifferentism than 10
reap the uncertain satisfaction Of expending little
ire-crackers of wrath. .-Harper's Weekly.