The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-07-08

akcn IN respect OF IL. Inc latter Is the
masculine type; the former is, properly
speaking, feminine. Mr.. N p. Willis, in
one of his earlier volumes, has a clever
little tale describing the power of an "in-
jured look" By virtue OF it young
American lady cOntrived to persuade a
whole house full of bOarders to regard
her as martyr, and to speak the worst
ana think the worst they could of her
husband; and all this, without utter
ing one word herself, was produced
solely by the "ipjured look" And if there
Is an injured look" there is also such a
thing as dumb devil"; if the power
OF the one is great, the provOcatiOn in
duced by the latter is unutterable. 1t is a
curious, and to some will appear an un-
accountable, circumstance that in sulkiness
woman is more often possessed with a
dumb devil than is q man.
Sulkiness is visible even in the nursery.
where it exists, so to speak, in the form of
bud; but 1t IS merely an outbreak of bad
temper, for at that age child has not
learned the method of using it as an in
strument with which to punish his play
mates. And the wisest way is to leave it
entirely unnOticed, "efface" the offender,
as the French say, until there is an obvious
return to more amiable disposition. But
boys and girls soon learn to estimate the
power of sulkiness, either by practice or
endurance, and large school is the best
check on despotism of this kind. Sulki-
ness is not tyranny which can be safely
exercised in society at large, and it is com
monty reserved for private or home ex-
hibition. The smaller the circle the more
concentrated its force in family, in a
hOI1cQ npa room, tho y,ouyar ofo h. a.o
oppresses, searches, and pervades every
corner of it. In love-making sulkiness is
deplorable blunder Smile or strike, or
smile and strike, too, if that seems more
advisable; but no good ever follows a sui
len enmity, which chills, disconcerts, and
often actually destroys love- Even that
simulated sulkiness, that toothless ven
geance, which consists in pouting cold
nesss, is an experiment full of danger, and
10 the worst possible taste But if between
lovers it is blunder, in married life it is
simply the greatest madness of which a
human being can be guilty. There they
are man and women yoked together like
goats, and as the countryman Justly
observed, "that's been trouble to more
than goats" and if either of them
Is endowed with the faculty of persistent
sulkiness, one shudders to think of the
life the other one may be made to lead
1t might be reasonably urged as cause
for judicial separation, possibly even for
divorce, since the practice of quietly press
ing the spirit and life out of human be-
ing, no matter how many years the opera
ton spreads over, is not one that ought to
be permitted in Christian country "va
victis!" the weak go to the wall, and too
often the weak are the pleasantest and
most lOvable of earth's creatures.
Sometimes . person is seen to exhibit
something which resembles and yet is not
sulks. 1t is silent moOdiness of manner
arising from sense of failure, mortifica
ton, or secret encouragement and vexa-
tlon.which he cannot get over all at once
1t is often seen in youth, but in reality the
man is struggling with his intrmity, and
kind word or friendly overture will al
most always float him over the difficulty.
But genuine sulkiness is essentially pre-
meditated and of forethought; it is also
vindictive, sometimes even malignant, in
its nature, and if much INDUCED in causes
the manners to be habitually morose, and
the face and person acquire heavy, sod
den appearance as of substance too long
stepped in unwholesome juices. Dragging
the feet along the floor and slamming the
doors of the house for weeks and months
together are vulgar and ignoble but
neither uncommon nor inexpensive modes
of sulking. We all know of other ways
more refined, but not less disagreeable,
and remember them too well. The
fashion in which the very few words which
custom and convenience render abso-
lutely necessary are dropped from the
lips as if they were so many leaden bull
lets; the steadfast, surprised stare that
you or any one else should venture to
ask such questions as shall require reply
OF any kind, the pertinacious coldness,
the carefully averted glance, the steady
gloom, the hand withheld, the smile un-
returned, and the hardly muttered ac-
acknowledgement of the morning or eve
ming salution,-who that has witnessed or
endured these amenities can forget the
effect of thems In fact, the severity of
the pressure which really able, discrimi
mating, and obstinate sulker can bring to
bear on others for indefinite space of time
amounts to tyranny, dumb, indeed, but
sufficiently unholy of its kind; neither
soft cosxing nor urgent crushing can af-
feet it, and, though to yield is humiliating,
it is we'll nigh hopeless to resist it.-PG
Malt Gazette.