The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-08-26
BIDDEFoRD, ME-, FRIDAY MORNING, AUGUST 2e, 1870.
The Pour Egotisms.


. 70 n9M Ci l1G -- ~ tneiE iEsou gaiIi,
Philosophers make self.consciousness
one Of the chief distinctions between man
and the inferior animals. But satirists
have always had trick Of giving 1t an
! opprobrious name; and 80 Il has come
about. that what the metaphysician de-
nionstrates as our crowning glory, tho
mornlist teaches us to unlearn and ignore.
( Nevcrlcss, we are all egotists, and have
our places each In one of four great class.
es. All the world Is a college, where
"Know Thyself' Is the only text book.
7 freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors
are As plainly to be distinguished rs their
analogues at any seat Of objective learn.
ing ,5Ig. gilaw - Il ,riT ",bo
The egotist of the first intension escapes
oil suspicion ofegotism. but Is nevertheless
guilty Of 1t To the extent OF his capacity.
He makes no comparisons, direct or Inn
piled, between himself and others, and
therefore gives no offence by any opin-
ion he may hold In regard to his
abilities or character. But his thoughts
rovolve abont his own little existence /;
and, oftener than he would believe, bis
tongue babbles the sameness of their coii-
illusions. Ask him of his health; and no
innocently supposes that you wish to know,
and enters upon catalogue Of his diff
. cultics, merely glancing ut the minor
ones perhaps, but being very minute rs to
the causes. treatment and effects OF the
diseases which are undermining hts sys
tcm and making him IN object of inter-
est. Ask him, "What's the nows ?. and
he will give you with great accuracy the
particulars OF the best murders and larg-
est fires that have been recorded In the pa
pers for a week. Had the great blue
bell.glass that shuts In the world been so
small rs to include only his native town,
he would never sigh for outside friend
ship and adventure. but would find sufli-
cicnt for thought and speculation in the
few acres he can see from his doorstep,
and the neighbors he can call by name.
With him the importance of events Is like
the brilliance of light-increasing inverse
ly rs the square Of their distance.
The egotist ofthe second inton,ion, like
tho sophomore In college, gets all the bad
names. all the ridicule. and NIL the moral
lectures that belong to the whole range.
He Is the egotist, par excellence. OF COM
mon acceptation. 1t has occurred to him
TO study himself critically, and to compare
himself with others; II to their disadyan-
tage, so much the worse for them. He Is
like the older-fuhioncd locomotives-all
the processes that drive his mental ma
chinery are in plain sight. He can stand
no proposition, utter no sentiment, enter
tain no opinion, whose force does not de-
pend upon his identity for It's fulcrum {;
andjn.,t because this Is 50. but because 1t
Is evident. he can seldom get the justice
Of having his arguments and opinions
taken ut their intrinsic worth. ihry all
suff;r discount, because we have witnessed
: their formation and believe anybody could
produce them. equally well II he only had
the assurance.
Tho egotist of the third intension be-
lieyes In himself to large extent, and
mistrusts himself to limited extent, but
by cultivation conceals both his confidence
and his distrust. He will not let you see
how he values his own abilities. because
he wishes TO preserve n reputation for
mOdesty. He will never in your presence
oetray any dstrust of himself, lest you
discover that Il Is well founded, and his
reputation for ability suffer In consc quonce.
He ignores himself not more rs u matter
of politeness than because he appreciates
the ridiculc which Is directed Mt his broth
or of the second intension, and sometimes
Joins in 1t. In his conversation he Is
ready and graceful ut throwing in such
parcnthcsis rs at seems to me-" ut Is
my opinion,""I can't say how 1t may
strike Others" etc. If Patrick Henry, in
delivering his most celebrated OratiOn.
spoke the speech rs the reporters wrote II.
which Is doubtful. 1t is an illustrious ex-
ample of egotism Of the third intcnsion.
It Is u f.vorite and rather pretty trick Of
Horace to begin by protesting that he
cannot do that which It has become his
duty to do. or which he has set out to do;
to keep mp this protest throughout the
poem and. In the very act Of protesting,
to do with art and skill the very thing he
Is telling MS he cannot do. Horace was q
consummate egotist ofthe third intension;
and his f,vorite formula Is wide spread
and popular among his classmates.
The egotist of the TO urth intension Is
rare man upon earth. There is u popular
belief that greatness Is always modest. AS
we or,linately account mo,lesty, this Is n
fallacy. There Is grade Of greatness
which Is ino, ,dinately modest and self
deprcciativc. But tho greatest greatness
is conscious of its strength, Is above even
so amiable deception as protesting not
to be aware Of its superiority, and cannot
be modest. We do not expect 1t to be.
We ought not to wish II to be. Fami liar
talk of sumptuous things, which renders
our proud and prctentious, hut not wealthy
ncighbor by.word, comes pleasantly
enough from % millionaire. And 1t Is 50
with high grades of intellectual ability
and culture, or extraordinary gifts of ge-
MUS. Ifa man knows and feels that he
Is n giant among his fellows, who shall
say ho must walk with an ungnccful
stOop? No, he Is necessarily egotist'cal; ;
and to those who appreciate him. his self
consciousness Is source Of pleasure. Let
him conceal no trnit that shows MS what
humanity may be or may attain; let him
only be willing TO yield his position readi.
ly when greater than he appears, and
there need he nothing offensive In his tow.
ering epotism.-E. X. johnson, in Apple