The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-08-05
symptoms of Character.

<AcSOSAahAOAs 0oNN Os
Friday evening of last week, taking for his subject
the 'Symptoms of Character as revealed in
everyday life.
The Reverend gentleman introduced his subject
by saving, that character is a secret that no
man can keep. Just as the hidden plant struggles
towards the light, just as the molten lava of the
mountain rises to the ~crater's red lips just as the
state of the health reports itself at the wrist, and on
the surface of the tongue just as the thought of the
heart seeks the incarnation of speech. so naturally
do the elements of character betray themselves in
some visible palpable forms. And though q man
may assume q virtue even if he has it not, yet he is
surrounded with too vigilant an observation to per-
nit the hope that he may long 60 disguised. Society
tacitly resolves itself into a vigilance committee,
whose business it is to find out the true character of
its individual members, and expose all who are act
ing a part. And in their work they are assisted by
the difficulty experienced by any one to act DeH. At
the best no one can be quite perfect in his part, it is
Sc acting > > after all, and when a man, tired of the
strain imposed upon him, by the forced concealment
of his unlovely traits, lays aside, even for a moment,
his borrowed plumes, and paint, the ever vigilant
lockers ON detect the cheat, and no qtteT-veiling
can renew it.
The most determinate forms in which character
reveals itself is in the lille things of life. "Straws
show" &C., and little events are the " fOot-lights"
in stage parlance, that small as they are individually,
give in the aggregate the full food of light in which
we see the actor strut his brief hour. So Uriel
Regent of the Sum- knew not Satan when he
stood before him in the guise of a young seraphim-
but when the arch-traitor had winged his swift flight
to Niphates top soon discerns his looks, Alien
from heaven, with passions foul obscured and no
after DISCUSSES hid the foul fend from the touch Of
the guardian angels spear.
The lecturer divided his subject into several heads,
first touching upon the personal and private exhibit
ton of symptoms.
The 8 out cropping as the geologist would say,
of characteristics as explained by the phrenologist,
must take rank and place amongst the mechanical
aids to thought. and cannot be classed amongst the
9 symptoms and even the lines of the face, fixed
there by the continued action Of the muscles that
work in sympathy with our most constant thoughts,
are more the result than the symptoms of character.
Children are instinctively good judges of character,
and it is well to watch the first indication of feeling
expressed by the young child, when a stranger
approaches it. Depend upon it that the unhesitating
verdict given them is a correct one, based upon
evidence that may not be clear to an older one. The
drapery of the person is a good test of character,
and though the perfection of good taste in dress is
shown by the entire absence of effort at display, and
the perfectly dressed woman, is distinguished by q
quiet perfectedness of costume, how often do we see
the magnifcently draped female sailing along with a
too evident consciousness of her appearance, and in
how many cases would the lady be content with the
remark she was beautifully dressed, but l can't
tell you what she wore"
Tho r,da cay reveal their npculiar prOcliVitIps in
the manner in which the hat is worn, and the lee
turer illustrated this point by a very happy dascrip-
ton of a hotel scene in Kentucky.
In speaking of dress, and particularly of full
dress,'' the thoughts of the young lady standing
before her mirror, unwilling her womanly charms for
the benefit of the crowded ballroom, were guessed at,
and the conclusion arrived at was, that, for true
maidenly modesty, and pure chaste impulses and
desires we must look elsewhere.
One of the most decided tests of the bent of mind
and character is to be found in the Books with which
a person surrounds himself. They are silent wit
nesses, but none the less truthful, and many q one
will betray their true mental characteristics in no
other way than in their choice of a library.
Leaving what is purely personal, we enter upon
social and domestic life.
How often do we hear the most vapid nonsense
poured forth " in one weak wishy-washy everlasting
food,' by namby-pamby fools, who find apparently
eager and interested listeners in the young ladies
who are 80 convulsed by the wit displayed, as to be
seemingly in danger of suffocation if the ~pointless
jokes are repeated much longer. And if the converse
ton was limited to what, il senseless, is at least
harmless, we could take satisfaction in knowing that
only negative harm might result, but this is not
always the case. Many a young lady does herself an
incalculable injury in allowing to be repeated in her
presence the jest eliminated of part of its grossest
point, but not purified enough to pass current
among minds that should be of as high a standard in
the moral scale, as their possessors are in the social.
Some may say that ladies are compelled by sur
rounding circumstances to listen Cor seem to at least)
while nonsense is being uttered, but we know of no
law, or form of etiquette that prevents the
listener from throwing around her the freezing man
tie of offended, nay outraged ~maidenly modesty,
viii chill the bold tongue that dares give voice
to the impure thought. 81 am not preaching a
sermon, % the speaker went on to say" but merely
turning over with my foot a lump Of sarthliness that
is in my way
Selfshness of character, has its symptoms, that
are most strongly developed in domestic life. Not
alone the inform selfshness displayed by the child.
but the more deliberate Disqualification that is dis
played in the appropriation of the most commodious
in the cars, the choicest dish at the table, the
at the UNDER (r over) done steak, or IN
some other hindrance to a mans complete enjoyment
Of his own comfort. And in these things the true
nature of the otherwise courteous man is shown. At
his business none can be more polite, on public occa-
none more apparently ~solicitous for the comfort
IF others, but in his own family. the entire man
changes, and that so completely, that we are often
puzzled to decide which is his real character.
The Reverend gentleman laid it down as one of
he caonns in the study of human nature, that the
nan who is the most particular about the quality
md quantity of his goods, and the most exacting in
,egard to attendance, &C., is the one whose humblest
meals are taken at his own home, where he joins in
he scramble that takes place each meal time.
We had painted for us a picture of the selfish man
business, who, while admiring the honesty and
Idelity of his clerk John towards himself, his en-
,loyer, still cannot trust that uncompromising whole
boy to show his goods to his customers
nd to the Young men to whom he spoke. the advice