Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-12-28
Thin-Skinned People.

In speaking of thin-skinned people, the
natural thing to do Is to pitch into them;
the certainty OF being able, without much
exertion, to make them vince, Is sore
temptation. But our purposes In this brief
paper is to put In mild plea in behalf OF
class of men and women why carry their
punishment with them, and whose trans
erosion, after all, Is matter OF nerves
and not Of malicious intent. man Is no
more responsible for having sensitive ma
ture than he is for having bright red hair,
or no hair at all. 1t is his misfortune rather
than his fault. Ii we bring forward no
stronger argument In favor of thin-skinned
people. it is because we are afraid of over
dong the matter and offending them. They
are most delicate people to deal with-these
sensitive folk-inasmuch as one does not
know when he Is smoothing their feathers
the wrong way. We may go on for years
raSping all the tenderest chords OF their
+ organization without once suspecting IL.
We each Of US can count among onr ac-
I quaintances dozen or so OF thin-skinned
/ people. palpahly and aggressively thin
4 skinned, but these bv no means reprvse"s
1 the number of friends upos whose to- We
/ are forever uncon-cicusly tres@fhs' !"
would ca curious mathematics 'eiaNa''oh
/ to compute the number :, pv"ple WHOSE
+ feelings" are ipad-- rently hurt In the
/ oa,,r.,or stn,,,. year Us by one man Of
| avcrae.,. canSIf. The idle jest that was
+ rcyar ,,c.dt to wound-the careless gus
+ linn ,,sT had no sarcastic purpose-the bit
90 advice that was given in all kindness
u shot of into the air. and is found months
afterwards, like the poets song enough IN
an altogether different sense In the heart
OF a friend. Thin-skinucd people who
don't hang out signal = and IL Is the
[ Ia II ~ of a tain class that they
won't are very provoking. IL is impossi
bic not to offend them. They smile upon
you aud go away your enemies Obviously
sensitive people are more easily managed.
hut it H. IA question If their friendship Is
worth 1, exquisite and painful care ncces-
sary to tain IL. To be constantly on your
guard lest Won brush against the exposed
nerves, i Ia pay dear price for compan-
ion>hip. Yet the thin skinned people who
frankly say to you, Don't touch me there.
rrally cant bear it," are greatly to be
preferred to those who make believe that
thcy have hides like The rhinocerous, and
hate YOU for taking them at their word.
And here we have serious charge to urge
against sensitive people. Like women.
they are always least mcrciful TO their own
Kind Sensitive people are a. rule sar-
cystic. All great saiiri>,s have been thin
SKIM d men. Not 10 multiply instances.
take The author of The Dunciad," who
+ threw arrows like giant and wriihcd I'M
/ der the arrows OF dwarf>. Every Iillipu-
I tian OF the time knew that his little needle
/ NO III ind son spot IN CULVER. The
ability to say bitter things j. almost ALWAYS
accompanied by morbid scnsitiycucss to
/ the bitter things of others. The most
/ scathing critics have been found wanting
I in philosophy when they were Themselves
/ reviewed
To come back to our first reflection, thin
skinned people. however trying To the
I patience Of more healthy natures, are
r greatly 10 he commiseraied. heir scu-
T >itvcncs> j. IT, owl punishment. How
ever hravely they may baer 1t out. their
4 tender epidcrmis is 4 perpetual irritation
To them. Ike those penal hnrse-har shirts
/ which misguided morals used To wear
and DO now, for aught we know-under
their ordinary vrstment>. IN those drrary
/ Old converts and iuon&stcTies across the
water When we think how much IN
necessary sure ring j. undergone by per-
yer>ed ihiu->kinncd people, we are tempt
Ell To cypress our sympathy in good round
T terms but that would, likely enough,
mortally offend them Erery Saturday.