Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-07-12
The Power of Sulkiness.
From the Pail Mall Gazrt-"

tunatelv for the world, it rarely exists
in its highest and most concentrated
form, for, if united to real INTEL ctual
or moral force, it would be despotism
80 thorough as to be injurious to the
general welfare of humanity. But in a
less and more ignoble form it is not nm
common, and the deadweight and cho-
king pressure which mankind endure in
consequences go to make mp an almost
intolerable grievance There are peo-
pie who have the gift of being sulky
for al indefinite length of time, and as
sert that they act thus on principle ;
but it is almost invariably found that
the principle Larmonizes with the ma
ture, for to tempers that are short and
sweet, hot, inconsistent, or quickly pla-
cable, and any of these are liable to be
suddenly vexed for an hour or two, it
is always difficulty to sulk. 1t is hit
of acting and not reality, even when
carried out, and the assumption Of it
is felt to be a burden too heavy to be
borne.
The capacity for stea,ly solid cOncen-
trated sulkiness is mighty power to
him who possesses IT it implies many
curious and varied accomplishments and
gifts. among others that of the COM
plete mastery of the five senses. 1t is
for a man to be blind when it is desired
that he should open his eyes, dumb
whenever words would he acceptable,
deaf to all allurements or submission,
insensible to every effort at Cancellation.
1t can create gloom. and, having crea-
ted it, it can perpetuate and deepen it
until it becomes a clinging atmosphere
as unwhOlesOme as a malaria. 1t com
prehends an absolute control over the
facial muscles. so that no sOftness
or sign of yielding, not a ripple of "a
smile or an expression Of pleasure, may
replace even for moment the sullen
apathy or illumine the habitual scrowl
of the confirmed sulker. In a word, it
is the faculty of stimulation to such a
degree that person shall appear to be
blind, deaf, dumb, stupid, paralysed, i'll
or dead whenever and for rs long as he
chooses. Mr.. Helps has truly said,
"Unreason always governs. Nothing
prevents you having your own way so
much as being Mt all amenable to
reason" And sulkinas neither gives
reasons nor listens to them. The sulky
being sometimes wears depressed,
spiritless, and utterly detected appear
ance, as though crushed and heart
broken by long continued oppression
sometimes a heavy. displeased, drag
ging step, and a black and lowering
brow, are the chief signs which indicate
| the disturbance within, and the form of
| the vengeance which is to be taken in
respect of it. The latter is the mascu-
line 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 "iniured look" BY virtue of it
young American lady contrived to
persuade whole house full of boarders
to regard her as a martyr, and to speak
the worst and think the worst they
could of her husband and all this,
without uttering one word herself, was
produced solely by the "injured look. "
And if there is an "injured look u
there is also such thing as "dumb
devil :" if the power of theon is great,
the provocatiOn induced by the latter
is unuterable. 1t is curious, and to
some will appear an unaccOuntable, cir
| cumstance that in sulkiness a woman is
more often possessed with dumb devil
than is a man.
| Sulkiness is visible even in the nurse
ry, where it exists, 80 to speak, in the
form of a bud; but it is merely al ont.
bresk of bad temper, for at that age q
child has not learned the method oi
using it "A an instrument with which II
punish his playmates. And the wises'
way is to leave it entirely unnoticed
efface" the offender, aSIthe French
say, until there is an obvious return t<
more amiable disposition. But boy
and girls soon learn to estimate tn
power of sulkiness either by practic
or endurance, and large school
the best check on a despotism of thi
. kind. Sulkiness is not tyranny whic
| can be safely exercised in society a
large, and it is commonly reserved fO
private or home exhibition. The small
er the circle the more concentrated it
force in a family, in house, in on
room, the power of sulkiness oppressei
!. searches, and pervades every corner c
,, it. In love-making sulkiness is a d.
, plorable blunder. Smile or strike, @
smile and strike too if that seems NOR
advisable but no good ever follows
sullen elmity, which chills, disconcerts
, and often actually destroys love. Eve
that simulated slilkiness, that tOothles
, vengeance, which consists in pOutin
: coldness ia an experiment full of dar
g ger, and in the worst possible tast'
r But if between lovers it is blundel
. in married life it is simply the creates
\ madness of which human being ca
s he guilty. There they are man an
Q women yoked together like goats, an
y as the countryman Justly observed
q "that's been trouble tO more tina
!, goats" and if either of them il el
!, lowed with the faculty of persistel
sulkiness, one shuddcrs to think OF tt
life the other one may be made to lea
:, 1t might be reasonably urged as eau
e for judicial separation, possibly eve
It for divorce, since the practice of quie
y ly pressing the spirit and life ont of
e human being, no matter how maj
u years the operation spreads over, is n
q one that ought to be permitted in
:, Christian country: "V& victis J" Il
e weak 90 to the wall, and too often Il
>. weak are the pleasantest and most low
ble of earth's creatures.
Is Sometimes person is seen to exhit
N something which resembles and yet
d not sulks. 1t is a silent mOOdiness
ID manner arising from sense of failul
le modification, or secret discouragemeI
and vexation which he cannot get ov