The interior journal., 1873-04-04


Bsushtns Explained.
Men and women, and especially III,
young, have always valued, in a higl
degree, their personal appearance, and
have likewise regarded the appearance Of
Others. The face has been the chief oh
Ject Of attention. though, when man
originally went naked, the whole surface
Of his body would have been attended to.
Our self.attcntion is excited almost OK.
clusively by the opinion Of others, for
no person living in absolute solitude
would care about his appearance. Every
one feels blame more acutcly than praise.
Now, whenever we know or suppose that
Others are depreciating our personal ap-
pearance, our attention is isstrougly drawn
toward ourselves, more especially to our
faces. The probable effect Of this will
be to excite activity in that part Of the
scnsorium which receives the sen.ory
nerves Of the face; and this will react
through the motor system on the facial
capillaries. BY frequent reiterations
during numberless generations, the pro-
cess will have become so habitual, In as
sociation with the belief that others are
thinking Of US, that even suspicion of
their depreciation is sufficient to relax
the capillaries, without any conscious
thought about our faces. With some
sensitive persons it is enough even to
notice their dress to produce the same
effect. Through the force, also, of asso-
citation and Inheritance, our capillaries
are relaxed whenever we know, or ina.
gine, that anyone is blaming, though in
silence, our actions, thoughts, or charac-
ter; and again, when we are highly
praised. On this hypothesis we can un-
derstand how it is that the face bushes
much more than any other part of the
body, though the whole surface is some
what affected, more especially with the
races which go nearly naked. 1t is not
at all surprising that the dark-colored
races should blush, though no change of
color is visible in their skins. From the
principal of Inheritance it is not surpris-
ing that persons born blind should blush.
We can understand why the young are
more affected than the old, and women
more than men; and why the opposite
sexes especially excite each others
bushes. 1t becomes obvious why per.
sonal remarks should be particularly liza
BILE to cause blushing, and why the most
powerful Of all the causes is shyness for
remarks relate to the presence aud opin-
ion of others, and the shy are always
more or less selfconscious. With respect
to real shame from moral delinquencics,
we can perceive why it is not guilt, but
the thought that others think us guilty,
which raises blush. A man reflectipr
on crime committed in solitude, and |
stung by his conscience, does not blush
yet he will blush under the vivid recol-
lection OF detected fault. or of one COM
nitted in the presence of others, the de-
gree Of blushing being closely related to
the feeling Of regard for those who have
detected, witnessed, or suspected his
fault. Breaches of conventional rules of
conduct, if they are rigidly insisted on
by our equals or superiors, often cause
more intense bushes even than a detect
ed crime; and an act which is really
criminal, if not blamed by our equals,
hardly raises tinge of color on our
cheeks. Modesty from humility, or from
an indelicacy, excites a vivid blush, as
both relate to the judgment or fixed Gus
toms Of others.-Dar1cin.