National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-02
MUTUAL ADMIRATION.

There is q habit of mental Incidence which
leads people, when called upon to dress their
neiphbors with characters, to take from q
ready-made store of verbal clothing the article
that comes nearest fitting, rather than to be at
the pains of carefully measuring the person for
a suit of words that Just fits. II 10 90 much
easier to cay OF two people that they belong to
mutual admiration society, and 50 dispose in
an of-hand manner Of any claims they may
have for sincerity in the praise Of each other,
than 1t is to characterize their relations BY
some more exact and truthful phrase.
Under the sheer there is surely formidable
groundwork of fact. The wit who first invented
the clever phrase deserves the thanks which
lovers of sincerity and hsters of can't, especially
him for furnishing them with words that have
pricked many foolish bubbles; nothing 10 more
contemplate than the spirit Of praise which Is
given only for the sake OF q return In kind OF
the same base coin. Praise, hoping for nothing
In return; that Is the golding rule Of true lit
erary recognition; be quick TO discover and own
the merit that lies in this or that yenturer, and
thereby give him the hand that helpsi out
grasp his hand that he may pull you across 70
! fame, when you profess to be helping him
send glow through him that he may turn and
give YOU like pleasure, and the best thing In
| The world becomes q base counterfeit that
every one gladly nails to the counter with the
hard, quick blow of contemptuous phrase.
Yet when this is said the most palpable truth
has been declared, and the phrase remains, 9
witness to the wisdom of many and the wit OF
| one. There Is the less forcible, because more
discriminate, truth remaining that q slur cast
| upon q mans name may have q merely acct
| dental justification. Would 10 indeed be bet
ter If literary men, for instance, generally be-
longed to q mutual recrimination society-if
the first instinct Of q writer, when he came
upon work like bis own, were to criticise and
| disparage itl Would the common bent OF
many minds toward certain fixed forms of art
have been helped, II each had been engaged In
rending his neighbors.
| In truth, admiration is the positive element
of healthy growth, and since ones power oil
production in any one direction is pretty surely
allied to power in appreciation Of results In
the same kind, what wonder that l, VINO write
| a drama, should enjoy the work Of the dramat-
| list who lives across the street, and say 90 IN
blushinglyl And II think and say 30, Is there
/ no. q like reasonableness In his taking the
| same attitude toward met / should think
meanly of myself If withheld my praise from
fear that was regarded as only playing with
a return ball, fingtng the bright colors to him
that might twitch them back for my own en-.
| joyment. It would become q pslsied enthusi
asm for other mems work that was always
| nervous lest the praise should be regarded a:
| only angling for praise In return.
| Unless one Is to live In complete isolation
working in disregard Of sympathy and coldly
pursuing his own resolute way, It "a impossible
but he should come Immediately and often II
contact with minds that give and take sym
pathy It Is beside more characteristic Of thu
literary nature that its tentscles are always
out, moving about In the air and ready u
touch whatever Is akin, and the couragt
which It requires to pursue its often obscure
course Is afforded not always by the conscious
cheer which It hears from those Of like occupa
ton. Shall 1t not cheer backi -.
As q matter Of fact we suspect that the
heartiest work has been done by the member
/ of what the world calls q mutual admiration
4 society. The world that dubs It's member
thus gives but chill encouragement to them Il
any work they undertake. Il Is the warn
inner circle of men and women quick to appre
ciate their lost endeavor, that supplies tn
motive power for still more srduous labor
The people who work outside Of the mutua
admiration societies are apt to belong too ex
clusively to self admiration societies, wher
the circle of their endeayor is never very re
mote from the centre. In fine, we arc dispose'
to take q very charitable view Of these peopl
soeasily despised, and to regard their mutua
admiration as an amusing witness. When
becomes silly, 1t provokes Us, but we may a
well remember, after all, that admiration wei
bestowed is more noble than o carping spiri
furnishing ones hand, that ought to be han
of welcome, with mere pickers and steslers.-
Every Saturday.