Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-04-09
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As if there were not trouble enough
in this world that come upon men with
cut human design, people set themselves
to work to diminish happiness and to
increase misery. Phrsnslegists tell us
that there Is In man an srgaa and fsc-
uity Of dsstructiveness-that whoa un-
regulated, It inspires cruelty; that 1t is
the root Of that horrible pleasure which
the old Romans had, and their modern
decendants still have, I'm nnrdsr0us
gladiatorial shows, contests Of wild
beasts, bull fights, etc. eih-
But there runs thrsugh modern civil
lied society q vein of the same quality.
People who would faint to see gush
sf blood, and who think themselves
Christians, have lively enjsymeas in
witnessing pain, and cultivsts the art
Of infiicting it. The mention Of fsw
of the methods employed will make
good my remarks.
The delight with which many repsrt
bad news, the eagerness with. which
they report to people evil sayings
which cannot but lacerate the feelings,
shew msrDid love Of suffering. This
Is net the trait of villainous natures. Il
exists in pesple Of real kindness Of dis
position. It is not anomalous, because
1t is so widely extended IS to seem nor
NAL.
Seme people scatter psin-producinE
elements thoughtlessly, and are sur
prised and sorry when they witness the
suffering produced. Others do II for
nsmentary pleasure, without meaning
any serious results. But new and then
We find persons who love to torment
victim. They enjsy an others suffer-
ings. It is their happiness to see ssme
one made keealy miserable by their
lance like tongue. They win smile
and talk in low, sweet tones, and sheet
out quive-ing sentences, poison tipped,
and cast lock sideways to see II they
strike, and as every sign Of pain their
face grows bright. M m
In part this Is q latent ambition. Pss-
pie assert their power over others. Il
raises one in his own estimation to per-
ceive that he can control the nsods of
another.
But there is still more common ex-
hibitisn Of the lsve Of suffering. It h
seen in the ignoble but universal Art
of Teasing.
We see it in its most unregulated
form among children who nip and
pinch each other, make up mouths,
twitch each others clothes, run on with
toys, push and ':jsggle," /" point with in
sulting fingers and in . hundred in
genious ways strive to make each other
miserable. As they grow up, It sften
happens that young people carry sa q
campaign Of teasing, each enc wing
with another which shall be the sharp
est.
1t dees not cease with youth. Grown
folks, good-natured, kind hearted, well
meaning and full Of benevolence, Of
ten show this perverse spirit In the
midst Of all their kindness. By sharp
speech, by veiled sarcasm, BY exciting
curiosity which they win not crafty,
by narrating pretended frauds by sin
lister compliments, by rallying one when
forbid reply by equivo-
cal praise, BY blunt telling Of ssme
truth that had been LEFT unsaid, and by
hundreds Of ingenious ways which
time would fail to tell people infiict
pain upon each other. -Er
Those whe In The main are striving b
to make friends happy will have one
black thread in the web Of white. Those
who really love each other have .
strange fondness for stirring each ether
up.
There is an innecent and even pleas
ure-prsducing method Of rallying
which il gracefully done, hsishtens
the enjoyment Of society. Ono may
touch q discerd II 1t lapses ines true
chord. Sometimes, when We havegeed
news to tell, We are bewitched with
desire 70 open the matter - II 1t were
3 great trouble that We were abeut to
break. There is gentle bad badinags,
an innocent arrow shooting, which
flatters and charms. But life 10 full Of
that other sort. If Darwin ID right In
that men ascsnded from nsn-
ads by gradual evolution, then 1t isvsry
certain that some men came up BY the
way Of the mosquito, the hes and tAe
biting fly, and that their ancestral
traits still linger in the blsod.-BsseAsy.