Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1875-10-23
CHARACTER CONNOISSEURS.
Saturday Review,

The vulgar tendency to simulate a
knowledge about things where the requi-
site conditions of accurate information
are clearly wanting, has ever been Il
theme for philosophic satire. It is the
recognition of this tendency which has led
the thinking few to despise the opinion of
the many as a spurious and counterfeit
kind of recognition. From Plato, who
distinctly excluded mere opinion from the
category of certain knowledge, to the mod
ern idealist, who pays no heed to the
strongest ASSURANCES of common sense,
philosophers have made light of prevail
ing convictions, on the ground that they
are formed in haste, and with no due APP
probation of the conditions of a rational
certainty. Not only so, but science itself,
which might be supposed to maintain
more amicable attitude toward prevailing
belief, has long since learnt to initiate
philosophy in It's contempt for vulgar
ideas. and scientific lecture would now
be deemed wanting in spirit and point if
it failed to illustrate, by some startling
example, the wide opposition between the
habitual differences OF coli1inon minds ana
! the verified conclusions of the savant.
Nowhere. perhaps, does popular belief
1 exhibit its hastiness and inadequacy more
conspicuously than in the readiness of
most persons to pronounce an opinion re-
! specting the characters and motives OF
others. The confidence with which many
| a man and woman will talk about the de-
sires and habits of a comparatively new
acquaintance, must strike reflective
mind as a signal illustration of the eager
ness of mankind to seem wise. There are
many whose modestv and good sense
would prevent their giving an opinion on
anv point of scientific knowledge OF
aesthetic appreciation, who, nevertheless
feel no hesitation in passing judgment
respecting matters OF conduct, of which
their knowledge is in6nitesimal. Mum
bers of people, who d6 not iii the least
seem to be ashamed of ignorance respect
inc most matters of discussion, are qultI
sensitive as to their reputation for knowl
edge, with respect to the intrlcacles o
human character When, for example
there is an addition to the society of
small town, through the arrival OF new
r family, there is the greatest impatienc
, I'd have deIinit6 and fiHed opinion re
! specting the idiosyncrasies of the new
, comers. There will certainly he NOR
, than one knowing person whose suppose
qnickness of perception will at once ems
, ble them. satisfactorily TO themselves, I
define and characterize the man 0
woman about whom curiosity Is natul
ally aroused. 1t is curious, too, TO nc
!, tice the readiness of Others to accord I
= these PERSONS the special faculty for intu
: ton which they claim for themselves.
E has often been remarked, that the tir'
. condition of winning the confidence {
! others. is to display fair amount OF sci
: confidence, and this truth is fully lllu
trated in the case of the people whom
are now considering. When lady give
!. out among her acquaintance that she
: an expert in matters of character and Oh
- position. she speedily gains an enviab
:, reputation for this kind of prescience.
: there is any new character to be dec
nhered. about which there hangs a ce
:, tain mystery, she is the authority
. whom all repair, in order to acquire de
=. Mite information. If scandal Is Ju
y terminating, and everybody is on tlpt
- respecting its real nature and results,
i is this connoisseur who is resorted to
as final solution of the problem. In IL
,f way people are sustained i'll the pleasl
ofl belief that they possess some easy avep.
= - to the minds and hearts of their foIaey
: thanks to which they are enabled to d
Il pense with the tardy methods of obser'
- ton, comparis IN and analysis, and to re
. a new character as confidently as an I
r. folded letter.
10 Yet it does not call for any remarl
ble power of reflection to see that 4
ar | intuitive kind of knowledge of 9th
e must be very delusive. For, first OF
he human character is an exceedingly co
at plex and variable thing, and can not
ne known except after patient attenti
10 The facial perusal of character, OF VIII
ir we now speak, always involves two I'M
.rv ences. either of which may be mistal
ce. one. In the first place, the self-sty
es- observer argues, that certain things VIII
ge- have held good of other people will h
ro. good of the new character, and since
ITS, exceedingly easy to mistake qualit.
nat n certain order of minds for a unlve
i've attribute of mankind, there is alway
the chance of wrong induction. In the
bile place, the observer is compelled to ju
ted the whole of character from very
avs data: and here again there is ample n
we'd or error in reasoning that' because
900 felt or acted so and so to-day, this
thy be his characteristic mode of feeling
Mr.. acting. In other words, human natu
,dd- too variable, both as whole and WI
4 of the limits of single individual, to a
CO. of the rapid kind of provision of W
ting we are speaking
S. There is a second obstacle to this
stantaneous reading of character, W
calls for special notice. Not on
ct character phenomenon of great
,reat plexity, but it is also one in high d
!. inaccessible. For, in the first plac'