The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-10-30
CHARACTER EDNNOISSE;'RS.

CHARACTER i'DNNOISSEIRS.
SATURDAY Review.
The vulgar tendency to simulate n
knowledge about things where the rcuui-
site conditions of accurate information
arc clearly wanting. has ever been u
theme for phiioSophic satire Il, is the
rcro@niti"nn of this tendency which has lc,i
the thinkin" few 10 'lcSpi-c the opinion OF
NE many rs Il spurious and counterfeit
kind of recognition. From Plato. who
distinctly excluded mere opinion from the
category of certain knowledge, to The mod
rrl ld"ali>t, who pays no heed to lhi.
strongest assurances of common sense.
philosophers have made light of prevail
III" convictions, on the ground that they
are formed in haste and with no due a,,-
prcciati"n Of the conditions of Il rational
certainty. Not Gnlv So. but science itself.
which might b" surpassed to maintain Il
more amicahlc attitude toward prevailing
brilcl, has Ion" since learnt to initiate
philosophy in its contempt for vulgar
IDEAS. and Il scientific lecture would now
u" deemed wanting in spirit and point if
it failed to illustrate, hy some startling
example, the wide opposition between the
hahitual differences of common minds and
the verified conclusions OF the savant.
Nowhere, perhaps, does popular belief
exhibit It's llaStiEc>> and inadcIliacv more
c"n>picuou.ly than in the readiness of
most persons To pronounce an opinion re-
Spcctin% the characters and motives of
Others The confidence With Which many
4 man and woman will talk about the de-
Slrcs and habits OF 4 comparatively new
80 " -" ,N---'- "'"'l-n :, -au. ,..':-.,
minu rs q signal illustratlon OF tie eager
ness of mankind to seem wise. There are
many whose modcsty and good sense
would prevent their giving an opinion on
any point of scientific knowledge or
aesthetic appreciation, who. nevertheless.
feel no hesitation in passing Judgment
respecting matters of conduct Of which
their knowledge is iniini,c~ima. Mum
brrS of people, who de- moi in the least
seem to he ashamed Of ignorance respect
ing most matters of discussion, are quite
sensitive rs To their reputation for knnwl-
edge, with respect To the intrcacicS Of
human character When, f.r example,
there is an addition to the society Of Il
small town, through the arrival nf Il new
family, there Is the greatest imraticncc
to have definite and fixed opinion re-
Spccting the ihi",y yncr;lSics of the new
cnmrrs. There will certainly be more
than one KNOWN" person whose supposed
lnIckncSS of perception will ut once cn;l
bic them. satisfactorily to themselves, To
define and characterize the man or
woman about whom curiosity is ilatur-
ally aroused. It is curious, too, 10 no.
lice the readiness Of others to accord To
these persons the special faculty for intui-
ton which they claim for themselves 1t
h;,:; often been remarked, that the first
condition OF winning the confidence of
others, is to display Il fair amount of self
confidence, and this truth i- fully illus
tratcd III the case of the people whom we
are now considering. When Il lady gives
out among her acquaintance that She is
an expert in matters oicharactcr and dis
position, She speedily gains IN cnviablc
reputation for this kind OF prc>cirncc. If
there Is any new character To hr dcci-
p!crcd, about which there hangs Il GER
tain mystery, She i the authority 10
whom all repair, in order TO acquire def
mite information. II II scandal is Just
%crminnting, and everybody Is on tipt0c
respecting its real nature and results. it
Is this connOiSScur who is rcSOrtcd to for
Il final solution of thc problem. In ,hi,
way people are sustained in the pleasing
belief ,iat they posses. some easy avenue
to The minds AMI heart, of their f, I!ow,,
thanks t" which they are enabled To dis
pcnSc with the larly methods of obscrva-
ton, ,cnmlpari- III and analysis and to read
Il new character IL confidently a. an m
folded letter
NCt il doe not call for any rcmarka-
bic power uf reflection - soc that this
n,l,Iyr kind of knowledge oi' other,
must irvrry dclu~ivc. For, iir~, ui all