The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-10-30

I2E 1Herc Is second OBSTACLE to this Ill
stantaneous reading of character, whicl
calls for special notice. Not only il
Snaractera phenomenon of great com
plexity, but it is also one i'll Il high degree
inaccessible. For, in the first place, al
] the thoughts and purposes of another
have to be inferred from external signs
and this process, however carefully car
ried on, must always be liable to error
The real uniformities of connection be-
tween feeling and expression, for exam
pie, can only be known approximately
after wide and careful comparisoHof in.
|'dlvldual peculiaritics. This reflection
never occurs to the confident connoisseur
OF physiognomy, who fondly imagines
that every moral popularity is distinctly
indicated by some one form Of Rf;lcial
tstructure or movement. In the second
place, it should be remembered that all
Lot us have n certain power of dissimula-
ton, and most OF us are accustomed to
Iput some kind sofSwatch on our words and
actions. This is especially the case when
we have to confront new observer. We
90 not care, in most instances. to be
oonned too easily by our fellows. Nearly
Everybody is accustomed to some meas
SIRE of rcticcnce before strangers, while
there are few who, from certain kind
Of pride and force of individuality are
| wont even to mslcad casual observers
Inspecting their real aims and sentiments
| Thus it happens that Il person who is
ready at, glance to classify any new
variety of character, runs the risk of ac-
ceePting, as an essential ingredient Of the
phenomenon, something which is wholly
Myentitious. 1t may be said, of course,
that the instances we have selected arc
exceptional ones, that the great majority
Of people are both too much alike and
200 transparent III their words and actions
to occasion any serious difficulty to n
aotcr OF mems natures and ways. That
there is a certain force in this consdera-
ton may be readily granted. AT the
same time, this tnct does not alter the
truth of our contention, that in every
TASTY judgment of character, there is al
ways an element of risk which torbds
the process being described as an intui-
tive one. So, too, we may conccdc that
certain few possess an indisputablc fac
n!ty3 Of quick perception Of the complex
ities of human character. Yet, when we
come to analyzc this faculty, we find
that it resolves itself into Il happy skill
In conjecture, which no doubt includes
certain range of past observation as we'll
as q"ickness of imaginative insight into
ether persons feelings but which, never
tSnsG etYRays remains Plato
wholly destitute of the exact certaiftS,ofI
scientific inference. Those who see in
4his conjectural skill mysterious power
Of intuition, are dazzled by the instances
Of correct prediction which they happen
to have witnessed, and fail to take account
of the errors to which this process is Ger
tain to lead.
1t would probably be an interesting in
qniry to trace out the various impulses of
human nature, which serve to sustain and
foster this impatience in the observation
of others. Some of the principal inHu-
ences at work, will readily suggest them
selves to a thoughtful mind. It isobvious
that the mere qualification of pride which
attends all consciousness of knowledge,
realsor imaginary, will not account for the
peculiar force of this tendency. That is
to say, though it is true that the motive
of vanity leads men to imagine that they
are conversant with many matters of
which they are, i'll reality, profoundly ig-
norant, it does not explain why they
should be especially liable to assume this
appearance Of intelligence with respect to
their fellows It is evident that these
special influences must be looked for in
the pecularities of the relations which
people hold to one another. The follow
ing suggestions may, perhaps, roughly in
dicate the character of these influences
First of all, it is manifestly of practical
Importance to everybody to gain some
thing like a definite opinion respecting
those whom he has to meet in social inter
course. If, as some philosophers contend,
the first motive of all inquiry is the need
of q definite basis for action, we may un-
dcrstand how it is that most people are
SO eager to come to a decision respecting
the dispositions of their acquaintance.
Nothing is more embarrassing or annoy
ing, for example, to II acknowledgement
lady, than to have to do with person
whose tastes and ideas arc shrouded in
mystery. BY the very painfulncss of the
situation, she is driven to frame somchy-
pothesis as to the persons real character,
however little ground she may have for
plausible con lecture. In this way, people
come to deludc themselves that they have
ascertained mans real character, when
they have simply been driven by the in
conveniences of conscious ignorance TO
construct a purely hypothetical concep-
tion with regard to the object. Another
influence at work in these cases is form
of the primitive fetishistic impulse to in
terpret everything outside ones own con-
sci0us life in terms of the same. The
same tendency which accounts for the
savage projecting his own feelings and in
tention into tree or river accounts for
people transferring their own modes of
thought andsentimcnt to every new mind
| which come under their notice. 1t is
quite curious to remark the invet-