The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-05-12
CONCEIfED PEOPLE.
men and Women of Talent Always
Charged with Yanity-Pret-
ty Women Open to the
Charge Ugly ones
Hardly Escape.

have mote, if not a beam, of the same
kind in their OWE eyes + there fault
so common?
To begin with. Every man who pos
-esses talent ofany description. is charg-
ed by his de,ractors with vanity. II
they can find no other fault they invari-
ably bring forward this one In many
cases it ia no more than the truth; but il
a conceited genius is distasteful thing,
how much worse is conceited fool ? 1t
is my steadfa't belief that for one clever
man who rates himself more highly than
the world agrees to do, there are twenty
nay, a hundred dull men who do like
wise. Three-fourths of civilized hu
manity cherish their little private idol
atries. Some have tact enough to con-
ceal then; the fools are not suspected of
sueh audacity. but all unite with the re :
manning fourth in falling upon the poor
geniuses, who have at least some excuse
for their vanity.
Beauty as we'll as talent, pretty wo-
men as we'll a. clever men, are alike op-
en- to the charge, and in my opinion
those who are ngly and stu .,id, too. Do
we not all know people who are intense
ly and ohnoxiously proud of their rid
ing, or shooting, or billiard playing;
their singing, their painting, their per-
<onal fascination. etc; sometimes with
reason, but quite as often without?
When they have no such accomplish
ments it is curious to remark what spe-
cial form their vanity takes. A snppos-
ed knowledge of the world, or convarsa-
.tional ability. which is apt to be ridicnl-
nu<ly overrated; or perhaps the idea ofa
subtle personal charm that wins upon
very body. Who has not received the
,ohfidences Of these latter? How they
,,onStrue the smallest Kindness, the most
trifiing attention, into warmer friendship
m the part of their own sex, and into
something very like love on the part of
he other! ! know lady who was ex-
travagantly vain of her amiahiitv. She
lad settled, calm conviction that no
me ever was so good-tempered as herself,
md she piumed herself and twittered as
complacently as a little bird that never
hears a song 80 sweet as its own.
How many religious people think
themselves. saints of holiness? They
wonld canonize themselves at once if
they could do so without derogating
from a beautiful show Of outward hu-
ni1ity Yet they are not always the
most charitable not always the most nn-
selfish, not always the most unfounded
If their order. Far from it.
There are others of different class
who are vain. not of what they can do II
well, if-a hundred contingencies
should occur. People who possess won
derful talents, only, unfortunately; they
have not been cultivated and brought
forward in the world People who would
have been great lawyers, great generals,
great novelists, but who hang all their
lives on that fatal eff" Consequently,
you might remain forever ignorant of
the treasures that lie hidden beneath the
unpromising surface, were it not that
Won are perpetually informed Of their
existence.
After all, the fault lies greatly with
society itself. Society fosters conceit,
not only in wise men, who have some
thing within them to warrant it, but to a
deplorahle extent in the majority, the
.normous majority of fools. The people
Who write lame verses, the people who
'awl out Of tune. the people who cover
heir walls with their own feeble daubs.
'xhibit their performances with an air
# conscious pride that exasperates yon,
While social politeness compels you to
say Very pretty" Very nice indeed" !"
though it may be sorely against iudg
nent and conscience. Sometimes the
performer, glowing with pride, will act
nally ask, "Do you like it?" Is
my one bold enough to say in
such case, Not at all?''
We all know the story of the lady who
.aid to DIR, J Johnson, as she rose from the
aianoforte, That is a very difficnli
niece?" and the Doctors answer-"Mad
I'm, wish it had been impossihle;" bnt
then, nobody would wish to be consider
I'd an ill-mannered bear in society, as the
worthy Doctor undoub btedly was. There
are snch things as social lies, and they
come perpetnalIy to our lips. whether we
will or no, from those I have just men
toned to others that result; perhaps
from the ill-timed visits of acqnaint
ances who f'hope they are not disturbing
you" Hereupon you call up a smile, as
sure them that it is not so, and that yon
are very glad to see them, all the time
wishing they were at the bottom of the
sea. What can you do? If,you tel
them the truth, or let it be perceived il
the coldness ofyour manner, they would
be grievously offended, and you would
not have a friend left.
Beiedes the need Of politeness, there il
| friendly feeling. Yon would not wish
to wound the feelings of your hest frienc
by telling him his singing is little
short of painful to a musical ear. Yor
feel sorry TO see his vanity fed by praise
either from unmusical listeners wht
know better, or from kind-hearted friend
who like to please him, especially wheI
it costs SO little trouble, SO when h,
looks 10 you for word of appreciation
what can you do but give it? Thus it i
that the world encourages the vanity i
condemns even in the poor units OF ordi
nary life. sEz .t tat..
HUSBAND THE SrRENGTH.-MeI
break down and become unable to per
form any regular duties long befor
their. allotted time because of iniudi
cious management of themselves durin
7 their early years~of vigor.It does nc
pay to abuse ourselves, because we hav
an abundance Of strength, for paymer
| will come for any waste in manne