The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-02-09
A Piece Of Ones Mind.

given society "a piece of their mind"-
not ALWAYS, by-the-way, the most val
liable commodity that the world can re-
ceive, for those people who are most in
the habit of giving piece OF their mind
are likely those who need most to keep |
what mind they have themselves.
II is a curious circumstance that a
piece of ones mind always means an
! ill-natured piece, as if ones mind were
really bad-tempered mass of material,
and one from which portions could be
detached and hurled at an opponent;
for it is noticeable that it is never called
giving a piece of ones mind when the
remark to be made is pleasant one.
And it is a circumstance no less curious
that those in the habit of donating this
commodity most freely plume them
selves upon the action as upon the ex-
ercse of a virtue, and that virtue pc
culiar to themselves. 1t never occurs
to them to consider whether the article
is of any worth, whether they are called
upon to give it, whether it is going to
do good or DO harm. They know it is
going to give pain; and, on the whole,
we surmise that it is really nothing but
a method of relieving themselves of
superfiuity of venom.
The people chiefly who indulge them
selves in this habit have an entirely er-
roneous idea of frankness, and are those
who consider that noble quality to be
not merely honorable openness and
common truth, but the art of saying
unnecessary and disagreeable things,
raked up from some slime of inner con-
seriousness, and which, even If they are
true, there is no occasion to utter, yet
people who consider this sort of conduct
to be, instead of sin of spite and tenn
g Il, ,Y,rlSn oil yirft1
There are seasons and occasions when
nothing but the most searching truth
and frankness will answer, as there are
sores that need the sealpel-some crises
when blistering and excoriating state
merts must be made. But these are
not occurring hourly and daily and
in the meantime, in the time of the
common trivial emergencies, it is to be
remembered that if speech is silver, ST.
, Ience is golden. When we use this un-
! necessary frankness, when We give this
piece of our mind, we are gratifying
, ourselves, and it would be quite as well
to pause and think if the qualification
to ourselves should outweigh the pain
our speech will cause to Others. We are
y Haunting a Holy Willy sort of right
+ eousness, and are making an assump-
. ton of greater virtue than another's in
i every word of that speech, while at bot
tom it's actuating motives are seldom
= any lofty love of truth at all, but vanity
/ and selfishnesss, and nothing else more
: noble.
a For only the very vain can consider
q this unnecessary frankness of theirs, to
call it at it's best, as worth the utterance,
! and only the very selfish can be willing
: to wound another for the mere sake of
n freeing their own minds.
q 1t is not in great things, either, but in
little things, that this miscalled frank
q ness comes into use. Some one of your
ACQUAINTANCE bemoans her scalloped
oysters; they had not enough of the liq-
uor; she is very uncomfortable at their
failure Is it best for you, is it neces-
sary to your personal integrity or to
e your souls salvation, to join with her
u and aggravate the little trouble, or to
+ omit reference to the subject of the liq-
; uor, and remark only upon the SAVIOR
l. mess of the seasoning? If she wer5
" your cook, it might be needful to dwell
= upon the circumstance; but, as person
IL whose cookery you will not perhaps be
u required to taste for another year
Z whose improvement as a cook it might
, be very insolent for you to undertake
III and as one quite aware Of her fault al
II ready, need you make the business
is yours or add to her discomposure, anC
o. mount your pinnacle to administer re-
~ reproof? Or, again, are you called upor
IN when visitor appears mot obnoxious
but happening to be Unwelcome by rea
IS, son of your preoccupation) to receive
j, her with frigidity, to refuse the courtesy
OF of the greeting smile that may put he
re at her ease, and with which you hav
ne shut your own preferences unselhshl,
Vi out of sight, or the idle compliment o
u an invitation to come again at som
3. other time when, possibly, it may no
Oh be an interruption For there are law
e- of hospitality as much as of franknes
," TO be regarded; and if one does not fee
is' it necessary to excuse ones self alto
IL gether from the call, one should feel
, necessary to give no unpleasant sensa
~ ton to the guest of being unwanted an
'u' in the way. 1t is a place where sell
lr sacrifice has some opportunity at tn
" expense of qualities less fine, and wher
IT, true self-respect is most honored in til
IN refusal to pain another and in obserN
leI ing the dues of hearth and home. D
vi yet again, if one treads upon our trail
nu if one upsets our glass, if one brusht
"a rudely but unintentionally against OF
W shoulder, each one of which actor
me never fails to give us an instanes vexi
; tion, is it best to repress that vexatiOI
eT' knowing that the offender is probabl
i. vexed enough for two, or to speak oil
,ne mind upon the spot, and make this pc
re- re- son wish he had injured US twice
ult badly, and grieve that one beyond IL
'uC power of reply? Or, in yet one mo
que instance, is it vital to us to mainta
lgs our reputation for good taste and trut
~ ~ fulness by letting another person knO
ne that we consider her irredeemab
.uu plain? Suppose her mouth projects, b
eep chin recedes, her nose turns up, is it n
d better, than to remark upon those
nas s upon their general combination, to 8;
ihu ny. how fine her eyes are, If fine they al
ms or how well penciled are her brow
tne .e how smooth her forehead, or how soft h
lim hair, since there is no face in natu
, 10 with every line and trace in it a.
t;a1Iy about it utterly unlovely, and of viii
li- something pleasant may not be said
one tries. When everybody else,
the legend, abused the dead dog for
OPP foul cur, was it not Christ who sa
PuV "How white are his teethr No; the
ne, can hardly be any other rational OPT
we ion about it all than that the fear to
u, fend, the hesitation to wound and pa
: Vi and mortify, the desire to give conf
up by the kindly word, are something I
any bier than the exercise of egotistic sp
Sn and vanity in giving this unnecessa
piece of ones mind.-HarpeT' BGz