The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1878-01-17
vanity.

plain question, WHAT'S vanity? Try
to define accurately the various cog
nate terms, vanity, conceit, pride,
egotism, and their numerous allies,
to mark out accurately their points
Of resemblance and contrast, and
then test your conclusions by APP
propriate examples. Take a few
cases at random. Here is Miss Mar.
tineau, for example, who says in her
autobiography that all the distin-
guished men of her time we're vain
and she does not add that the lin
It's. Of time or sex are necessary
part Of the assertion. But was she
not vain HERSELF No, for she formed
singularly modest and sound esti-
mate of her own abilities. But
again, yes, for she certainly seems to
have considered that to one person,
at least, Miss Martineau was incom'
parably the most interesting person
in the universe, that coming genera
tions would be profoundly interested
in the analysis Of her character and
the genius Of her work, and also that
the merits of her cotemporaries
might be accurately gagged by the
extent to which they did or did not
sympathize with Harriet Martineau.
Is not egotism of this kind mere
vanity disguised by'a superficial air
of impartiality? Take the vanity,
again, which is revealed so curiously
in the recently published letters of
Balzac. Here it becomes a force
which leads man to reckon himself
among the four greatest heroes of his
age, and goes far to make him what
he supposes himself to be, 1t devel-
opes q kind of monomania leading to
utter absorption in his own affairs,
in his literary ambition, and, above
all, in calculations as to the number
of francs into which his genius can
be coined. Was it strength, or
weakness2 Contrast it with the
yanity-for many lpeople will call it
vanity-of his contemporary Doudan.
Doudan's letters reveal to us a man
of that admirable fineness of intel
lect so conspicuous in the best French
writers, which may be defined as the
sublimated essence of common sense.
But his exquisite sensibility was
pushed to such point as to destroy
his fertility, aud but for his letters
his name would have been known to
his fellows. only through passing
allusion of Ste. Beave. Shall we say
that Balzac's vanity led him to pro-
duce the "Comedie Humaine," and
Doudan's humility made him pro.
ducc-nothing2 Then vanity is SO
far good and humility bad thing.
Or shall we say that this excessive
sensibility is but vanity disguised
that a man who tremblcs before crit
icism thinks too much of his own
Importance? The theory is q COM
mon one, and enables US verbally to
condemn vanity in all forms; but it
implicitly admits too that vanity
may produce Numerically opposite
results, and at times cooperate hand
in hand with humility. Infusc van
ity into such a man as Goldsmith,
and it adds childlike charm to his
character; it gives tinge of delight
full humor to his writings, and ena.
bles his friends to love him the more
heartily because they have a right
also to pay themselves by little
kindly contempt. Make a Byron
vain, and half his magnificent force
of mind will be wasted by silly eff,
forts to attract the notice of his CO.
temporaries by attacking their best
feelings and affecting (superauous
taskD vices which ho does not pos
sess. The vanity of a Wordsworth
enables him to treat with profound
disdain the sneers of Edinburgh re.
viewers, and the dull indifference of
the mass of readers; but it encour-
ages him also to become a literary
sloven, to spoil noble thought by
grovelling language, and to subside
into supine obstructiveness. Con-
versely, the vanity of Pope makes
him suffer unspeakable tortures from
the sting of critics compared to whom
Jeffrey was q giant condescond to the
mcauest articles to catch the ap.
plause Of his contemporaries, and hun.
ger and thirst for tho food which
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