The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-06-13

Often, indeed, shyness does not thus
dcform the whole character, and very
worthy persons are to be found in the
list of the bashful. But these unfortu-
mates are usually those whose special
sensitiveness to the observation of their
kind is due to the knowledge of spe-
cial defect, or TO a doubt of some one
gift for whose exercise the world calls.
Thus, Socrates, pronounced by the ora
Gle the wiscst Of mortals, walked
among his pupils and taught them in the
calm of conscious power, unmindful of
his plain face, his gracelcss figure, his
awkward presence. But when he at
tempted some public performance be-
fore the people, he faltercd in the first
onset, and was SO dismayed at the
conscious presence of Socrates that he
could not recover himself, but was
Kissed and hootcd home. Plato the
Broad, master of all knowledge, be-
came 20 aware of Plato when outside
his meditative groves, that he was
dashed out of cOuntenancc by an illit-
crate rabble, hawkcd, dcmurrcd and
hcsitated, before he could get TO the
end Of one short sentence. The gold
en-tongued Cicero began those ora
tiOns which swaycd Rome in Il weak,
hesitating voice, like u school-boy fear
full of being whipped for not being per-
feet in his lesson. 1t wa, only when he
had forgotten Cicero in Ciccro's cause
that his speech Numbered and light
cned, and the orator seemed to bring a
message from the gods.
The great Hooker, most majestic Of
English writers, was SO bashful that he
never willingly looked any man in the
face, and where he fixed his eyes at the
beginning of his sermon, there they
continued till it was ended. But then,
like the great elder saint, he felt his
bodily presence to he weak, and his
speech contemplate. Pope, vain, rs
all little men are, and always pugna-
ciOus, admitted that he could never
hold IN argument, or even make clear
statement Of length, in the presence vi
half u dozen people, SO bashful did his
perception of his defOrmity make him.
Poor Gray SO dreaded the observation
of his kind that he summed all compan-
ionship, and hid away with his books
and his pen, being duly punished for
this isolation by the roist.rers of the
university, who hunted the owl-likc
scholar from his dim haunts in college
after college.
Yet even these great names ought
not to reconcile the bashful man and
woman to this community of suffering,
since their cure depends upon them
selves. A child whose life is made
wholly objective, whose interests are
all external, who is taught not to think
of himself, does not grow up to be EN-
barrassed by his members, distressed
by the fashion of his clothes, or fright
encd at the utterancc of his opinions.
Let the bashful person, then, seek a
like "peace of liberty" First, let the
garb be SO simple and SO fitting that il
cannot engage curious attention. Then
all further thought of the garb may BE-
dismissed. Second, let the manner be
so quiet, the voice SO lOw-toned, the
speech so moderate, that criticism is
fOrestalled. Then all doubt of ones
style may be set at rest. And, first,
last and always, let the bashful person
refuse to talk of self. This abstinence
will presently invite such an interest in
external affairs and people as shall
crowd out the thought of self, and then
the bashful person is redeemed.
In q word. manners rest upon NOR
ais. And perhaps the most compre'
hensive as we'll as the most exact pre-
scription for the cure of bashfulncss is
found in the noble motto of the Harry
Wadsworth clubs: "Look up, and moi
down; look forward, and not back
look out, and not IN, and lend hand
I-HurDcy's BUznr.