Morning journal and courier., 1880-02-16
[For the JOURNAL AND COURIER. 1

lFor the JOURNAL AND CoURIER.l
 Self-esteem. Confidence, Moral Inde-
 psndence and Firmness.
 It is certainly commendabIe thing to en- certain good opinion of ones self, provided that good opinion is merited. There is diff ference between self-conceit and self esteem, the first being an extreme of character not particularly pleasing, the latter the golden mean, which may be regarded as one of the elements of human success. Think well of yourself, without being egotistic, and others will be more likely to hold you in esteem and appreciate the manliness thus exhibited. It is well to put on certain amount of impor- tance, giving people to understand that you consider yourself as good as the best of them, without being offensively overbearing. Don't go through life wearing downcast, timid ex- pression of countenance, as if you were afraid to look people squarely in the face, and not sufficiently courageous to meet the many diff culties that frown upon you in your earthly pilgrimage. That is not the way to gain the respect and confidence of your fellow beings. On the contrary, hold up your head and don't be afraid to elbow your way vigorously through the great human crowd. Every person has got to do good deal of elbowing in order to go through this life successfully. It may seem rude to you at first, brought up dS yOu uhf6 U60u III Lu6 SCuOOl OI pro priety and refinement, but you will find that gentleness and politeness don't go for much in struggling crowd, however con- mendabIe these characteristics may be when exhibited in certain places and on special oc- casions. Better to do little pushing, when pushing is the rule, even if you sometimes tread on somebody's toes. You will have your own trodden on at times-the best peo- pie debut never mind, it has tendency to put grit and metal, or moral stamina, into a person, and is therefore healthy experience. We like to see man carry an independent air with him, as if he did not expect to rely en- tirely upon what others say and think, but intended to demonstrate things himself and entertain an opinion of his own, based upon his own personal observations. Listen re- spectfully to the opinions of others, weigh them carefully, and form your own deduc- tions. If you happen to differ, express your ideas without being dogmatic, remembering that notwithstanding your firm belief you may yet be mistaken, and the views you have op- posed may be demonstrated as sound. The person who says merely yes and no to the conclusions of other people, endorsing all that is said, is apt to be very deficient in orig inal ideas, and not so independent in charac- ter as betits an intelligent being. It is well to be argumentative and firm in ones con- victions, without being otfensively positive.
 A person of oscillating mind is not one to gain the confidence and esteem of his fellow men. Form an opinion in relation to mat ter, and when you have once found it don t give it up until compelled to by strong proof of your error. The man who carefully makes up his mind in certain argumentative case and firmly adheres to it, notwithstanding a large amount of opposing influence, is @ man to be trusted in any emergency, and one to be admired and honored, whether in jury box or in the common walks of life. H. T. P.