The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-06-05
The Art of Praising.

SOCIETY is divided in its fashion of
Judging of men, manners and things.
There is the habit of appreciation, and
there is the habit of depreciation, and
there is habit which is due largely to
imitation, it is likely to become the
general tone of the place where it has
once been permitted to dominate. The
spirit this habit creates in its victims is
predisposition to disapproval. They
90 to millinery opening, to the thea
ter, to an exhibition of pictures, they
even enter church, with an agreeable
anticipation, we may say, of disappoint-
ment. They are thinking beforehand,
81 do not believe it will be worth any
thing" and, remaining of that mind,
they come away and tell their friends
that such is the case.
1t is a vulgar mistake to suppose such
depreciation to be an attribute of supe-
rior minds. Really clever people are
the most indulgent ones. He who has
mastered any act or accomplishment
watches with interest the climbing eff
forts of others, and does not feel in
clined to condemn the failures which he
recognizes as steps toward ultimate sue
cess; it is left to the careless critic, who
knows nothing about the difficulties, to
pronounce their efforts worthless. The
kindness and patient encouragement are
we'll known with which certain of our
distinguished literary men receive the
early essays sent to them by unknown
aspirants, willing to believe in the pres
ence of wheat in any quantity of chaff.
So, also, in the matter of personal
gossip, it is the easiest and .cheapest
kind of chatter Unfortunately to pick
people to pieces behind their backs-a
form of mutual intercourse which
hardly deserves the name of conversa-
ton. Not that it is desirable to exclude
the wholesome discussion of character
from conversation, for human nature,
especially as illustrated in the faults and
follies of our friends, will always be
delightful and interesting study; but
this may be conducted without any
predisposition to depreciate; it is
undoubtedly the highest and noblest
characters who are the least willing to
credit gossiping stories, and most ready
to ascribe good motives even to ques-
tionable acts. These things go to show
that habit of indulgence is no proof
of low tone in society; the question is
whether such habit may be cultivated
and grow, or whether it must be
allowed to disappear before the dete-
riorating tendency to undervalue Shall
the friendly minds, who enjoy and
admire easily, give in to the practice of
finding "but" after the word of
praise which to their lips first comes
naturallyP
Much, it is true, is due to individual
temperament. One child is born not so
much with silver spoon in his mouth,
as with disposition to like his spoon
whatever metal itmay be made of, while |
another, from the cradle itself, has the
faculty OF detecting flaw in his india
rubber ring. He is to go on his way
through life finding everywhere defects |
and missing excellences Such a one
should be avoided by society as danger
Gus from cOntagion, for the habit of de- |
probation is contagious. In a circle |
where the keynote of fault-fnding has
been struck, see how each member adds
a detracting word, until the unfortunate
subject under comment, be it picture,
poem or absent friend, stands fair
chance of being "used up" unless or
until fresh person comes in, of the in
dulgent sort, and with word changes
the tone. See how the vane goes around
at the first breath of amiability-and 10!
the same set is praising that blamed
before. Praise that is not genuine is,
of course, worthless; and nothing is
more tedious than string of flattering
phrases that mean nothing. But no
more genuine is the snap judgment, the
quick decision, after single glance,
that the thing must be bad; the wonder
full knack of detecting fault before the
whole has been fairly seen is too fatally
regarded as intelligent criticism.
Its as easy to praise honestly as to find
fault, if once the mind is g attuned to
praise;' for though in our imperfect
world nothing is wholly good, nothing
is wholly bad. To seek the intention,
to 60 below the surface, to look outside
the narrow rim of ones previous i'm
pressions, will develop a power of APP
probation and gift of enjoyment worth
more than any cheap reputation for
acute riticism.-Bost0n ADVERTISER.