Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-11-12
THE MODERN CYNIC.
His Contempt for What Others
Do And Say.
The Literary. Friggish. Theatrical. Rslig.
ious aud Domestic Yarieties-Ths
Last Named the Worst of All.
But Every One "Grand
Nuixance."

In spite of his name the cynic Is not
altogether creature Of recent growth.
having. by some process of natural
selection. developed into rudimentary
life very early in the history of man.
But of late years his race has enOr-
mously increased. and it may be inter
esting to note some peculiar ties of 8
being whose uses on earth are SO small
and Yet his increase so rapid. To de
scribe him generally rs man who
admires nothing is too far vague TO
admit of being accepted As definition.
Like all animals of complex machinery
he can not be defined in aphrase. Man.
for instance-the genus to which he
belongs been defined great many
tines, hut hitherto not with much sue
cess. He has been called debating
animal. but rats hold sacred conclaveS.
and gambling animal. but believe
have seen monkeys gambling. SO with
the different species Of man. There is
no possible phrase which can at the
same time exclude other species and
COMPREHENSIVE describe one.
1t is true that the modern cvnic ad
mires nothing which other men have
done. This, however. permits him to
concentrate his admiration the more
intensely on himself 1t may be also
said of him that he does nothing. but
then this enables him the more strongly
to respect himself for what he m ght
have done. 1t may be further said that
he attains to nothing; but then he has
the power of considering what he might
have achieved. and with what superior
hrilliancy Of execut on. had he chosen
10 enter the arena His name is little
known TO the outer world. perhaps little
respected by the circle To VIII ch he be-
longs. HIS kind may be subdivided
into several principal and a very large
number OF subsidiary classes.
The literary cynic is, Of course. the
first that demands attention. not be-
cause he is the most important but be-
cause he makes the most noise. He is
to he found in certain papers. daily and
weekly: in one or two magazines. and
in a few novels. He is not. rs rule.
scholarly, nor perhaps has his thought
SO much depth As can be observed in
the works of the ancient phi,os-
ophers. but he makes up for these
defects by smartneSS and BY an
overwhelming sense of superiority.
which. spite of a possibly kind
heart can not refrain from breaking out
into sneers. He acts As critic. either on
books or on men and women. II on
books. he has one rule to start with and
one method of treatment. An impossi-
bic standard is set up-that standard
of excellence which our cynic would
reach himself. were he to write; and
then. this be ne implied rather than ex-
planned. he proceeds to show how far
short the writer has fallen. This done.
he next holds up to popular scorn any
stray bits where the author has plunged
into enthus asm. fallen into genuine
feeling. or become a victim to virtue
and goodness. All these backsldlngs
are carefully picked out and paraded.
labeled as .'gu>h.' To prevent .'gush.
indeed, is the literary cynic's chief
function.
Care must be- taken 10 distinguish be-
tween him and another Of q different
race. but, in some respects. resembling
m the prig Priggishness has its
own self-reSpect. or rather veneration.
But prigS believe in each other; the.
See in each other the virtues which they
admire IN themselves, and they gush
solemnly over them. A prg can not
contain himself. See" he says. speak
ing of another. but looking in the glass
h., u.hiia hnt rnAI ha hour
well he does his work, what an earnest
sense of duty he has. what feelings of
responsibility. what contempt for the
eommoner paths of frivolous men?'
For the prg is nothing without his
sense of duty and pitying contempt for
other men. We common men are de
spised. too. | admit. BY the cynic. but
in a different way He sneers at our
follies, in which he joins; he despises
our virtues. some of which he shares:
he curls his lip at us because we do our
duty without an earnest sense OF re-
sponslb b lity, and vet he has none him
self. The prig. in fact, honestly tries to
possess the quality he admires, but in
the attempt assumes a more than NOR
tai share of them. The cynic calls the
attention of the world to our shameless
want of these ornaments OF the soul.
and tn nks it supertiuous to put them
on himself. The literary cynic on men
and women is, perhaps. more at home
than with books. for there are a great
many books which he can not touch at
oil. for want Of the necessary scholar
ship Now every bod, EAR :alk Of men
and women, and especially of women
Here his most telling method of ap-
preaching the subject is to deprecate
any belief in the possibility Of virtue or
d!slnterednesS existing as motive
cause. The actions of men, unfortu-
nately. proceed from So many and COM
pleH impulses that it is ALWAYS possible
TO assign one which is bad and un-
worthy. II, for instance, a public deed
is done which involves the sacrifice of
much money or much labor, what more
rational than to suppose it done
with the view of getting the praises OF
men? If the labor of life eliminates
in some great thing. which brings
money as well as name. what can one
who reads the soul SO well as a cynic
attribute it to but thirst after filthy
lucre? When there are several ends to
be attained. let us. he saws. always
choose the least noble When several
may have been at work. let us. says the
cynic, choose the basest. Thus society /
means a crush at an lat home" din !
ner party of twenty people-strangers
to each other; futile attempt not to |
appear bored; perfectly transparent
pretense at enjoyment; and such terms
As friendship. gratitude and honor are
now tolerably devoid of meaning. Cler-
yymen are. by the nature of their pro-
|ession. humbugs. All political men
nave one single aim and no other-tO
get or to keep place. And the little
,hings that we were once taught to re-
yard as among the most pleasant in
ife. the gathering of families. the talk
ng over old times with brothers and
cousins and the joyous public festivities.
hese are the saddest humbugs OF
modern civilization. the things that
olson our cup Of hanpiness. With