The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-10-07
AS OTHERS SEE Us.
Miss Cleveland's Views ON an
interesting Question.
NO TWO PERSONS ALIKE
Paint Us-Dr. JskyIl and Mr.. Hyde
Cannot Individ ualize
iCoPYRIGHTED I

Written for The SUNDAY HERALD.
Its probable that no poet, prophet,
or priest ever breathed more sincere
aspiration in behalf of his kind than
did the poet Burns when he said:
Oh, wad some power the giftie gle us,
TO see ourselves as others see usl
And it must be confessed that this wish
arose in the heart of Burns under
provocation which would have extorted
the like from one Tar less sympathetic.
It is probable, also, that no philan-
thropic utteranoe has ever had more
devout repetition; it has lived in the
echoes of successive generations from
Burns down, in the words of Burns;
but the sentiment he nappily and i'm
MORALLY embodied did not wait for
Burns to originate. Since the race be-
gan, each individual OF that race has
had some ardent well-wisher who has
devoutly desired for him that he might
see himself as others see him.
"The "giftie," which Burns hope
lessly invoked from some superhuman
power from his Jennie, has come to be
considered as of all gifts the most de-
sirable and the most impossible.
It might be an interesting waste of
words, to attempt to prove this seeing
of ourselves as we are seen by others
a most impossible thing. Things which
evolve a discussion of the ego are al
ways more or less attractive, and less
or more profitable; and l have no
doubt very successful multiplication
of words could be effected to bring
about darkening of counsel on this
subject. But the subject admits of no
proof. 1t constantly proves itself.
There is no more common experience
in life than this confronting the por-
traits of ourselves as others paint us.
Whether we will or no, we are com
PEELED to see ourselves as others see
rs.
THERE'S tWo-fold implication in this
famous couplet of Burns, which is false.
The first proposition to be inferred is
that others see us more truly than we
see ourselves; and the second is that
we do not see ourselves truly at all.
The former is received as an axiom, the
latter is capable OF a vast array of
argument 10 sustain it; and both are
venerable and mischievous lies.
One should not pull down unless he
caE also build up; no one should act in
role of NihilisJ unless he is prepared
to assume that of a reconstructionist.
Having been bold enough to deny the
two propositions which 1 infer from
the famous couplet of Burns, must
dare, as well, to offer substitutes, which
I venture in the following enunciations:
First, that every serious minded indi-
vidual of the race, whose experience in
life has been ordinarily comprehensive,
may and does see himself more truly
than does or can any one else; and,
second, that it is the exception when
others do or can see US truly at all.
Some one-Dr. Holmes, I think-has
said that "to every John there are
three Johns-namely, Johns John, my
John, and Gods John" This is only a
clever way of saying that in the con-
temptation of each character, there are
three points OF view: the outside view,
the inside view, and the overhead
view.
Of course, the overhead view is the
complete one, but that is not the view
of which we mortals can talk. Gods
John is beyond us all at this speaking.
This is thing doubtless to pray about
on our knees; to think about over
open Bibles; to reach after in our high
est climbing toward the vitalest truths
that concern US; but it is not thing
to talk about. The overhead is the
perfect view, but it is not our view.
1t is only of Johns John and of my
John" that we can properly speak.
Under this clever nomenclature of DR..
Holmes, each human being may be
made a trinity. No one of US can
escape the SUBDIVISION, for the three
persons are quite distinct. 1t is safe to
say that if these three Johns, which 90
to make up one John, were arranged to
confront each other, no one John would
recognize any other John as his other
self.
My John may be immeasurably sub
divided. Ones self from the view of
"others" is never the same. AS John
is never BIS John, nor is either of the
two C's John. And so it is all the way
to the omega of Johns observers. Life
is a game of hide 'and-seek, and in the
early and middle stages of the game,
there are no two Johns alike. This is
why so many quarrels occur in the
game. AS John did very reprehen-
sibIe thing, but it was not BIS John or
C's John, and dispute arises. A ex-
hibits his John, and claims that the
deed is consistent with Johns charac-
ter: but B and @ shows their Johns,
and insist that John could not be the
author of such a deed. Later in the
game things become clearer; there is
less material for this convenient con-
fusion. But then the game is nearly
fnished.
If all the Johns projected upon the
retinas of all observers of
John could be hung in one gallery for
the exhibition would GER
tainly be amusing and interesting, per-
haps instructive and profitable.
I am sure that it would teach us quite
as much concerning the observers of
John as it would of John himself.
If the originals of all these portraits
should pay a visit to this gallery, he
would be vastly confused and vastly
Sometimes the fascination
would be of horror, and sometimes it
would be of pleasure. He would be
quite likely to wish that he could al
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