The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-11-16
SUNDAY. NOVEMBER ie.alssO.


one ~ the strangcst things In the woriu j.
,hs yreat mistakes that men make III inc
measure of themselves. The secret Oh 'ne
error. no doubt, lies in the old saying una
..sn ant measured by his own hand' N
soyon snans long, Next in wonder 10 un'7
s,ranceness is how very few Of us begin 70
apprcciate the size OF those who daiiy '"eo'
ne and talk with US as estimated ny 'no'".
so,yes. Some men, IL is very true press '"','
nraa,ness ON us. A large stomach doesh
s,,,avs account for the impression 'he>
m,,e Some very slim physiques ua~@io
-. oc,ress us. and almost say to u.s. 'oin"'
,nsn consider Yourself annihilaled." Anu
we feel very much obliged to them ior ie''
,,,.. ma of that easy. Their ackno"ieos'
ment of an existence, before our ueS."V
,ion Is a great consolation Ana '"0'
when we get of safe we enjoy our esc"p'
and NAV be- the burlesque greatness tha'
frightened us. , o.oo ,yh,
we had very wicked friend once "n'
xvould saw bad things, in spite oil our ie
,,,o,strance We ventured TO ask him his
opinion of al immense other friend Of ours
who talked large, walked large, and blew
prodigiously, and was too vast Tor oul
scales. Our friend very proianely Du
promptly responded "He's pompou'
IA ass, We shall never forget the re-
mark. and we have tried almost IN VAIN ''
stop applying it. Every time we mse'
conscious greatness, the wicked dlctum
rushes upon us, and will not down.
II would have very good effect upon us
nil. aud be a tolerably good cure for some
cases of greatness, if we would study the
census. just to think Of it! Even IN Gen
crsl Porter's minifying report there are II
this country sixty-two millions OF people
All OF these have equal rights with inc
biggest and the smallest of us, and IL VIII
allow TO each one of us vast multitude Of
canals in ayoirdupOis, in intellect, ii
stature, and in general and special merll
with ourselves.
As TO sleading citizens" and "orators'
Il would be reasonable to estimate tha'
nine-tenths Of the male population, from
fourteen to sixty, are one or the other OF
both of these. That would give us at least
81. 600 900 OF that sort. so man OuShl
hardly to measure large for being classed
among them.
great many persons are only wonderful
when they die; so even if a man should
count on his obituary, he'd better not. Foi
every body is great then, and people VIII mol
ALWAYS believe what obituaries say.
A great deal is 10 be said and thought on
sbis question. Anybody will be wiser ana
better for finding out and laying to heart
how very small he is comparatively; how
ve-y few admire his gifts and achieve
ments. how very, very few know anything
about him. and how very little the affairs Oh
men will be affected when he is snulied
out. And yet every man IS non
orah,e though not wonderful, ard the
xvhola Christian system is based upon
that great fact. "HOn0r all men
is a principle of good breeding as woil az
piety. And the true gentleman is known
in his utter uncOnsciOusness Ofseli, ana ms
sincere consideration and respect for every
one. One of the handsomest things that
has ever come from inspired poet, 10 the
familiar quotation:
"Revlse myself, and yet myself despise'
His nature no man can overrate
OR underrato mis- merit"