The Dickinson press., 1891-08-08
Double Cons ciousness.
From the London Queens

What is that strange sense that
most OF us have OF double conscious.
ness-of a kind OF twin self-like and
yet uulike the person as we are held
by the world and known to be by
ourselves-of a ioresoue experience
Identical with this we are now UNDER
%goins-of previous circumstances, of
which It's is only a repetition? Few
OF us are so unconscious, so unobser.
want, as not tohave known both these
phases of ieeling-both that which
redoubles and ditferentiates the self,
and that which makes this place, this
person, this conversation but q rope.
tition OF what has already been. Per-
haps the former of these two states
may be referred TO the infinite com.
plexity OF the human mind, but with
this complexity that elemental
homoeeneity which makes all the
world akin. and which Terence crys.
tailed in his famous aphorism:
''l1omo sum: humani nihil Il me alien
umputo." This being true. thenevery
Jekyll has MS potential Hyde. and
every Hyde his possible Jekvll; and
there are no heights nor depths to
which we may not rise or descend, at
least Inauguration. Here conscience
and neutrality-suspicious. and pc.
acknowledgements that confusion
which creates II double consciousness
through Il single line Of action. Say
W. have to deal with a man whom
we have no right to offend overtly,
and whom secretly we despise with
a very vehemence OF contempt.
What II strong strain OF double con-
sciousncss is here! Our anners,
our speech. must OF necessity be
smooth and without otfense. In IL
heart we are conscious OF Il scorn
that loathes and repndiates the
creatures Of mean vices and we'll
yelled infamy, from whom. how.
ever, il is not our business
to tear the mask. We are two
people when we are in his company
one the morallst, who shakes a spirit.
ual fist ut the other. the man OF the
world; while the man OF the world
shrugs hls shoulders at the moralist,
and says IN umheard tones: Don't
make a fool OF YOURSELF" Again this
III vi hoboib oiiSNiotSiiNS WHY
into play when we are in n difficulty
from which a little unworthy chicaney
would eXtricate us. and where perfect
honesty Will only draw the coils tight
es and deepen the hole where we were
already fallen. The two egos talk in.
side one head, and arsuethe case with
moieNr less distinctness. Jekyll or
Hyde? which shall it be? Being hui
man, with that nihil alienum as the
basis OF our being, We are organically
capable OF any raseality to be COM.
passed by the universal man. We
repudlate while we picture but the
ability to picture proves the ability
to practice but for that other self
that restraining self, bonn OF the con.
seriousness OF higher things. Still,
there it is; and the double moment
goes on, though it may be so family
as not to constitute u real tempta-
ton. 1t may only be q consciousness
OF possible escape if We would bring
ourselves to fraud and dishonesty
without the confessed query: "Shall
| do it?" When, indeed. it comes into
such distinctness md vitality as that
when Hyde Is as solid as Jek yll-
then we nave u tougher time OF it
and Il harder battle, and the spiritual
tussle is 'tilfer than we would per-
haps care to acknowledge. How
many ri us 90 through these tempta-
lions is known to each mans own
soul only. "What's done we partly
may compute, but not what is resist
ed" and the double consciousness
which Is made by principle and pas.
sion, restraint and desire, is never
revealed to Others and scarcely con.
fessed to ourselves. But we all have
it, even those who conquer the evil
tendency with most apparent facility
and most thorouyhness.