The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-08-21
THE FLAVOR OF CHARACTER.

Characters. like everything else in the
world. have tn peculiar flavor, which
makes them agreeable OF disagreeabe at
trsctiVe or repulsIve and which there is no
Disgusting or conceaing. Like the ONT
ment of the right hand it betrayeth itself.
| Every body knows about DR.. Fell But the
case of Dr. Fell involved nothing mysterious
or inexplicable. There was about that
gentlemen "cut of the jib,"a cast of the
| eye, a little twitoh about the nose or mouth,
or some particular facial nerve that caused
misgivng; that said Look sharp; that
made people feel better when he had left.
And those little misgiyings were natures
alarm signals; they told of something very
essentially wrong about DR.. Fell that made
him unlikable-the reason why"
Wine-tasting is a high art and this char
acter- tasting is much higher. An accept
snce of all the world as "tarred with one
stick, as all alike, gives up the business Of
living and is a move of desperation; and a
sentimental, general estimate of men as
higher than they re-undiscriminating-
is rank folly, though more honor
able than the other. We are all
poor critters" but there is enough
pure ore and true honor to pay for rever-
entail, persistent study aud hunt for it. The
student Of human nature must know. how
ever, that repulsion 10 mutual. Our aver
sion to \ Dr.. Fell may not be to our credit.
The Doctor may be in the right and we in
the wrong. The average man Is said TO
love darkness rather than light on his own
account. The chastity of ice and the purity
of snow oAn not escape cglumny Envy.
hatred and malice does not atine TO good
ness nor is it any sign of high manhood to
charge hypocrisy on any one who seems to
be trying to lead good life. Our aversion
may be mere envy. Oppositions OF tastes
and pursuits beget natural antagonisms.
Nevertheless there Is room for study in
this DR.. Fell matter. If we have dislike
to man 1t Is plain matter of elt-defense
and justice to look TO the cause of it. Every
man is 50 much less a man for mere pre-
Judico And every man will regret il il he
lightly passes over a misgivng Esop's
cock threw aside a ieweed bracelet which
he found in heap OF trash. He was looking
for something trashy. and he was not pre-
pared for valuable. 1t is sometimes the
taste that was ia our mouth" the company
that we are In, that makes a passing aver
sion. Virtues steely bones sometimes chill
Us. while the warmth Of plain vice and
theory atr .cts Light and life make mag
netiSm, and make the vilest characters for
time acceptable.
But the practical. everyday Judge of the
flavor of character is the general world and
the average man; II is the general tablet of
public opinion Oh which each man makes
his impression or mark and is photographed.
1t Is the average taste and sensibility of
society that pronounces on the distinct
favor OF our characters as the wine or tea
faster tries and pronounces judgment.
The judgment isn't advertised or bulle-
tined. but it is very distinct, aud the true
favor of individual character asserts itself,
like the uniform of his regiment And men
are classified in spite of themselves. As
was said OF the murderers.
Aye, in the catalogue We go for men.
AS hounds ana greyhounds, mongrels, span
ies. ours.
Choughs waterways and demi- wolves ara
cleped.
All by the name OF dogs.
The valued tile distinguishes the swift, the |
slow. the subtle Wv
The housekeeper. the hunters dog. &c.
Men are sorted, too. as muskmellons or
fruit. by the flavor of their character. ths
sour, the sweet. the low, the high, the yul-
gar, the refined. the common and the gen.
teel, the frank and insinosre And this
cnracter Is from within and bespeaks the
company that is kept. the food thai b fed
on, the health or disease in the constitution.
the general tone. temper and favor of the
soul. that from within ds6les or honers the
nan. '~'
a