Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1892-08-12

lnCercnangeaDly, put Il lew WRITER'S,
Ralph Waldo Emerson, A.
Bronson Alcott and United States
Commissioner OF Education DR..
T. Harris, employ them to
express antithetic notions, 6nd their
derivation justifies that use.
"Both words, you observe are of
Latin origin and each consists of
three parts. In the prefix to the
word individuality, means not;
dividual is from dividnus and means
the suftix, ity, signifies the
state, condition; or quality Oh
the three parts mean the
state, condition or quality Of being
indivisable- mot separable into three
parts. The individuality of any one,
then, is that. peculiar something
which separates him from Others
and makes him distinctive, isolated
being.
1.-The word person is derived from
per, through and sonare, to sound.
Add to these the meaning of the
suffix already explained, common to
both words, and we have for the
meaning of personality the state,
condition or quality of sounding
through, or in the passive form, the
state, condition or quality of being
sounded through. The history of
the word person is interesting and
instructive It was first applied to
the actor whose voice, while uttcring
his passage in q species OF drama,
sounded through" the mask which
concealed his features. The play
itself, usually called the mask, was
sometimes designated persona,
thereby implying that as there was
a more real face behind the mask, so,
back of the play there existed a more
substantial fact-some state or
condition of society, of which the
play was the image. Calling it
persona suggested that the purpose
of the play was ''to hold" as it were,
the mirror up to nature; to show
virtue her own feature; scOrn her
own image; and the very age and
body of the time his form and
pressure!
"The race of man may he regarded
as an example. All history is but the
record OF mans effort to grow out
of his isolated, individual condition
and to grow into, the related cOndi-
ton which the world personally ex-
presses. According to some author
tiles our remote ancestor was neither
a person nor a handsome individual.
They say he had long arms, an un-
coutl, hairy body, low retreating
deep-seated. eyes prominent
cheek bones, heavy jaw, protruding
canine teeth, stumbling gait, body
neither erect nor prone. Contrast
with his DEFENDANTS. His house a
cave, his food the blood and flesh
which with his claw-like hands he
could tear from the bones of some
other weaker animal, together with
the roots he digs in, the earth, his
mode of life is quite unlike that of his
children OF this generation. He has
no family. no. church, no state, no
school, no business, no society, no
printing press, no objective, sub
staptial world Of spirit by means OF
which he may rise out of his isolated
condition into a universal life, and
vet this animal represents the
condition OF our race at.some' period
Of It's history. Whether the race had
fallen to that istiIte Of degradation
frome rome preyi nshigher condition
Or whether thilr' low plane Of
existence. represents the beginning of
its career. is mn interesting inquiry
about which good men differ. But
the true answer to that question
whatever it may be would not mate
rally effect the present discussion.
Whatever his place in the races
history, or whatever his physical
appearance thescave;man is a we'll
authenticated historical fact and is
not yet wholly extinct.
The isolated Individual, having
nothing in common with his fellows,
has become a person, a related being,
q member Of society in which each is
for all and all IS for each. He has
become d branch OF the vine. He has
learned that there is lone mind
common to all individual men, and
and that his mind may be an inlet to
the same and to. All Of the same.
I'm becoming a person, the
individual does not lose the con-
seriousness BY Identifying it with
universal reason His responsibility
rs unit OF society Is not lessened
when he becomes .,the very age and
body u his time, I but rather is it !
Increased BY 80 much as he has
enlarged himself
IN hen tue child enters the school
hebecom g a membero d 9 community,
i part Of an, organization, the !
essential nature 81 which Is that each !
part Is at the same time means and
and. In this organization the part
Exists Tor the whole, the whole exists
sor the part eaeli Is Tor all. all Is for
zach Each m 30 ,frttI 80 to- act I