The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-06-25
M.

| Now let us look at Tint form OF negative
| beneflcence which may be described az self
restraint upon the bestowal OF praise. Mr..
| Spencer takes tho case OF n handsome young
! woman accustomed to tribute in words and
| looks She Is constantly thinking Of the ad-
| miration she e1cites. aud Is on the watch for
| signs OF Il. Internationally her beauty Is
| great. 40 Crcat that you can scarcely avoid
| showing that you recognize II. Shall you give
| her the pleasure she seeks by letting your
| glances be seen? If you think only OF proN-
| innate results you may: but not IL you think
also OF remote results. II you recognize tho
fact that already her nature Is In largo meas
ure deformed by vanity: II you watch the man
ifestations OF her purely egotistic desires and
see how It excludes from consciousness the
altruistic desires which should predominnte.
you will endeavor to avoid showing that you
are thinking any more about her than about
other persons. Mr.. Spencer admits that such
self-restraint, called for by negative beneli-
cence. will probably be thought by many
needless. or even absurd. He submits. how
ever. that II they consider how often tho mon
tai attitude described proves II deploraole one.
eventually entaillng unhappiness on self and
others: II they remember that it is liable. in
after years. to vitiate domestic life in various
ways. even to the extent OF making mothers
Jealous OF their daughters: and II they re-
mem Der that 1t has been developed year after
year. by the open and tacit flattery OF those
around they will see that the reticence In
sisted on Is not unim portant
We have space only to mark the kindred re-
straints which Mr.. Spencer would evoke in
cases where applause Is expected for some
thing achieved. a book. O poem or a speech, a
painting or work OF plastic art. song or n
musical performance In private life the spec
tator or auditor finds 1t difficult to act con-
scientiousy. The wish not to disappoint
prompts the utterance Of approval which is not
felt. and shuts out from thought the evils
which may arise from uncandd speeches. II
the product be q sketch or a decorative work.
there need DO no check caused by thought OF
renoter consequences. but, II the product DO Of
q literary kind-verses or essays or perhaps
O volume-Mr Spencer holds that there should
be usually q suppression OF words which might
encourage an unrealizable ambition. Silence
or adverse criticism. gently expressed is. in such
cases. kind. not alone as perhaps preventing
the future disappointment OF the aspirant. but
also as tending to prevent public evil. Verses
which have no true poetry in them. and books
which contain neither facts nor thoughts of
any value, do lot simply entail loss to the COM
munity In paper and print thrown away. but
help to smother things OF true worth. The
Withholding OF praise hence becomes in null
titudinous cases duty to the world at large.
Negative beneflcence commands silence.
Although Mr. Spencer himself as we have
seen from his preface. seems to ascribe less
positive value to this book than to any OF it's
companions In the long series Of his synthetic
philosophy. we have probably made 1t evident
that tho volume before us will be more widely
read than any OF its predecessors.