The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-05-21

b. declares. eating bis dinner on strunk In .
IL II The remark 81 q wise man. that u 10
hesltbfui to cultivate the sentiment that
eyery one IL created to MI his " niche In the
world and nobody slse's.
True dignity will be consulted By accepting
the fact chserfuliy and making the most OF IL.
every one 10 entitled to claim the respect OF
others, II he RESPECTS himself Largo or small
high or low. learned or u%nlesrned. every one
can do this. But peevish complaints or I'M
awaiting regrets or jealousy or vain ambition
or envy. bellttls the character until II loses
all claim to any kind OF confederation But q
noble nature. self-sustained. no matter wnat
It's circumstances. oan never fall Into con-
tempt. but must always command respect ana
consideration.
It is q weak ess Of man to complain. Espe-
cially IL It q weakness OF eminent persons TO
consider the attacks which their eminenoe In
vites as intolerable and unparalleled.
They forgot that mankind 10 ignorant. sell
ash. e~nvious. and too often mslevolcnt From
their ignorance and prejudice arises Q per-
versity In judging. which It 10 hard to compre-
bend and harder stu to bear.
Good men thus often think that the calum-
MES. OF which they are the subject, are too gi-
eantlo ever to have been endured by any other
mortal. while the fact 10, that nearly all prom
mont men suffer alike In this respect
I have lived long enough and seen people
enough to know that those whose names are
most in the mouth OF the world. are neither
the greatest. best. nor wisest OF mankind.
lam persuaded that narrowness and preju-
dice and logged obstinacy are the most ef-
fsctive qualities to make an enloisnt society
and . great people We want them. along with
some other good qualities. doubtless such as
industry and temperance and energy and
activity and skill and honesty.
But q community OF what We should call
theoretically perfect characters might make q
very inefficient and useless body, that would
never make any head nor do any good In the
world. Let us. then. encourage the growth OF
judioious i'm periections In human character.
take for my illustrations OF this theory the
Scotch. the New Enelsndsrs. and tho Dutch.
Those are the foremost and toughest and best
people on the face Of the earth. and they are
preeminent examples OF the qualities I have
enumerated. All are great because OF them.
and would not be 40 great as they are without
them. 1t Is an easy way OF criticism to point
out a mans lacks. 1t is very easy to say he
isn't this or he Isn't that: therefore he is Of nd
account.
wellington Is reckoned something OF q mar
in his way. but what did he know about litera-
turs. end what sort Of q fist would he have
made In q legal argument or In the writing Of
Paradise Lostr"
Mankind are only pebbles Of different shapes
and values and kinds.
The ruby cannot be an emerald or a sap
phire. and even the diamond Is Of different
qualities. and at best may sometimes be
eclipsed by another Jewel.
The only true way to estimate a man is by
taking the gauge OF his positive faculties and
estimating their kind as we'll as quality. This
may involve the observation OF his d~efcien-
cies. but these deficiencies. unless they create
defects in the qualities he has. are not to be
reckoned to his disadvantage in q fair esti-
mate Of his character.
Individual opinion is OF small account. II q
man has any action to perform. that tells on
human affairs. that has weight and gives sig
niacanoe to that mans opinions
But tho great mass Of men. even thinking.
philosophical minds. are OF small importance
in all their speculations. rntiocinations. and
judgments. except as they may 60 to develop
or illustrate abstract truth.
What A thinks or B thinks on this problem
or that. on this probability or that, Ia all very
we'll In making UP the chat OF a vacant hour:
but as to its being Of any Significance or con.
beQoouSo III tuc bubtEb v III WOElus - tD6
self-consciousness Of individuals generally
leads them to think. 10 . vast mistake. Even
the opinions and judgments OF men In power.
which might seem to be IN . measure control.
ling upon human events. are often. II not gen.
erally. SO balanced and controlled or thwarted
by those Of others In similar circumstance.
that the net result 10 just nothing at elL Tho
opinions OF mankind are thus both generally
and especially not worthy Of grave uttsrancs.
but may be thrown out as footballs for those
who want amusement Ny experience leads
me to have no respect for anything but sober.
pIoddinR. common sense for the management
Of affairs. The eccentric. the imaginative. the
speculative. the theoretic belong somewhere
else. They may be ornamental and entertain
ing. but they are not useful They erernally
fools Of themselves and mischief for
others The impulses OF genius are good in
the domain Of thought. but they generally play
the devil in practical affairs.
II we assume that the earth and the things
OF earth are In a state OF development instead
of moving in a circle OF birth and decay. we
lay imagine that the present races Of mon
will produce a higher type Of existence than
the world hos yet seen.
Our Imagination can hardly picture to itself
a race OF beings formed like ourselves who
would far exceed mankind; and II we 20 Q
little beyond this supposition 1t is easy enough
to conceive a race Of beingsto which our ordi-
nary Individual man would bear no comparison
in powers or Projections
II our intimatlons Of mans early existence
are not deluslve by reason OF the supposition
that in former epochs he may have been
swept away by overwhelming copvulsions OF
nature. with all his works. then we may fairly
presume that q race which has risen from the
rude condition OF the prehistoric nges to It's
present height. may. under favorable oondi-
tons. 90 far higher.
Nothing seems to initiate against this idea.
except the theory that man has always
existed. and that In the order Of nature,
when II certain elevation in mans condition is
reached. everything is thrown into chaos,
man and his works included. leaving only a
few individual specimens. and it may be very
poor oEes. as the seeds OF a new epoch, or as
we may say o! a new world.
We know nothing 10 the System Of things.
why a convulsion OF Nature might not utterly
swallow all the evidences Of existing civlllza.
ton. leaving only a few savages on the noun.
min mazda nd tl,nV 49,