The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-07-04
WHY PEOPLE BLUSH.
Fear Is the True Cause, and Old People
Rarely DO 1t.

| Rarely DO 1t.
Why do people blush? Certain emo
lions cause a kind of syncope The heart
stops for an instant, and regaining
strength Immediately it acts i'll stron-
ger manner and sends the blood racing
into the arteries. So much fo~ the phys
Illogical portion of the question, but we
wish to know what causes these emo
! tons.
! Darwin explained this by saying that
when we perceive or fancy that we are
being criticised or closely observed our
whole attention is forcibly directed to
ourselves and is especially concentrated
upon our countenance. When particu
lar part of the body becomes the object
of such concentrated attention, its work
ing is greatly modified. We sec good
example of this in the immediate effect
produced upon the saliva by thinking Of
a lemon Our face reddens on the same
principle The veins relax and are filled
with arterial blood.
This explanation is not quite satisfac-
tory, and other theories have been put
forward with more or less success. The
latest is that of Mr. Melinard, which is
at least original We blush through
modesty, timidity, bashfulness and CON
fusion. Praise makes us blush--that is
modesty. Now, what takes place within
us? Something very simple. This praise
pleases us, but we do not wish that fact
to be perceived. Take a case Of timid-
ity. A schoolboy is asked question
which he cannot answer. He wishes to
hide his ignorance, which may expose
him to punishment or the gibes of his
fellow scholars. He turns red.
1t is the same with confusions. We
have done something which we wish to
hide, and we are afraid that it will be-
come known. In short, the moral state
is identical in all cases. We redden be-
cause we feel that people are finding out
something which we wish to hide.
M. Melinard endeavors to demonstrate
the correctness of his theory by showing
that when the fear of being 'unmasked"
is removed there is no blpshing In the
case of lovers, we find at first that they
| blush when they meet because they are
DESTROYS to hide their sentiment After
ward there is no sign of blush because
each knows that the other is aware of
his or her sentiments and is no longer
afraid of their being known.
A child does not blush. That is be-
cause he has no idea of hiding anything
| AS soon as he becomes old enough to
understand that it may be to his inter
est not to tell all that he has done or all
! that passes in his mind he begins to
redden. 1t is the same with idiots. The
fear of being unmasked does not exist,
and there is no blushing.
Fear, then, is the cause Of this change
of countenance, according to M. Nell
nard. We are more likely to turn red IN
front Of a number Of people than when
we are face to face with one or two
only. Old people blush very seldom be-
cause they are not troubled with the fear
that other people will find them out.
This is novel theory, with some good
points, but there are several objections
| to it. It is 4 fact that we blush invol-
UNFAIRLY; we blush when we have moth.
ing at all to hide in the presence of peo-
pie concerning whom we are quite in
different.
Girls and boys will sometimes turn
red when one inquiries about the health
Of their father, mother or little brother.
That old people do not blush much is
owing not to the fact that they have
nothing to hide, but because they know
| better, how ia disciTnulate
According to N. Melinard's theory,
all old people must be pafagons of vir-
tue and all young ones just the oppo-
site, which we beg leave to doubt.
Nevertheless there is some truth in
this new theory, and q study Of this in
connection with the Darwinian theory
mentioned above will lead to some posi-
tive explanation Of the psychology Of
blushing. Atlanta Constitution.