The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-06-29
WHY PEOPLE BLUSH.
Fear In the Trce Cause, and Old People
Rarely DO nc.

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Fear In the True Cause, and Old People
Rarely DO nc.
why do people blush? Certain emo
tions cause q kind Of syncope. The heart
stops for ON instant, and regaining
strength Immediately it acts in astron-
ger manner and sends the blood racing
into the arteries. So much for the phys
biological portion of the question, bat we
wish to know what causes these emo
lions.
Darwin explained this by saying that
when we perceive or fancy that we ara
being criticised on closely observed our
whole attention Is forcibly directed TO
ourselves and is especially concentrated
upon our c~ountenance. When q particu.
lar part Of the body becomes the object
Of such concentrated attention, its work
ing Ii greatly modified. We see o good
example of this in the immediate effect
produced upon the saliva by thinking Of
O lemon. Our face reddens ON the same
principle. The veins relax and are Allied
with arterial blood.
This explanation is mot quite satisfac.
tory, and other theories have been put
forward with more or less success. The
latest Ia that Of Mr.. Melinard, which Is
at least original We blush through
modesty, timidity. bashfulness and con-
fusion. Praise makes ms blush-that ID
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 . case Of timid-
ity. A schoolboy is asked q 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
IL Ia the same with confusions. We
have done something which we wish to
hide, and we are afraid that IL will be-
come known. In short, the moral state
In identical In all cases. We redden be-
cause we feel that people are finding out
something which we wish 10 hide.
IA. Melinard endeavors 10 demonstrate
the correctness Of his theory by showing
that when the fear of being ''unmasked"
Ii removed there Is no blushing. In the
case Of lovers, we find ut FIRST that they
| blush when they meet because they are
| desirous TO hide their sentiment. After.
ward there il no sign of o blush because
each knows that the other Ia aware Of
his or her sentiments and Ia M longer
afraid Of their being known.
A child does not blush. That 10 be-
cause he has no idea OF hiding anything.
Az soon a. he becomes old enough 70
understand that it may be TO his inter
est not TO tell all that he has done on all
that passes I'm his mind he begins To
redden. nc IL the same with idiota The
fear Of being unmasked does not exist.
and there Ii no blushing.
Fear, then, Ii the aus Of this change
Of countenance, according TO n. Nell
nara. We are more likely 10 turn red IN
front Of q snmber Of people than when
we are face to face with one or twt
only. Old people blush very seldom be-
cause they are not troubled with the fea1
that other people will find them out.
This il o novel theory, with some good
points, but there r several objections
to 1t. It Is O fact that we blush invol
unfairly; we blush when we have moth
ing ut all TO hide in the presence Of PEG
pie concerning whom we are quite In
different
Girls and boys win sometimes turn
red when one inquiries about the health
Of their father, mother or little brother
That old people do not blush much !
owing mot to the fact that they hav'
nothing TO hide. but because they know
better how TO dissimulate.
According to N. Melinard's theory
all old people must be paragons Of Wiz
the and all young one just the oppo
site, which we beg leave TO doubt
Nevertheless there Is some truth i
this new theory, and q study Of this i
connection with the Darwinian theor
mentioned above will lead TO some posi-
tive explanation Of the psychology :
: blushing .-Atianta Constitution.